Searching for Calamity by Linda Jucovy

Searching for Calamity by Linda Jucovy

Who in the world would think that Calamity Jane would get to be such a famous person? one of the pallbearers at her funeral asked an interviewer many years later. It seemed like a reasonable question. Who else has accomplished so little by conventional standards and yet achieved such enduring fame? But conventional standards do not apply. Calamity was poor, uneducated, and an alcoholic. For decades, she wandered through the small towns and empty spaces of the Dakotas, Wyoming, and Montana. But she also had a natural talent for self-invention. She created a story about herself and promoted it tirelessly for much of her life. The story emphasized her love of adventure and the heroic role she played in key events in the early history of the American west. She became that story to people around the country who read about her. And she became that story to herself. The details about her exploits were rarely accurate, but a larger truth lay beneath them. In an era when there were few options for women, Calamity had the audacity to be herself. She lived as she pleased, which is to say that she allowed herself the same freedoms her male contemporaries assumed as their birthright. She spoke her mind. She flouted the rules. She dressed as a man when it was illegal for women to wear pants; hung out in saloons although that was unheard of for any woman who was not a prostitute; did men's work; cursed, hollered, and smoked cigars. Although Calamity's name is imprinted in history, most people know little about her. This highly readable biography brings Calamity to life against the backdrop of the American west and of women's determination to break free from their historical constraints.

Linda Jucovy, a former journalist and college instructor, has published widely on contemporary social issues. Searching for Calamity brings together her longtime interests in women's history and the history of the American West.

SKU	Nicht verfügbar
ISBN 13	9780985300302
ISBN 10	0985300302
Titel	Searching for Calamity
Autor	Linda Jucovy
Buchzustand	Nicht verfügbar
Bindungsart	Paperback
Verlag	Stampede Books
Erscheinungsjahr	2012-10-07
Seitenanzahl	268
Hinweis auf dem Einband	Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden.