All posts tagged: pioneers

A sinister, supernatural imagined account of the Donner Party’s westward journey now in paperback, THE HUNGER by Alma Katsu

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By Leslie Lindsay  We might all be familiar with the fated Donner Party, a group of pioneers struggling across the Great Plains as they journeyed west to California. But only some of it made it there alive.  NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK! Vulture: 13 Best Horror Books Written by Women Best Books of 2018 – The Observer An NPR Best Horror Novel Barnes & Noble Best Horror of 2018 Nominated for Bram Stoker Award for Best Horror Novel of 2018 Winner – 2019 Western Heritage Award for Best Novel And a glowing endorsement from Stephen King: “Deeply, deeply disturbing, hard to put down, not recommended reading after dark.” THE HUNGER (available in paperback, March 5 2019 from Putman/PRH) is a tense, gripping reimagining of one of America’s most fascinating and tragic moments in history: The Donner Party. In 1846, a group of men, women, and children led by George Donner and James Reed journeyed west to California, following a new experimental route through the mountains known has Hastings’ Cutoff. Of the eighty-some souls who entered the mountains, …

The Teacher is Talking: “Here Come the Girl Scouts!”

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By Leslie Lindsay You may remember them as the Pollyanna sort of group who sang cheesy campfire songs and wore brown uniforms to school.  And you would be right–the Daisys/Brownies/Girl Scouts are a postive group of girls who sing songs–but they also do a whole lot more.  In fact, 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the organization established by Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low.  As a former Brownie myself, I had some ideas–misconceptions, even–of the organization.  And when my friend/neighbor became a troop leader, I was encouraged to think about it even more.  You see, my oldest daughter is the exact age I was when I became a member of the Brownies.  I wanted her to have some of the same experiences.  Think back to 1912.  It was the height of the Victorian era in the U.S.  Little girls were meant to be seen and not heard.  They wore dresses and crept around quiet as mice, unless of course they were practicing the piano.  Their mother’s didn’t even have the right to vote.  And they certainly weren’t …