Bad ass ladies and history would could be better. Enjoyed this romp through some interesting women and their times!

What an absolutely fabulous read. I learned so much about these women I had previously only seen mentioned in brief. It was eye-opening and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about how things really happened.

This was an excellent history of women in the American West. Taken mostly from first-person accounts, Hickman tells some well-known stories like Narcissa Whitman and the Donner group, but also lesser known stories of Indigenous women watching their home and food supply disappear because of the settlers stealing their land, Black women suing for emancipation in California, Chinese women brought to the West for prostitution, and more.

I'm grateful for the light being shed on women's history and the inclusion of Indigenous and women of color, and found this fascinating, heart-breaking, and inspiring, in equal measure. The stories are mostly focused on Oregon, Washington and California, and this book is definitely worth the read!

Brave Hearted lifts up the tragic and resilient stories of women, slave and Native Americans. A really interesting read that captures the mythos, grit and fevered resettlement and takeover of the West.

**I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

This book is a great narrative of how women were an integral part of the settling of the west. The women in this book are not one race or nationality but are portrayed as the backbone for civilization. It is amazing how many women were willing to step outside the norms of society to trailblaze according to their own desires.

This was a very, very good book! I loved reading about the strong and brave women who helped shape are history!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to pre-read this book and share my opinions on it.

This book covers approximately half a century in the 1800s, and my oh my, what changes the United States experienced in that brief window of time. One of the most notable of these changes was that we started expanding westward, which is where our focus lies in this book. Tucked away behind all the historical accounts of the men who settled the west are the women who endured it all with grit and tenacity, who made their own mark only to have it overshadowed by lawmen, cowboys, gunfighters, outlaws, and soldiers. Women were often the overlooked threads in the tapestry, and it was refreshing to see them in the spotlight.

However, I feel like a good balance of the book spent a little too much time getting bogged down in dry recitation of dates, timelines, and facts without any of the drama and flavor the west was marked by. That's not to say the drama and flavor isn't present - when it was there, it was absolutely gripping and I couldn't tear through the pages fast enough. I found myself getting stuck more often than not, though, and it was a bit of a bummer to realize that the reason I was feeling caught in a reading slump was mostly because I knew I would have to pick this book up and read it, and I just didn't want to. Sometimes I could fly through a chapter or more at a time, others I had to force myself to grind through five pages. I was a little frustrated with the inconsistency.

I also wish the scope of the book could have been a bit more dialed in. The first two-thirds or so of the book were about the Oregon Trail (oh my goodness, how did anyone even survive that journey?), which made the last portion feel a bit rushed and not as fleshed out. We ended up with flyover accounts of many of the women presented, but the portions where the book was truly able to shine where the ones that settled down and got to know the women a little better. I would have liked to have seen more of that.

I always feel bad when I'm not 100% blown away by something that obviously took so much care, research, and dedication to complete. This certainly wasn't a bad book - just a little drier than I was anticipating in places. I am happy to say, though, that one of the prevailing impressions I got from this book, is that women are amazing, and have been amazing, and will continue to be amazing. I'm not even sure I want to imagine what living through the hardships of settling the West must have been like, and these women rolled up their sleeves and tackled it with a level of determination and perseverance I can only aspire to. In that regard, this book was absolutely inspiring and worth a read.

“Gripping,” “Exhilarating!”, “Captivating!” These are descriptors I often flutter my eyes at, chalking these up to marketing histrionics that serve solely to assuage publisher’s fears about book sales and authors’ egos. But in Hickman’s case, I was hard pressed to find more authentic adjectives for Bravehearted: The Dramatic Story of Women of the American West.

I was expecting no less, to be honest. I’ve read Hickman’s work before (Courtesans: Money, Sex and Fame in the Nineteenth Century (2003) and Daughters of Britannia: The Lives and Times of Diplomatic Wives (1999) specifically) and enjoyed her scholarship for many reasons. Bravehearted, however, was the first time I’ve read Hickman’s scholarship since I began and finished graduate school, becoming in my own right, a historian. I can now say I appreciate Hickman even more than I did previously.

Bravehearted (like Hickman’s other works) is, from the perspective of a general reader, incredibly easy and smooth to read. The facts (that is, the history) are woven so artfully into her prose that the reader never feels like there’s a history lesson embedded in it. (There is, of course. More on that below.) Instead, the women, men, and children — indigenous, white settler, and immigrant alike — feel like full-fleshed characters in a story set in an epic, sweeping landscape. I could not help but feel the tragedy and simultaneous hopefulness of their journeys across the United States. At times, the harshness of the wind, the damp of the rain, the aridity of the desert air seemed to tragic, and simultaneously hopeful whip my hair, slick my skin, burn my nose. Hickman achieves what all historians — storytellers that we are — aspire to do: transport the past into the dimension of the present.

Each chapter of the book focused on a different region, a different woman, a different route settlers took toward the Western coast. The Pacific Northwest, the Californian region, and the Southwest were all covered in succession in Bravehearted. Embedded within these pages were not only those perspectives of white settlers, but indigenous voices too; though, the focus of this book was primarily on the European, East Coast, Midwest, and White settlers who encroached, entitled and arrogantly, into Indigenous lands. There are mentions of other people of color, Chinese immigrants and Black women, but again, these feature less prominently than white women and men. It is worth noting that there are few Mexican/indigenous women in Bravehearted; indeed, as I attempt to recall the book from memory, I find myself unable to remember one. Of course, it’s possible I am just forgetting, but that in itself is telling: There weren’t enough of them mentioned to mark a place in my memory. (The index is absent in the ARC so I could not look up where I might have read about them in it.) This is a well-researched, brilliantly written work of historical scholarship for any audience, but, it is not a work of decolonization; its intent is not specifically aimed at disrupting dominant narratives of white settler colonization or to bring to the forefront the voices of women of color.

This is — and this is not a detraction so much as it is a neutral statement — a history for those who are interested in women and the gendered component of history of the American West. The lesson is a simple one, but one which still requires learning: white women were as much part of the making of the West into the White American West as white cowboys, sharp shooting lawmen, and male miners (there were female miners too!) In other words, white women (and women of color in lesser numbers) were there too and they shaped White America in equal measure to their masculine counterparts.

The content of Bravehearted is not entirely divorced from race or ethnicity, but certainly the focus here is gender more so than race or ethnicity. Hickman’s inclusion of men and women of color and the indigenous perspective is not minor or token in any way; it is well done, but academic readers who may be expecting a stronger connection between or a deeper discussion of gender and race might struggle to locate it within this particular work. This is — and again, this is not a detraction — a work for a general audience. What Bravehearted offers the reader is breadth, indeed, a wide lens of the landscape of the American West in terms of the gendered experience of traversing it in the 19th century.

If, by now, my final verdict is unclear, let me end with it: This is a fantastic telling of American history worth any and every reader’s time.

This was a great book that wove first hand accounts with a broader historical narrative. I appreciated the inclusion of native stories as well. Its rare to read about history from those who lived it, especially women

Compelling portrait of the early women to explore the American west. Where most titles in this genre explore famed outlaws, this title had detailed perspectives from ordinary, but impactful women. Most interesting were the journal entries (such as the early first impressions of the journey west by Eliza Spalding and Narcissa Whitman), and the exploration of many mixed race and indigenous women. These women, and women in general have too often been glossed over in history.

Its the inclusive exploration of what the day-to-day life would be like for early arrivals on the frontier, that makes this book stand apart from other titles in the American history genre. Though it could easily be a great reference material, it isn’t dry to read. It reaches beyond the average Oregon Trail story into some
of the Hudson Bay Company history and included backgrounds on other states. I enjoyed the honesty this title presented.

Packed full of richly detailed descriptions of each individual featured, this title would be a suitable addition to any library reference section, or a great read for someone who enjoys western history.

