"The morning of January 12, 1888, was unusually mild, following a punishing cold spell. It was warm enough for the homesteaders of the Dakota Territory to venture out again, and for their children to return to school without their heavy coats-- leaving them unprepared when disaster struck. At the hour when most prairie schools were letting out for the day, a terrifying, fast-moving blizzard blew in without warning. Schoolteachers as young as sixteen were suddenly faced with life and death decisions: Keep the children inside ...
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"The morning of January 12, 1888, was unusually mild, following a punishing cold spell. It was warm enough for the homesteaders of the Dakota Territory to venture out again, and for their children to return to school without their heavy coats-- leaving them unprepared when disaster struck. At the hour when most prairie schools were letting out for the day, a terrifying, fast-moving blizzard blew in without warning. Schoolteachers as young as sixteen were suddenly faced with life and death decisions: Keep the children inside, to risk freezing to death when fuel ran out, or send them home, praying they wouldn't get lost in the storm? Based on actual oral histories of survivors, this gripping novel follows the stories of Raina and Gerda Olsen, two sisters, both schoolteachers-- one becomes a hero of the storm and the other finds herself ostracized in the aftermath. It's also the story of Anette Pedersen, a servant girl whose miraculous survival serves as a turning point in her life and touches the heart of Gavin Woodson, a newspaperman seeking redemption"--
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Add this copy of The Children's Blizzard to cart. $9.06, like new condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Center Point.
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Add this copy of The Children's Blizzard to cart. $38.55, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hialeah, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Center Point.
The Blizzard happened, and as a historical fiction writing, one can not be sure it was exactly in the manner portrayed. Not only were these children in this book affected, but thousands of others, including adults, throughout the region. This is just one story, (the gist of it I am sure is true) and our book club meeting dissected the book, looked at the times, the conditions, the ages, the lack of experience of the teachers, the fact no parents were there to help out, lack of funding, resources or supplies. How would we have handled such an event if we stepped into their shoes. Of course we don't know the answer to that.
It is easy to be judgmental of the author to include possible human relationships - it was one way to make it real to the reader and to keep it from being a sad statistical tragedy. To me the author included the major elements of the time; hard work, education, and personal relationships in rather a simplistic manner.
Claudia
Jan 13, 2021
Not a good fit
While the language of this book is well written, and the author paints vivid and emotional word pictures, I was disappointed in its content. I'd hoped for a book that focused on the children impacted by the Children's Blizzard as well as their families, and yes, that is in there, but the author seems to have looked for opportunities to sexualize the story in a way that spoiled the tale. It is one of the few books that I have abandoned, but that is totally because it was not a good fit for me, and has nothing to do with the writer's skill at her craft.
I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of this book from Delacorte Press, a division of Penguin Random House, via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.
