Women of Colonial America: 13 Stories of Courage and Survival in the New World

Gr 9 Up—Miller highlights prominent women—whose contributions have often been left out of traditional history texts—in this thoroughly researched and engrossing look at Colonial America. The book covers nearly 200 years of history and consists of 13 chapters, each of which contains biographical sketches of several women, making the subtitle a little misleading. Miller begins with a description of the gracious hospitality of a 16th-century Native American woman who welcomed explorers employed by Sir Walter Raleigh in what is now North Carolina and concludes in the 1770s with accounts of successful businesswomen in Virginia. The intervening decades are packed with narratives of Native American women who navigated their rapidly changing world with bravery and skill and women who left (willingly or by force) their familiar lives in Europe for the unknown in the colonies. There are women who were born in the colonies and grew up to be successful planters, authors, and theologians. Among the topics covered are servitude, slavery, childbearing, marriage, education, and housewifery. Where historical records are silent about the specifics of a woman's life, Miller skillfully weaves in what is known about women in general who shared a similar background. For instance, few established facts exist about Pocahontas, so Miller creates a substantial portrait of her using what is known about Algonquin women of the time. Miller incorporates excerpts from period letters and government records. Serviceable black-and-white illustrations are interspersed.