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pam2375's review against another edition
5.0
This was a fantastic story about Cathy Williams life as a slave and then a Buffalo Soldier. I knew very little about the Buffalo Soldiers and I am so glad that I was able to read this for a little bit of knowledge. Some of the content is a bit difficult to read, but well worth the effort!
My thanks to netgalley and St Martin's Press for this advanced readers copy.
My thanks to netgalley and St Martin's Press for this advanced readers copy.
sophiedianee's review against another edition
1.0
The story itself is fairly interesting, but I can longer stand the awkward pacing and the overly stereotypical dialogue all the characters use. Highly recommend researching the story of Cathy Williams, just not with this book.
blumoongirl's review against another edition
2.0
I looked forward to listening to this book so I was surprised when I didn’t love it. I was looking forward to learning something about Cathy as well as her life but this read like a fluffy whitewashed account of what could have been a gritty novel that truly reflected the last life of this extraordinary woman.
lostinagoodbook's review against another edition
1.0
Disclaimer: I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book troubled me from nearly the beginning. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.it but I could feel there was something wrong. I gradually came to realize that the problem lay in how the people of color were portrayed in the book. Not only were the voices problematic but they were written in cliche.
You know what this reminded me of? Gone with the Wind. That is NOT a good thing. African-Americans were consistently shown to be mulish, ignorant and backwards. The lead character was supposed to draw strength from her heritage. Her mother stressed her being the child of a strong warrior woman from Africa, but the actual connection to her heritage was written in such a way as to be purely tenuous and superficial.
One scene in particular was absolutely ridiculous. Cathy, as an enlisted Buffalo Soldier, has to hide her gender but her fellow soldiers are suspicious. As a trial she is forcefully put into a room with a prostitute, while her fellow soldiers listen at the door. What followed was a ridiculous farce. Cathy banged on the bed while encouraging an unfortunate, intoxicated sex-worker to pray loudly to “Hell Mary” for forgiveness for her sins. The ensuing noise convinced the soldiers that Cathy MUST be a man and hella good at sex besides. This was scene belonged in a Mel Brook’s comedy. It was demeaning, ludicrous and repellant.
I won’t even go into her depiction of First Nations people. They were props. Like the stand-in, life size cardboard figures you see in a movie theater.
This is not historical fiction. It’s just fiction. Loosely attaching your character to a real person’s history does not lend credence to your story. I found the entire book odious. I’m sorry I read it. The real life Cathy Williams deserved more. This is why we need more books written by people of color.
This book troubled me from nearly the beginning. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.it but I could feel there was something wrong. I gradually came to realize that the problem lay in how the people of color were portrayed in the book. Not only were the voices problematic but they were written in cliche.
You know what this reminded me of? Gone with the Wind. That is NOT a good thing. African-Americans were consistently shown to be mulish, ignorant and backwards. The lead character was supposed to draw strength from her heritage. Her mother stressed her being the child of a strong warrior woman from Africa, but the actual connection to her heritage was written in such a way as to be purely tenuous and superficial.
One scene in particular was absolutely ridiculous. Cathy, as an enlisted Buffalo Soldier, has to hide her gender but her fellow soldiers are suspicious. As a trial she is forcefully put into a room with a prostitute, while her fellow soldiers listen at the door. What followed was a ridiculous farce. Cathy banged on the bed while encouraging an unfortunate, intoxicated sex-worker to pray loudly to “Hell Mary” for forgiveness for her sins. The ensuing noise convinced the soldiers that Cathy MUST be a man and hella good at sex besides. This was scene belonged in a Mel Brook’s comedy. It was demeaning, ludicrous and repellant.
I won’t even go into her depiction of First Nations people. They were props. Like the stand-in, life size cardboard figures you see in a movie theater.
This is not historical fiction. It’s just fiction. Loosely attaching your character to a real person’s history does not lend credence to your story. I found the entire book odious. I’m sorry I read it. The real life Cathy Williams deserved more. This is why we need more books written by people of color.
twin2's review against another edition
4.0
4.0 stars
This was my first audio book. I took a little time for me to get into it.
I thought the narrator was good. I did not like the bleeping out of some curse words. At times that did not make the storytelling smooth.
This was my first audio book. I took a little time for me to get into it.
I thought the narrator was good. I did not like the bleeping out of some curse words. At times that did not make the storytelling smooth.
ammbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I always find it amazing to read stories in which women not only survive challenges thrown their way but persevere. I wish more stories were made available in public school on the historical impact that those who were not white males made in our country. I find it astonishing that Williams Cathay was able to hide her gender while serving with the Buffalo Soldiers. And it saddens me to see how historically (and currently) the system fails us.
marilynw's review against another edition
4.0
This is the historical fictionalized story of Cathy Williams, a former slave, and the only woman ever to serve as a Buffalo Soldier. This story hurt my heart, not only for Cathy but for all the slaves, all those torn apart by war between families, the treatment of blacks and Native Americans, and also the horrors of violence by all sides against everyone. And in the end very few had happy endings, including Cathy Williams. The real Cathy Williams had her feet amputated, late in life, but I do hope she had some good memories, like the fictionalized Cathy Williams had.
Having mentioned good memories for the fictionalized Cathy Williams, there was a twist at the very ending that stabbed a knife in my already sad heart. But as Cathy was written, I think she had the strength, passed on to her from her mother and grandmother, to see that twist in a better light than I saw it and that's the way I'll remember this book. Cathy Williams, was a very strong person, very strong woman, and very strong man, when she had to pretend she wasn't a woman. Her life was so unbearably harsh, from the moment she was born and she did the best she could with it, in a way very few could do.
As the story was written, Cathy, as both a woman and as a woman pretending to be a man, grew on me. As hard as the book was to read because of the brutalities of Cathy's life and those around her, I admired her humor and her way of seeing things she could not change. Knowing she was based on a real person, I knew her future couldn't turn out rosy, but she allowed me to hope it could. She made of her life the best that she could and it was a whole lot better than most people could have done. I'm glad I read the book even as I'm left with a deep sadness for the cruelties that we inflict on each other.
Published September 4, 2018.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
Having mentioned good memories for the fictionalized Cathy Williams, there was a twist at the very ending that stabbed a knife in my already sad heart. But as Cathy was written, I think she had the strength, passed on to her from her mother and grandmother, to see that twist in a better light than I saw it and that's the way I'll remember this book. Cathy Williams, was a very strong person, very strong woman, and very strong man, when she had to pretend she wasn't a woman. Her life was so unbearably harsh, from the moment she was born and she did the best she could with it, in a way very few could do.
As the story was written, Cathy, as both a woman and as a woman pretending to be a man, grew on me. As hard as the book was to read because of the brutalities of Cathy's life and those around her, I admired her humor and her way of seeing things she could not change. Knowing she was based on a real person, I knew her future couldn't turn out rosy, but she allowed me to hope it could. She made of her life the best that she could and it was a whole lot better than most people could have done. I'm glad I read the book even as I'm left with a deep sadness for the cruelties that we inflict on each other.
Published September 4, 2018.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.