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Boots and Saddles: Or, Life in Dakota with General Custer
The honeymoon of Elizabeth Bacon and George Armstrong Custer was interrupted in 1864 by his call to duty with the Army of the Potomac. She begged to be allowed to go along, thus setting the pattern of her future life. From that time on, she accompanied General Custer on all of his major assignments, aside from the summer Indian campaigns—"the only woman," she said, "who always rode with the regiment."
Her story, told by herself, is an absorbing adventure. Moreover, there is a added bonus—a gentle, loving portrait of George Armstrong Custer, husband and man, by the person who knew him best, his wife. Her absolute devotion to him is revealed in every line of her account, which ends, appropriately enough, with the day on which she received the news of the disaster at the Little Big Horn.
Her story, told by herself, is an absorbing adventure. Moreover, there is a added bonus—a gentle, loving portrait of George Armstrong Custer, husband and man, by the person who knew him best, his wife. Her absolute devotion to him is revealed in every line of her account, which ends, appropriately enough, with the day on which she received the news of the disaster at the Little Big Horn.
276 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1885
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367 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Bacon Custer
37 books3 followersElizabeth Clift Bacon Custer was an American author and public speaker, and the wife of Brevet Major General George Armstrong Custer, United States Army. She spent most of their marriage in relatively close proximity to him despite his numerous military campaigns in the American Civil War and subsequent posting on the Great Plains as a commanding officer in the United States Cavalry.
Left nearly destitute in the aftermath of her husband's death, she became an outspoken advocate for his legacy through her popular books and lectures. Largely as a result of her decades of campaigning on his behalf, Custer's iconic portrayal as the gallant fallen hero amid the glory of 'Custer's Last Stand' was a canon of American history for almost a century after his death. - Wikipedia
Left nearly destitute in the aftermath of her husband's death, she became an outspoken advocate for his legacy through her popular books and lectures. Largely as a result of her decades of campaigning on his behalf, Custer's iconic portrayal as the gallant fallen hero amid the glory of 'Custer's Last Stand' was a canon of American history for almost a century after his death. - Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 3, 2022
What was Custer doing when he wasn't battling Indians?
This is his wife's answer to that question.
She describes the mundane happenings of daily life at an isolated Army post using a series of anecdotes which are skillfully strung together. The value in reading something like this is that it gives you a much broader picture of Custer beyond the tactics and movements and battles described in other books about him.
Libbie herself is impressive. She has a wry humor and a knack for storytelling. She was tough, courageous, resolved, and ever-devoted to her husband. They were truly soulmates. When he was off on a campaign, he would stay up late writing her letters, often til midnight when next morning's wakeup was then only three hours away. He didn't do it out of duty but because he couldn't resist. She was his best friend.
I've seen some criticism levelled at this book as being her attempt to convince the world that her husband was faultless. Rather than a flaw, I see that as the book's central virtue. She was loyal to her husband in life and death—unflinchingly, unshakably.
This is his wife's answer to that question.
She describes the mundane happenings of daily life at an isolated Army post using a series of anecdotes which are skillfully strung together. The value in reading something like this is that it gives you a much broader picture of Custer beyond the tactics and movements and battles described in other books about him.
Libbie herself is impressive. She has a wry humor and a knack for storytelling. She was tough, courageous, resolved, and ever-devoted to her husband. They were truly soulmates. When he was off on a campaign, he would stay up late writing her letters, often til midnight when next morning's wakeup was then only three hours away. He didn't do it out of duty but because he couldn't resist. She was his best friend.
I've seen some criticism levelled at this book as being her attempt to convince the world that her husband was faultless. Rather than a flaw, I see that as the book's central virtue. She was loyal to her husband in life and death—unflinchingly, unshakably.
December 26, 2017
Bright, petite, and determined, Elizabeth Bacon was only 21 when she married 25 year old “Boy General” George Armstrong Custer in 1864. This memoir is the story of their marriage and their life in the military, specifically the period from 1873 until Custer’s death at the Little Big Horn in June 1876. Duting this period , Custer and the 7th Cavalry he commanded were dispatched to Dakota Territory to protect the westward expansion of the railroad and keep the Indians on their reservations.
