Reviews

The Vengeance of Mothers by Jim Fergus

satsukiq's review

1.0

lots of annoying ellipses and the writing voice for half the journal entries was just irritating 

jenabest's review

3.0

 Not nearly so well rounded as One Thousand White Women. 

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

Not as good as the first book.
Filled with terrible cliches and stereotypes. The characters are two dimensional and annoying. 

The chapters switch between the POVs of two women and they’re soo repetitive. They repeat almost the exact same events. Can’t be bothered to finish even just to say that I finished the series. Really disappointed since I loved the first book of the series 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Rape

mugglemom's review

4.0

This 2nd of the series goes a little off the rails but I still enjoyed it. I loved the fact it dealt with the crazy-ass Irish twins and introduce a slew of new colorful characters.

Some of the shenanigans the twins do are way too modern - some of their speeches also, but I didn't mind it so much.

There are more history-provoking moments that kept the momentum of the book going and the narrator (even with her quirksome foreign languages sometimes) gave the story life.

campsey0914's review

It was so slow paced. Every time I'd start to read it, I'd fall asleep. 

ashleygrossreads's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

paulabellman's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

This is the 2nd part to 1,000 White Women. I read 1,000 a few years ago and the story really stayed with me. 

Of course the Brides for Indians program is not true, many of the other events in this story are. It was a great jumping off point to get ready for my trip to ND, SD, MT, & WY this summer. We will be visiting Batlle of the Little Bighorn and Custer State Park! 

There is a 3rd part as the ending of Vengeance was less than satisfying. Not sure if I'll read it. I'm sure it will end with Custer's Last Stand. Maybe I'll read it..maybe

academic_mama's review

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.0

saltybooknerd's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

chickiebean_loves_books's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Five things about The Vengeance of Mothers by Jim Fergus. 4/5 ⭐️s

1. Finally Astrid breaks the silence: “What is manifest destiny? ““Basically, it means that American settlers have the divine right, “says Gertie, “given to them a course by God his own self, to steal the native’s land, even though it was deeded to them fair and square in the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868. See, soon as gold was discovered two years ago in the Black Hills, the government real quick took the land back, so the treaty was no good anymore. ““And why does the government have a divine right to do that? “Astrid asks. “Because God says so, because he loves us so much, honey. ““Why? ““Because we’re special. ““Why? ““Yup, now you’ve got the real question, missy, “says Gertie, “and I can’t tell you that I have a good answer for it, either. ““I have been called many names, “says Lulu “Many of them not so nice. But no one has ever before called me a hostile. “Interesting, isn’t it? “Says Mollie. “We went from being part of an important government program to help aassimilate the Cheyenne, to being captives of the Lakota, to being fugitives without a country… And now, suddenly, we’ve become hostiles in the eyes of the United States Army. All without having done a single thing. “
2. In this book you’ll find positive queer representation, positive depictions of indigenous culture with multiple nations represented as individual cultures with their own complex languages, values, ethics, belief systems and social norms. You’ll find strong women. Angry women. Broken women. Wealthy women. Destitute women. Loyal women. Talented women. Determined women.
3. The basic premise of this series - that the US government created and then abandoned a program in the 1800s to “assimilate” Indigenous culture through the intermarriage of “white” (in quotes because the women come in all colors) women and indigenous men - is fictitious. However, this does happen - today - in places like Tibet to name just one. It’s fictional within the context of this book but not our world. 
4. The government’s intention backfires as the “white” women integrate into their new communities and when the government attacks the indigenous people they cannot tell (and do not care to) the women apart from the Cheyenne. 
5. There are some problematic elements here. In a time where we as a society are (rightly) looking to amplify the voices of peoples that have been muted for so long. When we (rightly) look to allow peoples to tell their own stories - this is ultimately a story by a white man imagining the experiences of, from the perspectives of, women and indigenous people. I acknowledge this fact. That being said, I witness Fergus, again and again, trying to do this story he’s imagined justice. To honor and center the joys and sorrows and struggles and victories of people so unlike himself. It’s good and respectful storytelling.