This was a well written and well researched examination of the role women played in westward expansion of America, from early missionary and pioneer women crossing the plains and mountains to railroad and mining towns to first hand accounts of the fast changing and shocking destruction of the Native American's way of life. Instead of one woman's story in each chapter, this is a full and wide ranging account, following multiple women and showing how they might often intersect with each other's lives; how white, African American, Mexican, Chinese, and Native American women were affected by the changes in thinking and technology and how they, in turn, often effected others. Diaries and letters are well used sources, allowing women's own voices to be heard instead of guessing or interpolating what their feelings might have been, but not overused to the point where it feels like the book is just a string of quotations. Author Katie Hickman puts experiences into historical and social context for modern readers to understand in excellent fashion.

An excellent book for those interested in American history, women's history, and the Native American experience of the times. Hickman does not shy away from violent and negative encounters, and the American government and Army in particular come on for their fair share of commentary when covering Native American experiences.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Given a choice between Western historical myth and historical reality, it is often the myth that gets the press and notoriety. Namely because the myth is considered more romantic, stirring or exciting. This myth/history is usually dominated by the deeds and accomplishments of men. Katie Hickman does Western history and the role of women a true “solid”’ by hewing to the facts that prove these brave hearted women were in fact, larger than life, courageous, and tenacious. Their expectations of the westward journey were constantly recalibrated so they could make a life for themselves and their families. Hardships of hunger, disease, and danger took their toll as did separation from family, friends and the familiar. The scope of this book covers those who journeyed with spouses seeking military, economic and religious goals. More importantly, and frequently omitted, were the women who were forced into this western world from displacement, enslavement and their own vanishing frontier. This includes Chinese, Native Americans, and those coming from borderlands. This is an important and necessary book to correct and celebrate the role of women in the western frontier. Highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this title.

One would be hard-pressed not to find a plethora of materials about the *men* of the American West, whether nonfiction, or the dozens of cowboy films that had major popularity in Hollywood for several decades. Unfortunately, not much has been written or disseminated about the women of the American West, which is where Hickman's book comes in to try to remedy that. She discusses early westward migrations, what suppored them on, the displacement of Native American groups. While the author argues that we know far more now about Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, and Crazy Horse, much is not easy to come by about women of this era, particularly Native American women.

One of the women that Hickman profiles is Narcissa Whitman, who prepared to go west in 1836. She had a husband she did not know very well, and went with him to Oregon Territory. She was born in Prattsburgh, New York, the daughter of a prosperous middle-class farmer and carpenter. She was also "unusually well-educated" for a woman of her day, having attended two local schools and receiving some training as a teacher. She was Presbyterian. She heard stories about missionaries, particularly women, who seemed to lead adventurous lives, and this made her want to become one as well. Hickman then describes the difficulties that Whitman and her husband encountered.

One of the other women Hickman profiles is Marguerite McLoughlin, who was half Cree, and much loved as the 'First Lady' of Fort Vancouver, as well as her role in the fur trade, and discussions about 'mariages a la facon du pays' or marriages of convenience, essentially, for companionship to men who might be stuck in the wilderness for years at a time, but were also practical and strategic. The Hudson's Bay Company is also discussed.

Additionally, Hickman discusses histories of Black women, such as Biddy (Bridget) Mason, who had been among the 'very first African American women ever to make the journey west.' She lived to be 73 years of age, and was one of the most prominent as well as respect citizens in Los Angeles of the 19th century. She first arrived in California in 1855, one of the first non-Mexican residents of Los Angeles, becoming a successful midwife. She purchased land and built a home for herself and her family after some years, becoming "one of the first African American women to own property in her own right." She was also a key figure in the establishment of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church, which had its first meeting in her home. She was born as an enslaved person in Georgia, in 1818, given as a wedding present while a small child to Robert and Rebecca Smith, the owners of a Mississippi cotton plantation. She had three children, more than likely the result of forced relations from her owner, Robert. The children were his property, like their mother. Despite being forbidden to learn how to read and write, Biddy learned how to manage livestock and became 'a skillful practitioner of herbal medicine.' Interestingly, Robert converted to Mormonism and joined with a party of Mississippi Mormons, "a group of fifty-six whites and thirty-four [en]slave[d] people." These included Biddy and her children, including the youngest, who she was nursing at the time. Her family history and eventual departure to California are fascinating and make for one of the highlights of the women profiled in this volume.

