One Thousand White Women

By: Jim Fergus, J. Will Dodd - introduction

Narrated by: Laura Hicks, Erik Steele

Based on an actual historical event, this is the story of May Dodd—a remarkable woman who, in 1875, travels through the American West to marry the chief of the Cheyenne Nation.

One Thousand White Women begins with May Dodd’s journey into an unknown world. Having been committed to an insane asylum by her blue-blood family for the crime of loving a man beneath her station, May finds that her only hope for freedom and redemption is to participate in a secret government program whereby women from “civilized” society become the brides of Cheyenne warriors. What follows is a series of breathtaking adventures—May’s brief, passionate romance with the gallant young army captain John Bourke; her marriage to the great chief Little Wolf; and her conflict of being caught between loving two men and living two completely different lives.

“Fergus portrays the perceptions and emotions of women…with tremendous insight and sensitivity.”—Booklist

“A superb tale of sorrow, suspense, exultation, and triumph.” —Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump

©1998 Jim Fergus (P)2006 BBC Audiobooks America

Critic reviews

"Fergus lets his imagination go wild and creates a journal of one of his ancestors who became one of those brides in 1875. Laura Hicks renders this imaginative work splendidly. She is vivacious and expressive as May Dodd." ( Audiofile)

Detailed Journal

I really don’t know if all the details are true or if this woman, Mae Dodd, just possessed a very vivid imagination. Or perhaps she was insane. However it makes for an excellent story, and if true, riveting, and very sad.

Pray God to forgive mankind....

This book is an oxymoron!
It is at once full of madness and sanity, of great courage and the worst cowardess that man can possibly portray. For to do what our ancestors did to the Native Americans and still call themselves Americans and soldiers is just deplorable!
Also, how absolutely awful that anyone was allowed to institutionalize another person, especially women, for practically any reason without just cause! It is truly amazing that we are still standing as a country. We need many, many more May Dodds on this world! May she rest in peace. Thank you to the authors and narrators for sharing her story with us!

Ficton or Non-Fiction it was a great book

What did you love best about One Thousand White Women?

It was a great book and woven with historical facts that made you wonder about how life must have truly been like for the American Indians.

Who was your favorite character and why?

May Dodd

Hooked from the beginning!

Would you consider the audio edition of One Thousand White Women to be better than the print version?

I have only heard the book, I did not read it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of One Thousand White Women?

I loved the characters and how they were portrayed.

Have you listened to any of Laura Hicks and Erik Steele ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I have not.

Any additional comments?

This is a wonderful book. I was hooked from the beginning and found myself, yearning to get in my car and drive for hours just so I could listen and see what was next. When I looked at the hours the book had, I thought wow, how much can be said in this book, but I soon found out there is always more and it made sense to have more. I have thoroughly enjoyed the characters and their Cheyenne names. Everyone is exquisitely different and spell binding.

BRAVO, BRAVO, BRAVO!

BRAVO, awesome narration...made it a great read with the many Native American words and dialects used. Enriched the stories. --GLPolk

Unbelievable but interesting

Appreciated the research done to add interest to the story, but found the characters unbelievable. Or like a TV Western from the 50's, except for us book club gals.

Loved learning about the Cheyenne culture

Although the story is fiction, the Cheyenne culture was intriguing to me. I have never read this genre before, so I was impressed that it kept my attention most of the time. Although it was set in the 1800's, I found myself relating to most of the characters. I am pretty impressed that a man could explain the feelings of a woman so well. The narrator was good, but sometimes sounded too cheerful for the moods I'm assuming May must have felt at times.

Wonderful Read!

I loved this story. So heart wrenching. what a great read!! Amazing depiction of a woman for the time period

A story that needed to be told

What a remarkable story. Both magical and horrifying in its reality. Beautifully written and read.

One Thousand White Women

Very interesting and also so disappointing to learn what our government did and did not do