Uniquely among officers’ wives, Libby Custer followed George on all his assignments and, except for actual military campaigns (such as the Little Big Horn), accompanied him and the troops on their movements and expeditions. Riding sidesaddle at his side, she confessed she was always afraid and “sometimes terrified” but wrote , “...it is infinitely worse to be left behind, a prey to all the horrors of imagining what may be happening to the one we love,” a sentiment that the spouses of all first responders and combat personnel can understand. (Libby was not supposed to know that the troops had agreed that they would shoot her if her capture was inevitable.)
I was interested in the logistics involved in moving a command of 900 troopers and their horses, tack, fodder, and weapons as well as building materials up the Missouri to establish a fort near Bismarck. In winter the river froze and the troopers had to chop through the ice to get water for the animals. Their tents and structures were so flimsy that frostbite was a danger. With few books or musical instruments the garrison personnel had to resort to charades and recitations to entertain themselves.
After George’s death, Libby devoted her life to defending his reputation, writing two other books and giving lectures and interviews until her death in 1933, two days short of her 91st birthday. Her writing in this book is exquisite, filled with wry humor and replete with vivid descriptions of the real frontier. As an added bonus, the 1960 University of Oklahoma Press edition that I read had an introduction by historian Jane Stewart placing Libby's memoir in context and 50 pages of excerpts of letters George wrote Libby describing his expeditions and the peoples he encountered.
Uniquely among officers’ wives, Libby Custer followed George on all his assignments and, except for actual military campaigns (such as the Little Big Horn), accompanied him and the troops on their movements and expeditions. Riding sidesaddle at his side, she confessed she was always afraid and “sometimes terrified” but wrote , “...it is infinitely worse to be left behind, a prey to all the horrors of imagining what may be happening to the one we love,” a sentiment that the spouses of all first responders and combat personnel can understand. (Libby was not supposed to know that the troops had agreed that they would shoot her if her capture was inevitable.)
I was interested in the logistics involved in moving a command of 900 troopers and their horses, tack, fodder, and weapons as well as building materials up the Missouri to establish a fort near Bismarck. In winter the river froze and the troopers had to chop through the ice to get water for the animals. Their tents and structures were so flimsy that frostbite was a danger. With few books or musical instruments the garrison personnel had to resort to charades and recitations to entertain themselves.
After George’s death, Libby devoted her life to defending his reputation, writing two other books and giving lectures and interviews until her death in 1933, two days short of her 91st birthday. Her writing in this book is exquisite, filled with wry humor and replete with vivid descriptions of the real frontier. As an added bonus, the 1960 University of Oklahoma Press edition that I read had an introduction by historian Jane Stewart placing Libby's memoir in context and 50 pages of excerpts of letters George wrote Libby describing his expeditions and the peoples he encountered.
June 4, 2021
“We had nine kinds of game on the table. Some of it was new to us—the beaver tail, for instance—but it was so like pork and so fat I could only taste it. We had, in addition, antelope, elk, buffalo tongue, wild turkey, black-tailed deer, wild goose, plover, and duck…we arrived in time to enjoy the delicious bird [goose] served with jelly made from the tart, wild ‘bulberries’ that grew near the river” (54).
“It would be expected that army women would know a great deal about firearms: I knew but few who did. I never even went into the corner of my husband’s library where he kept his stand of unloaded arms, if I could help it. I am compelled to confess that the holster of a pistol gave me a shiver. One of our ladies, however, had a little of the Molly Pitcher spirit. She had shot at a mark, and she promised to teach us to put in the cartridges and discharge the piece. We were filled with envy because she produced a tiny Remington pistol that heretofore she had carried in her pocket when traveling in the States. It was not much larger than a lead pencil, and we could not help doubting its power to damage. She did not insist it would kill, but even at such a time we had to laugh at the vehement manner in which she declared that she could disable the leg of an enemy. She seemed to think that sufficient pluck would be left to finish him afterward” (133).
“Sometimes the mildest and quietest one of us all would be called by some appellation so suggestive of ruffianism and bloodshed that it was the extreme of the ridiculous to associate the person and the name together. For instance, the best regulated and least sensational one would find himself addressed as ‘Shacknasty Bill, or the Sinewy Slayer of the Ghostly Gulch.’ Another, always inclined to gloom, was given a rousing slap on the back as his good morning, and a hearty ‘How are you, Old Skull and Cross-bones?’ No one escaped” (185).
