Books by Mississippi Writers 1996-2010
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Creation Date
9-1-1996
Description
Nonfiction by Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith Smithmark Publishing (Hardcover, ISBN: 0831772204, 9/1996); University of Oklahoma Press (Paperback, $16.05, ISBN: 0806130547, 6/1998) The rarely seen and startlingly vital black-and-white photographs in this volume capture the fortitude and pride of the clear-eyed women of the frontier, women who had to practice all the tender arts of nurturing a family under the most rugged of circumstances. Peavy and Smith cut through all the myths of frontier life in their frank and engaging commentary, getting down to the cold, gritty facts under such headings as "Keeping Spirits Up," "Night Fears," "Warding Off Insects and Animals," and "Little Ones Lost." This litany alludes to the loneliness and isolation of pioneer existence, where every act, from securing clean drinking water to making clothes, required long, hard labor, and where pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood often involved as much tragedy as joy. Little-discussed issues, such as marriages between Anglo men and Indian and Hispanic women, are examined, as are the lives of women who found employment outside the homestead as teachers, physicians, businesswomen, journalists, and even prostitutes. A book as fresh and inspiring as a bright, breezy day on the plains. ―Donna Seaman, Booklist
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