This book contains a number of minibiographies of women who settled in the American west in the 19th century. The author has done a good job of selecting women of diverse backgrounds. She encourages today’s woman to take inspiration from history.

The women include:
- Nellie Cashman – nurse, businesswoman, miner, and dog musher in the Yukon Gold Rush
- Clara Brown – born in slavery whose family was sold, eventually bought her freedom to search for her children
- Abigail Scott Duniway – a pioneer of the Oregon trail who became a news editor and early suffragette
- Maria Ruiz de Burton – writer of social satire on issues of Mexican-US land disputes
- Luzena Stanley Wilson – traveled from Missouri to California during the Gold Rush with her husband and two small children
- Mother Jones – social activist and agitator for coal mining safety and against child labor
- Gertrude Simmons (Zitkala-Ša) – musician and writer on Native American issues
- Mary Hallock Foote – author and illustrator (and part of the Angle of Repose controversy)
- Martha Hughes Cannon – frontier doctor, polygamist wife, and first female state senator
- Donaldina Cameron – crusader against sex trafficking in Chinatown in San Francisco
- Charley Parkhurst – stagecoach driver, farmer, and rancher, living as a man
- Makaopiopio – Hawaiian immigrant to Utah

Each woman could be (and some have been) the subject of an entire book. Monson inserts her observations about their lives in a somewhat didactic fashion, which may appeal to younger readers, but I found unnecessary. It whets the appetite to learn more about these women and this time period.

3.5 ( )

12 women. 12 stories. 12 totally fascinating stories.

Each chapter is about a different woman who stood up and did something with her life. Each story teaches women to live boldly, be brave, and to stand up for what you believe in!

Hardship was a common theme.

These women made their mark on the American frontier as entrepreneurs, ranchers, doctors, writers, teachers, philanthropists, and social reformers. They all endured vilification, discrimination, and personal tragedies at levels unimaginable today yet remained determined and strong.

Some lives are already well-documented (although I had never heard of any of them), while others deserve wider recognition. For example, Clara Brown, the former Virginian slave, or Zitkala-Sa, Sioux musician and activist, or Donaldina Cameron from New Zealand, who rescued Chinese girls from forced labor in San Francisco, or Welsh immigrant to Utah, Martha Hughes Cannon, who became the first female State Senator and defeated her own husband on the ballot – a husband she just happened to share with several other wives! Many of the women in this book are Mormon.

The author’s personal anecdotes and opinions at the close of each section was different. There are also many sources and references listed for those who wish to discover more which I plan to do as some of the biographies I wanted way more information on. ( )

Frontier Grit
The Unlikely True Stories of Daring Pioneer Women
By: Marianne Monson
Narrated by: Caroline Shaffer
This is a remarkable collection of strong women who, each in their own way, conquered the west and the barriers that was placed in front of them with courage and tenacious gumption. It tells of 12 women from different walks of life, totally different stories, but all very intriguing and interesting! This was a free listen with Audible Plus! Recommend it highly!
Terrific narration also! ( )

An interesting examination of a handful of historical figures from a variety of backgrounds. Although obviously well-researched, the writing and brevity of each woman's journey left me wanting more. Overall, the book feels like more of an introductory overview rather than an in-depth examination of life during this time. I might recommend this book to those who want the bang-for-their-buck and direct others to individual biographies of the more interesting women covered here. ( )

An interesting book about many fascinating frontier and pioneer women. ( )