“It would be expected that army women would know a great deal about firearms: I knew but few who did. I never even went into the corner of my husband’s library where he kept his stand of unloaded arms, if I could help it. I am compelled to confess that the holster of a pistol gave me a shiver. One of our ladies, however, had a little of the Molly Pitcher spirit. She had shot at a mark, and she promised to teach us to put in the cartridges and discharge the piece. We were filled with envy because she produced a tiny Remington pistol that heretofore she had carried in her pocket when traveling in the States. It was not much larger than a lead pencil, and we could not help doubting its power to damage. She did not insist it would kill, but even at such a time we had to laugh at the vehement manner in which she declared that she could disable the leg of an enemy. She seemed to think that sufficient pluck would be left to finish him afterward” (133).
“Sometimes the mildest and quietest one of us all would be called by some appellation so suggestive of ruffianism and bloodshed that it was the extreme of the ridiculous to associate the person and the name together. For instance, the best regulated and least sensational one would find himself addressed as ‘Shacknasty Bill, or the Sinewy Slayer of the Ghostly Gulch.’ Another, always inclined to gloom, was given a rousing slap on the back as his good morning, and a hearty ‘How are you, Old Skull and Cross-bones?’ No one escaped” (185).
November 10, 2024
A surprisingly interesting memoir of Elizabeth Custer, an unimportant, personally uninteresting sidekick from history. The American West of the 19th century was different than how I've generally imagined it.
September 16, 2022
It is rare that I read a biography, so this was something new and interesting.
I must admit I think I have found a new appreciation for the genre.
I rarely enjoyed history class due to most of it being based in names and dates, but this was history in a first person perspective!
I found it so enlightening and entertaining, and I feel this would be a much better source of historical study than most history books based on the same period.
I must admit I think I have found a new appreciation for the genre.
I rarely enjoyed history class due to most of it being based in names and dates, but this was history in a first person perspective!
I found it so enlightening and entertaining, and I feel this would be a much better source of historical study than most history books based on the same period.
December 13, 2015
I read this book after finding out that Libbie Custer wrote it while staying with a friend on East Street just a very short walk from where I live.
Quite an eye-opener for me since all I knew about Gen. Custer was that he graduated at the bottom of his class at West Point and was on the wrong side in the 1958 Disney movie, Tonka. But I soon realized that this book is almost more interesting for what is glossed over than what it tells. Libby spends a lot of the book talking about clothes and parties but, if you read carefully, people are dropping like flies. They are in a lot more danger from accidents, disease and the environment than from the natives.
The terrain, weather, and shortages of medicine, food, and water almost kill them off several times but, to hear Libbie tell it, the big problem is hiring the right servants. The regiment has no doctor, their veterinarian gets shot by the Indians but they protect the regimental tailor with their very lives because there is nothing worse than having a uniform that doesn't flatter your manly figure.
It is also very interesting to get an inside look at 19th century womanhood from Libbie's point of view. I absolutely couldn't believe it when Libbie says women are born with a fear of mice! Libbie thought nothing of her husband shooting all kinds of animals from eagles to grizzly bears, doing the taxidermy himself, and displaying the corpses all over their house but on page 203 she squeals at the mere thought of his pet mouse.
A previous reader left a medical advertising sticky note in the book that I got out of the library. The person noted on it:
p. 108 Killickinnic tobacco.
!See muscles p. 109.
Warrier p. 109
Quite an eye-opener for me since all I knew about Gen. Custer was that he graduated at the bottom of his class at West Point and was on the wrong side in the 1958 Disney movie, Tonka. But I soon realized that this book is almost more interesting for what is glossed over than what it tells. Libby spends a lot of the book talking about clothes and parties but, if you read carefully, people are dropping like flies. They are in a lot more danger from accidents, disease and the environment than from the natives.
The terrain, weather, and shortages of medicine, food, and water almost kill them off several times but, to hear Libbie tell it, the big problem is hiring the right servants. The regiment has no doctor, their veterinarian gets shot by the Indians but they protect the regimental tailor with their very lives because there is nothing worse than having a uniform that doesn't flatter your manly figure.
It is also very interesting to get an inside look at 19th century womanhood from Libbie's point of view. I absolutely couldn't believe it when Libbie says women are born with a fear of mice! Libbie thought nothing of her husband shooting all kinds of animals from eagles to grizzly bears, doing the taxidermy himself, and displaying the corpses all over their house but on page 203 she squeals at the mere thought of his pet mouse.
A previous reader left a medical advertising sticky note in the book that I got out of the library. The person noted on it:
p. 108 Killickinnic tobacco.
!See muscles p. 109.
Warrier p. 109
January 29, 2009
Interesting because of when it was written. So much horn tooting, you would think that Custer wrote it himself.
December 28, 2022
A wonderful look into the experience of a cavalry wife on the American frontier. It must have been difficult for Elizabeth Custer to write this memoir after the slaughter of her husband's entire regiment, but I found her writing to be elegant, honest, and full of good humor. By her writing, she adored George and he her. He sounds full of vigor and personality. He loved the cavalry life, his soldiers, and was grateful to have two of his brothers in the regiment with him, making army life a fulfilling family affair. Historians have characterized General George Custer as arrogant and overconfident and I certainly see a touch of that though through the pen of the woman who loved him so his arrogance is portrayed as playful boasting. Had Custer not been cut down at Little Big Horn, I suspect he would have enjoyed a successful career, possibly one including a political appointment or two.
I discovered this book quite fortuitously, noticing the title on my local library shelves in the same area as the books of Mary Austin, an author whose work I was hunting. I am grateful that my curiosity overcame me and inspired me to carry Boots and Saddles to the check-out desk. Reading this book has been an enjoyable, educational, and inspirational experience.
I discovered this book quite fortuitously, noticing the title on my local library shelves in the same area as the books of Mary Austin, an author whose work I was hunting. I am grateful that my curiosity overcame me and inspired me to carry Boots and Saddles to the check-out desk. Reading this book has been an enjoyable, educational, and inspirational experience.
November 5, 2018
I appreciate first hand reports from times past. They come to us uncluttered and unfiltered by modern thought and give us a truer picture of what life was like. Elizabeth Custer writes well and paints detailed word pictures of the bleak prairie and the stresses and strains of living closely with danger, as well as lively accounts of the characters that made up her world. She delighted in her husband's company and willingly put up with a variety of life threatening situations and a great deal of inconvenience. General Custer's lack of sympathy for his wife when she sought relief from traumatic events in tears shocked me, as it seemed almost abusive. On reflection, however, I realized that they lived on "the hairy edge of disaster," and that signs of weakness would have resulted in her being packed off to live with relatives back east, something that neither of them wanted. The book is well worth a read.
October 15, 2022
I hardly know how to rate or describe this book, which consists primarily of Libbie Custer's recollections of life with General Custer in the last 4 years of his life. (1873-1876) Very little is said about the Battle of Little Bighorn, in which he and several other members of his family were killed in 1876, so don't read it to get details of the battle. There are some quite interesting anecdotes of life in an army camp, and Libbie's descriptions of Custer portray him as perfect in every way. The major thing that bothered me in the book was the detailed descriptions of all the animals he killed and then stuffed. Excerpts from Custer's letters to Libbie are included at the end of the book, so you can get an idea of how he approached army life.
The writing seems amateurish to me and I can't really recommend this memoir unless you have a specific interest in this bit of American history.
The writing seems amateurish to me and I can't really recommend this memoir unless you have a specific interest in this bit of American history.
June 23, 2018
WHen I travel I love to read books set in the land I’m visiting. I bought
this book at Fort Lincoln in Mandan ND after touring Custer’s home and the post he commanded prior to his fateful final battle at Little Big Horn. We had just toured to battlefield the day before and I could feel the ghosts hovering as we surveyed the scene. So lucky to discover his amazing widow’s account of their life in Dakota after the Civil War. How they made it through the winter freezes, Indian aggression, lack of clean water and so many other inconveniences - this woman had grit and writes beautifully. And her faithful love and admiration for her husband is just amazing. Reading this story from her perspective after seeing the government’s in humane treatment of Native Americans makes it all the more compelling and multifaceted. Wow — I hope more people discover this book published in 1885!
this book at Fort Lincoln in Mandan ND after touring Custer’s home and the post he commanded prior to his fateful final battle at Little Big Horn. We had just toured to battlefield the day before and I could feel the ghosts hovering as we surveyed the scene. So lucky to discover his amazing widow’s account of their life in Dakota after the Civil War. How they made it through the winter freezes, Indian aggression, lack of clean water and so many other inconveniences - this woman had grit and writes beautifully. And her faithful love and admiration for her husband is just amazing. Reading this story from her perspective after seeing the government’s in humane treatment of Native Americans makes it all the more compelling and multifaceted. Wow — I hope more people discover this book published in 1885!