Hickman also highlights the incredibly painful history of Chinese women in San Francisco in the 1850s, particularly in the context of human trafficking. "Although the majority of Chinese women were brought to California to work in the sex industry," Hickman writes, "many found other forms of employment. They worked as domestic servants, laundresses, and seamestresses in industries such as the tobacco, cigar, boot, and shoe trades." She further distills the complex history of these women during the era.

A very comprehensive guide for on the subject of women in the frontiering West in North America, "Brave Hearted" is a well-written and organized volume that will more than satisfy readers who want to know more about women's history, particularly during this time period.

This is a wonderful tome that fills in a hole in the long-standing tradition of documenting history of the American West. By focusing on the women, their strengths and trials, Ms. Hickman paints a strong picture while providing solid research to back it up. This book is a gift to those interested in how women, often invisible in history, coped, survived, and thrived during this time.

Brave Hearted: The Women of The West
by: Katie Hickman
Spiegel & Grau Publishers
Due October 22, 2022
***** ( 5 stars)
#netgalley #BraveHearted
Fantastic and captivating, "Brave Hearted' is a novel of the Amerucan WEst Expansion of the 1840s that is eye-opening and thought-provoking. The story of American Women -missionaries wanting to "civilize" the Native Aericans, mothers walking thousands of mile pulling handcartsm, slave-brides - all looking for a new life, new chances and hope.
The courage and resiliance of these women is hard to forget, what was done to the Native Americans -The Whitmans Massacre and Trailof Tears, for example- is extraordinary hard to read. So much of history has been groomed, and has little to do with fact. This uncovers and releases them all, with clarity and perception that will open your eyes.
I highly recommend this to anyone, esp. history buffs and anyone interested in reading a great novel.
Thanks to netgalley, Katie Hickman and Spiegel & Grau for sending this ARC e-book for review.

Brave Hearted by Katie Hickman was one of the most unique history books I have ever read involving the 'Wild West." Movies make it out to be a "white man's world" but this book says otherwise. I really enjoyed this author and look forward to reading more from them in the near future!

Brave Hearted is quite a historically documented book of a time period of westward movement and settlement of the United States. The Book features the lives of various women that endured the struggles and dangers of travel and existence in the West during those years. It is informative and definitely stresses the unfair treatment of the indigenous tribes whose lands were stolen from them. I recommend it for anyone who wants to refresh their knowledge of American history.

Stories about the old west are so often told from the perspective of men. This book is a great tale about the impact women on the history of the wild west.

A truly inspiring account of The American West, told from the perspective of the womenfolk. There are some truly heartbreaking stories here, whilst other tales leave you in awe of their utter determination against dreadful odds, to make a new life for themselves and their families, and help shape the American Frontier.

What a tough bunch of ladies they were - the journey alone was utterly miserable, and fraught with danger. Not all of them survived the gruelling journey of thousands of miles, but it’s a testament to those who did, to their grit and determination and resilience that they finally reached their destination - and even then, they had to set about building a new home from scratch, whilst also building a new life, so far removed from their old one, both in terms of geographical location and culture. Absolutely fascinating!

Katie Hickman has written a necessary and essential contribution to historical literature of the Frontier. In a field dominated by male authors and male subjects, this work illustrates the essential roles of women in Frontier society and places them at the center of the narrative. Her analysis of wives and mothers, gamblers and prostitutes, entrepreneurs and sharpshooters, all help fill in the gender gaps in our understanding of the American West. A fantastically entertaining and informative historical read.