Trials of the Earth: The True Story of a Pioneer Woman by Mary Mann Hamilton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read an excerpt from this book on B&N Readouts, and I requested it from my local library.

I cannot say enough good things about this autobiography whose manuscript went unpublished for more than 50 years. Thank heavens for the persistence of people mentioned in "Acknowledgements." The "Preface" was written by Helen Dick Davis in 1933 who explained,

The memories of the busy difficult days of her wifehood and motherhood have been minutely stored in her brain , as bees store honey, so that every smallest event of every day of her life is there: what they had to eat each Thanksgiving dinner, what became of every neighbor they had in the wilderness of the woods, It has been my task to strain the comb from the honey, removing the less interesting material and leaving the dramatic and moving events that happened to Mary Hamilton herself, her husband, and her children.

These people will come alive for you as you read this story. I laughed out loud, worried in suspense, and cried at times.

I recommend this book to all readers: especially, people who enjoy well-written autobiographies, people who are looking for the next selection for their book club discussion, and students of American history.


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