April 10, 2023
Elizabeth Custer shares her experiences living at Fort Lincoln and other various cavalry posts with her husband, General Custer. She followed him on his campaigns whenever she could. She described some of the encounters with the Indians, their manner and dress, but for the most part kept her distance. Their mode of travel across Minnesota, Dakota, and Montana was a combination of using steamer ships to carry all the goods, trains to take them as far as the railways would were built, and wagon trains that were miles long with thousands of people, horses, livestock and hunting dogs. The blinding, killing snowstorms, with no adequate protection in the winter and searing heat in the summer with no trees or relief from the sun made life challenging, but she made the best of it and stayed in good spirits.
January 29, 2019
The kindle’s back, baby! Automatic goodreads syncing with highlights and notes! This was a total blast. Libbie Custer is hilarious and very meticulous in her recounting of her life on the frontier. She writes with such flowery language, I would love to hear how she spoke. She loves the good General infinitely and spares no words of praise in writing of him. Her transformation during her days in the Dakotas is immense- going from nearly fainting at the sight of Indians to later leading defenses against the Sioux- and she has some pretty thrilling tales. Casual racism aside, this is an immensely thorough account of post-Civil War army life in a mounted regiment, which is a pretty fascinating way to live.
May 14, 2019
The book sounds fascinating & parts of it are. If it was about her life at various cavalry posts, I would have been happy. Mostly the book is an attempt to convince me that Custer walked on water. For some reason it really bugged me that she wrote a book about him & never used his name. It was always “the General” or something similar. Occasionally it was “my husband”. I don’t know if that’s due to when it was written or if she wanted to be sure I didn’t forget that he was in charge.
August 7, 2019
Elizabeth “Libbie” Bacon and General Custer’s honeymoon was interrupted when he was called to duty with the Army of the Potomac. This book was written by Libbie herself.
The thing to keep in mind is that it’s a firsthand account of the 1800s. She’s very proud of her husband and everything they went through as a couple. We know now just how horrible the conditions were, General Custer’s history, and all of that. Keeping that in mind, it’s still an excellent read.
The thing to keep in mind is that it’s a firsthand account of the 1800s. She’s very proud of her husband and everything they went through as a couple. We know now just how horrible the conditions were, General Custer’s history, and all of that. Keeping that in mind, it’s still an excellent read.
February 11, 2022
Written by Libby, Custer’s wife, this book shows what life was like at a cavalry outpost during the Indian Wars. Well written with plenty of antidotes and insights into her famous husband, this book is a treasure. The only criticism I have is that she did not address issues such as the Clymer Commission, Grant or Custer’s reaction to important life incidents.
June 27, 2022
This is an account by Libby Custer of her time accompaning her husband, George Armstrong Custer on his assignments with the 7th Cavalry in the Dakotas. It is a detailed account of life in garrison and on expedition, and very interesting. Any soldier will recognize aspects unchanged to today. Worth reading.
July 22, 2017
Words from Libbi Custer
This is a unique opportunity to read the story of General George Armstrong Custer written by his wife,Libbi. There is a lot of documentation about Custer but more interesting coming from the person closest to him.
This is a unique opportunity to read the story of General George Armstrong Custer written by his wife,Libbi. There is a lot of documentation about Custer but more interesting coming from the person closest to him.
November 25, 2022
Not what I expected
I was looking for a biography of Custer. This was not it. Maybe good for someone who wants to know trials and tribulations of going west. If you are looking for a biography. Look elsewhere.
I was looking for a biography of Custer. This was not it. Maybe good for someone who wants to know trials and tribulations of going west. If you are looking for a biography. Look elsewhere.
February 22, 2017
A great read
An engaging read into prairie life with the 7th cavalry, through the eyes of E.B Custer. Very, very enjoyable indeed.
An engaging read into prairie life with the 7th cavalry, through the eyes of E.B Custer. Very, very enjoyable indeed.
May 29, 2019
Terrific book, This was told from Elizabeth Custer from a book she wrote years ago. Im not a history fan much but this I could not put down. It was a great story.
