One Thousand White Women,

One Thousand White Women,

The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus

I picked up this book at a book sale and I am so glad I did. I found it to be one of those books that once you start to read it , you can't put down.

The author, Jim Fergus starts off the book with an author's note saying this book is entirely a work of fiction. He has good reason to do this because it is very hard to read the journals written by May Dodd, the main character in the book, and not think this actually happened.

In 1854 there was an historical event ,a peace conference held at Fort Laramie between the Northern Cheyenne Indians and the US Army. The Indian chief requested a gift of one thousand white woman as brides for his young warriors. Any children born of such a union would be considered being of their mother's tribe and the Indians saw this as a perfect means of assimilating into the white man's world.

The request was denied , the peace conference collapsed but from this idea this novel was born. It is the story of a group of assorted women who did become the brides of the Cheyenne Indians. It is told in journal form by May Dodd , one of the brides.

It is extremely interesting and certainly did a great deal to make me understand the history of that time.

A great read. Find it if you can.

One Thousand White Women: the journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus

Published by St Martin Griffin in 1998

ISBN 978-0-312-18008-9