One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd (One Thousand White Women Series, 1)

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd is by Jim Fergus. It is quite an interesting novel. With his introduction as to how his book came to be written and the way it reads, one might mistake it for a memoir instead of a novel. It is very well written. The main characters are well developed, the setting is marvelously detailed, and the plot is simple. It is simply the story of a woman who through hardships not of her making, came to be sent West to marry and live among the Cheyenne Indians. This was under the supposed Brides for Indians program originated by President Grant. This program did not exist, it is fiction created by Jim Fergus. May Dodd, an unwed mother living in sin with the father of her children, was placed in an Insane Asylum by her wealthy parents. She was considered “promiscuous” and treated as so at the asylum. Her father could neither accept his daughter loved a man so far beneath her class nor that she was not married. This was a way to get her out of sight and mind so she would not embarrass the family any more. She was never to see her children again. After she had been in the asylum a while, she was given a chance to leave the asylum on a special program set up by the Government. She was to join a group of women destined to be wives for the Cheyenne Indians. This was an attempt to civilize the Indians and assimilate them into the White Man’s world. Given the opportunity to avoid spending the rest of her life in the asylum, she agreed. Once she agreed, May was resolved to do see this program to its end. Once she made a promise, she kept it. Through a series of journals, supposedly kept by May, we learn of the program, how it was handles, the trip to the West, and her life as an Indian Squaw. She was “lucky” to be chosen by the chief as his wife. The manner in which Jim Fergus wrote this book is quite intriguing. As you read, you begin to believe it is a true story of the American West. It is a difficult book to put aside as you want to keep reading to find out what happens to May.

I can't add much in the form of a review as the previous readers have expressed my thoughts much more eloquently than I can. I must not have read the book description before downloading the Kindle book as I was under the impression that it was a nonfiction piece~May Dodd's actual journal written after the American Civil War~that is my fault. I was disappointed when I figured out that it was a fictional piece written in the format of a collection of diaries, but I continued reading because...well, because I'd just spent $9.99 on this book and I felt motivated to read it. I'm glad I did. While the characters are really caricatures (as many reviewers have stated), the story line proved itself to be both compelling and enjoyable. May Dodd is too good to be true~not an historically accurate representation of women of that time period~yet, her personality does give voice to a story that I wish were true. I like the entire idea of a group of women choosing to marry and live with men of a completely different culture~men that in some ways were identical to the men in their own culture but exact opposites in some profound ways. If Fergus got the historical and cultural aspects of the Cheyenne People correct (which I assume he did based on his extensive bibliography of sources), then I did learn some about Native American culture: the eating at anytime with no set time for dinner, the acceptance of homosexuals and all races, the extremely quiet babies. While I don't choose to read books with explicit sex scenes (I have nothing against them, I just don't like "romance" mixed with my literature), I did enjoy the feather-on-the-rump scene (guilty secret: I read that part twice). I thought it was very well-written. I liked all of the characters except for the ones that I wasn't suppose to like~well done there Mr.Fergus. Yes, most (all?) of the characters were flat and behaved exactly as I expected. So why four stars? The story line was interesting; the historical aspects were intriguing; the visual images kept a picture going in my head; it was an easy and fast read. Would I pay $9.99 for it now? No. Do I recommend it? No if you like your characters in an historical fiction piece to be realistic. Yes if you like your historical fiction more like a Victoria Holt novel (BTW I love Victoria Holt). My mom likes what she calls "sex and suffering" books~she'd like this. Melissa

In "One Thousand White Women," Jim Fergus delivers a poignant and thought-provoking narrative inspired by an actual historical initiative in the American West. Through the compelling diaries of May Dodd, readers embark on a transformative journey through a land filled with both beauty and brutality. After being unjustly confined to an asylum by her aristocratic family for daring to love a man of lower status, May seizes the opportunity for liberation by participating in a secret government program designed to bring white women as brides to Cheyenne warriors. As May ventures into this unfamiliar territory, her life becomes intertwined with the rich culture of the Cheyenne Nation. She navigates the complexities of her situation with grace, forming intense relationships along the way, including a brief yet impactful romance with the charismatic army captain John Bourke and a profound connection with the noble chief Little Wolf. Through heartache, adventure, and the struggle for identity, May's story encapsulates themes of love, courage, and the stark contrasts between opposing worlds. Fergus’s engaging storytelling, combined with well-researched historical context, invites readers to reflect on the nuances of cultural identity and the choices women face in turbulent times. "One Thousand White Women" is an evocative exploration of resilience and the pursuit of belonging, making it a captivating read that lingers long after the last page. Prepare to be swept away by May's extraordinary journey as she forges her own path in a world defined by conflict and change.

The plot is based on an extraordinary near miss in American history - in 1875 a group of "white" women volunteer to take up the Cheyenne Chief Little Wolf's proposal to encourage integration with the White Man's tribe by mating his men with their women. The fictional journal of one of those women makes for extraordinary reading. May Dodd is one of those characters who inspire and uplift our spirits to what we might be. Against sometimes terrible circumstances (almost all provided by the bigotted, hypocritical and profoundly amoral world of the "Christian" culture of nineteenth century American society), this marvellous woman derives joy, awe and, ultimately, profound fulfillment from her new life with the Cheyenne in their last days before annihilation by the good Christian forces of civilisation. The writing is excellent, fluidly balancing a driving narrative with deep philosophical insights. The characterisation is especially moving - May's wild bunch of fellow "Indian brides" are brilliantly and lovingly portrayed, from the awe-inspiring freed slave warrior Ephie to thehillariously indomitable enormous Swiss matron Gretchen. Above all, Fergus transmits, without preaching or mawkishness, the heartaching tragedy of the genocide which the American pioneers and their government committed against a largely innocent and upright people. He makes the Cheyenne culture alluringly and convincingly coherent and morally profound against a backdrop of American greed, dishonesty and cruelty. At the same time he reminds us of the grotesque violence present in all human society and does not let us slip into the tempting idea of a native American garden of Eden. Wonderful book. The characters and ideas will haunt me for a long time to come. I look forward to his next publication.

I read it in two languages at the same time, the English version captures better the essence of the story. Halfway till the end, I couldn’t stop reading, it was addictive.

emozionante, consigliatissima lettura !

Très beau roman de Jim Fergus à partir d'un fait historique : l'auteur nous emmène chez les Cheyennes à la fin du 19ème siècle alors que leur univers touche à sa fin et qu'ils sont sur le point de connaître les réserves imposées par les autorités : le récit est celui d'une femme qui vit avec eux car elle est donnée comme épouse à leur chef : c'est son existence et son expérience qui est décrite par l'auteur à partir du point de vue de la femme : c'est le passage du monde blanc impitoyable à celui des Cheyennes plus tolérant et aimant. C'est un récit magnifique par l'expression des sentiments et émotions de la jeune femme et par les descriptions de ce mode de vie spartiate et par les paysages splendides de l'Amérique encore sauvage ....

A well written account of the lives of the North American Indians and what happened when the white people came to drive them off the land. It was engrossing and sad, and gave good insight into the lives and society of the plains Indians in the 1800's. I would recommend it to anyone interested in historical fiction.