I love reading books, especially when I learn something from them. Half Broke Horses
is a true-life novel because Jeannette Walls wrote this story about her grandmother's life mainly from her mother's memories so she had to fill in the story a little bit.Mainly this book takes the reader back to a time in American history when the frontier was still wild (the early 1900's). The main character of this novel, Lily Casey Smith, is a no-nonsense, strong woman who grew up on a Ranch in Arizona. Lily pulled her own weight on her dad's ranch as a kid and her hard-working spirit stuck with her the rest of her life.
At the age of 15, Lily rode her horse a few hundred miles across the Arizona desert by herself to become a teacher in a one room school house. Her journey at age 15 did not include hotel stays either. This woman camped outside with a campfire, her gun, and a family too far away to do anything to help her out if she needed it. What courage! The other stories filling this novel are just as fascinating (and maybe even more so). The stories of Smith's life left me longing for a time when rules and laws were not as defined. I couldn't hop on a horse and ride across any state now for just the cost of food and water, even if I wanted to! I was amazed with all that Smith endured, her spirit, and her strength. It is fascinating to hear a true life story of someone who actually lived and all that they saw, did, and accomplished.
The author of this book also wrote The Glass Castle
which I will review at another time. If you liked The Glass Castle you will love this book too!Half Broke Horses
brought a piece of America's history to life for me through the life of a woman that was exceptional. I wonder how many more stories there are of amazing people that never get written down?!
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