June 16, 2020
Not a book I would normally read, but it did give me insight into Elizabeth's life with General Custer and life as a woman, in general in the 19th century.
September 18, 2020
Well written, entertaining and informative.
August 29, 2022
Very interesting historical read. Makes me want to learn more.
September 24, 2023
This book was well written, it never dragged and I never lost interest. EBC truly loved her husband.
February 22, 2024
Great book, I listened to the audiobook version on YouTube. I will leave the link below so that everyone can enjoy it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhdRq...
February 19, 2025
I generally refuse to read books written by girls, but, man, this is a good one. Better than her husband's, but then, he was a busy man.
August 6, 2023
Some maps would have helped. Also, there are a lot of contemporary photographs that would have added a very valuable and interesting dimension. The editor’s occasional notes were very useful, and he ought to have done more. Maybe in the next edition?
February 16, 2025
Boots And Saddles is a descriptive narrative written by Lt. Colonel George A. Custer’s wife, Elizabeth Bacon Custer, describing their lives together in various army duty stations, primarily in the western territories of Dakota and Montana. It is an excellent first-hand eyewitness account of that unique region of our country and contains many intricate details of its native inhabitants. Ms. Custer was an excellent writer, as there are traces of several human emotions, especially those of irony, humor, anger, sadness, regret, and anticipation present in her excellent biographical account of her famous husband’s tour’s of duty, commanding one of the most famous regiments of the United States Army, the 7th Cavalry. Boots And Saddles is quite understandably a positive account of Ms. Custer's husband; she adored him and cherished every minute they were together. Tragically, his untimely death at 36 left his widow destitute and Ms. Custer returned to her hometown in Michigan. After a period of mourning … she lost her husband, three brothers-in-law, and a nephew in The Battle of the Little Bighorn, on June 25-26, 1876, in the Montana Territory, it was there she began her “publicity campaign” to, in effect, clear her husband’s name.
Boots And Saddles.portrays to the reader a description of “General” Custer that is not found in the history books; much of what was written concerning Custer was to his discredit due to his famous defeat, known derogatorily as “Custer’s Last Stand.” Elizabeth Bacon Custer spent the rest of her life changing public opinion concerning her fallen husband. If it had not been for her successful efforts, Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer, Commander of the 7th Cavalry, who was killed with most of his command at The Battle of the Little Bighorn, would have been merely a derogative footnote of history. *****
Boots And Saddles.portrays to the reader a description of “General” Custer that is not found in the history books; much of what was written concerning Custer was to his discredit due to his famous defeat, known derogatorily as “Custer’s Last Stand.” Elizabeth Bacon Custer spent the rest of her life changing public opinion concerning her fallen husband. If it had not been for her successful efforts, Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer, Commander of the 7th Cavalry, who was killed with most of his command at The Battle of the Little Bighorn, would have been merely a derogative footnote of history. *****
September 30, 2014
This memoir by George Custer's widow is at times interesting and at times a lot funnier than she probably intended. She took great pains to always show him in the most favorable light possible, and I don't think ever referred to him by any name other than 'The General'.
They didnt exactly live in a soddy, but they did suffer the loss of the first house to fire which started in a chimney. At point she mentioned that the General did not want her to even go into the kitchen. She lamented the constant problem officers wives had of the loss of servants to marriage, and talked of the almost daily gaiety and social activity that revolved around their house. It did bother me that she would relate the speech of her African American cook in the manner spoken, which today would be considered very racist, and occasionally wrote about the life of the Indians who lived near the garrison, giving me the impression she rally didnt want to have any association with them.
A lot of the book appeared to me to be somewhat romanticized, but makes sense considering the time and purpose of the book. She would be a brilliant politician if she lived today.
They didnt exactly live in a soddy, but they did suffer the loss of the first house to fire which started in a chimney. At point she mentioned that the General did not want her to even go into the kitchen. She lamented the constant problem officers wives had of the loss of servants to marriage, and talked of the almost daily gaiety and social activity that revolved around their house. It did bother me that she would relate the speech of her African American cook in the manner spoken, which today would be considered very racist, and occasionally wrote about the life of the Indians who lived near the garrison, giving me the impression she rally didnt want to have any association with them.
A lot of the book appeared to me to be somewhat romanticized, but makes sense considering the time and purpose of the book. She would be a brilliant politician if she lived today.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews