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133 reviews for:
Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West
Dorothy Wickenden
3.38 AVERAGE
133 reviews for:
Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West
Dorothy Wickenden
3.38 AVERAGE
This is a pick for my non-fiction book club. The hasn't met yet, so I will be curious about what others think.
This is the sort of book I often don't finish - often historical non-fiction and biographies on an interesting topic often get bogged down in too much historical detail. But this one didn't. Or maybe it's because I am familiar with both Smith College and Upstate New York, so I found those details more fascinating than usual.
The book uses letters, oral histories, newspaper accounts and talking to people to recreate the year that two Smith graduates spent teaching in rural Colorado in the early 20th century. It was interesting to hear about their experiences. I also enjoyed reading about the kids and seeing that students were no worse nor no better than they are now.
The text created a picture of how hard life was in the West/frontier. But it also showed how women's lives there, as brutal as they were, were also more free in many ways than in the restrained East, especially for upperclass women like Ros and Dorothy. Women were recognized as valuable players in the life of the West.
I appreciated how the author used endnotes detailing what sources she used for each section, rather than the generic listing of sources for a chapter that is all too common today. It will be relatively easy for students and others to recreate her work and find the sources she used. (Except for the sources that are still held by her family. Donate those to an archives, please!)
This is the sort of book I often don't finish - often historical non-fiction and biographies on an interesting topic often get bogged down in too much historical detail. But this one didn't. Or maybe it's because I am familiar with both Smith College and Upstate New York, so I found those details more fascinating than usual.
The book uses letters, oral histories, newspaper accounts and talking to people to recreate the year that two Smith graduates spent teaching in rural Colorado in the early 20th century. It was interesting to hear about their experiences. I also enjoyed reading about the kids and seeing that students were no worse nor no better than they are now.
The text created a picture of how hard life was in the West/frontier. But it also showed how women's lives there, as brutal as they were, were also more free in many ways than in the restrained East, especially for upperclass women like Ros and Dorothy. Women were recognized as valuable players in the life of the West.
I appreciated how the author used endnotes detailing what sources she used for each section, rather than the generic listing of sources for a chapter that is all too common today. It will be relatively easy for students and others to recreate her work and find the sources she used. (Except for the sources that are still held by her family. Donate those to an archives, please!)
Slow at times, this is a sweet, loving portrayal of the author's grandmother and best friend, leaving the high society of the East (and just off a Grand Tour in Europe) to teach in a frontier school in Colorado. The rich girls need to learn how to navigate the hardships of the West and connect with their pupils and families. The Ute, whose homeland is the setting for this adventure, are mentioned briefly and quickly dispatched. Immigrant mineworkers desperate for work and safer conditions also put in a brief appearance. But the focus is squarely on the society girls of the title.
Recommended by staffer Ellen J. Read her review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/186405887
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Snothing%20daunted%20wickenden__Orightresult__U1?lang=eng&suite=pearl
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Snothing%20daunted%20wickenden__Orightresult__U1?lang=eng&suite=pearl
2.5 stars.
The basic premise of this book is really interesting--two debutantes from New York find themselves teaching in the rural Rockies in the 1910s--but it was hard to get through. The writer is the granddaughter of one of the teachers and had a nice cache of letters but instead of letting her grandmother and her best friend's voices shine through, the material features lots of random diversions about the background of every possible relevant thing. The story of the women's trip doesn't even start until around 100 pages in. Things do pick up a bit after that, but I really wish this had just been an annotated collection of letters.
The basic premise of this book is really interesting--two debutantes from New York find themselves teaching in the rural Rockies in the 1910s--but it was hard to get through. The writer is the granddaughter of one of the teachers and had a nice cache of letters but instead of letting her grandmother and her best friend's voices shine through, the material features lots of random diversions about the background of every possible relevant thing. The story of the women's trip doesn't even start until around 100 pages in. Things do pick up a bit after that, but I really wish this had just been an annotated collection of letters.
This just wasn't my thing. I enjoyed the book and the two women, but I just don't enjoy this time in American history even when told from a very personal standpoint.
What an interesting story. I struggled a little bit, feeling that Dorothy and Ros were going to be nothing more than well-bred "tourists" to the West, but I found myself really engaged by their story. I hated that their stories ended in I really did laugh at loud at some points and got very invested in Ros' suitors (I was disappointed...and then vindicated!!). I found myself reading passages out loud to my family, particularly the bits about the Moffat railroad. Fascinating stuff.
Spoiler
marriage and a sort of mundane existence, particularly since both of insisted that their year in the West was the best year of their lives.
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
So Sad. This could have been such an exciting read, full of anticipation and trepidation, joy, and relief. Unfortunately the only relief is when you finish the book, and shout "Hallelujah I have finished."
This is the true story of two society girls from Auburn NY who go out west in 1916 to teach after their tour of 'the continent'. The story is told so poorly that I wound up not caring about anybody in the story.
This is the true story of two society girls from Auburn NY who go out west in 1916 to teach after their tour of 'the continent'. The story is told so poorly that I wound up not caring about anybody in the story.
Not what I thought it would be—a description of the rugged Colorado experience of two society women from New York at the turn of the century—but a fuller contextual history of the era, the area of both Colorado and Auburn, and the societal contrasts. Fascinating. Well written and well researched.