Pierce: Six Prairie Lives

by A. Mary Murphy

Six Prairie Lives will appeal to anyone with an interest in Canadiana, Prairie heritage, and rural and urban Alberta life. This narrative and photographic biography weaves a story of courtship, agriculture, weather, politics, family, money, health, school. Filled with photographs, letters, journals, and interviews, the narrative starts by establishing the social and cultural milieu of early twentieth-century Alberta and then proceeds to explore the lives of each individual in the Pierce family, M. Adele Moore Pierce, A. Craig Pierce, and their four daughters, Laura, Henrietta, Lucy, and Mary.

Craig’s journals are harvested for a wealth of information on practical aspects of Alberta agriculture, as well as domestic life and provincial and federal politics. In terms of family biography, the accounts are personal and engaging and touch subjects ranging across the spectrum of daily life in Alberta. The author deftly manages the multiplicity of voices, clearly shaping the personalities and interests of her six subjects, weaving all the various threads together with her singular wit and insider perspective to create a charming and informed contribution to the understanding of prairie life.

Genres: History

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010