Reviews for By Grit and Grace: Eleven Women Who Shaped the American West

The average rating for By Grit and Grace: Eleven Women Who Shaped the American West based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-08-14 00:00:00 Brandon Cocke A volume of 10 essays, about 11 women, from a multitude of backgrounds and experiences, that made contributions to the American West. Only two women were previously known to me. I enjoyed learning of the other, amazing women, who persevered through hardships, some of their own making, and many they inherited. While the writing isn't exactly thrilling, the essays were informative, and gave me a respect for the paths each forged, in their own way.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-04-16 00:00:00 Justin Kirker As a history buff, I found BY GRIT & GRACE: Eleven Women Who Shaped the American West (Fulcrum Publishing) to be informative about the women profiled therein. Each of them in some way influenced the culture of the western United States during the nineteenth century. The book is edited by Glenda Riley and by Richard W. Etulain, who is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of New Mexico. Etulain is also the author and editor of over forty books, including BEYOND THE MISSOURI: The Story of the American West. While many books about the western frontier focus on the notorious men who were leaders in the formative years, there were many women who independently broke ground and made their voices and leadership known. The biographies are interesting and have helpful, detailed "Sources and Further Reading" at the end of each of them. Included are well-known women like Annie Oakley (who was actually an Eastern woman who promoted the 'concept' of what a Western woman was like) and now-obscure women like Gertrudis Barceló, the leading monte-bank dealer in the Mexican territory of New Mexico in the 1830s. Although this is could be considered an introductory type of book for western history and women's history buffs, with guidance to more detailed studies, I think anyone would find this an enjoyable read. I was especially interested in Abigail Scott Duniway, a determined woman's suffragist and after 40 years of campaigning, the first female voter in Oregon in 1914. I plan to use the listed sources to further my knowledge of this courageous woman. Even the profiled women whose convictions are in opposition to mine were helpful in forming an overall understanding of this country during the 1800s. Recommended!