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Rating: 
Summary: Painstakenly Researched Work
Review: Although an almost lifetime resident of Wisconsin, I had no idea until I read this book that Indians and European had intermarried to such a great extent in the state, and the ensuing Metis, or mixed, culture that sprang up as a result. As the years went by, most of the Metis became absorbed into the "mainstream" American society, although some chose to live with the Indians on the reservations. Some of this absorption happened naturally, some of it was forced when the government forced them to make choices. This book has a format that I have not encountered yet, but it works very well. It consists of authentic letters between Eliza and an acquaintance of the family, explaining what was happening in her life at the time, as well as bringing in other aspects of the area's culture and history. Victoria Brehm has only modified the letters where necessary to assist in comprehenstion with items such as sentence notation and paragraph placement since some of the text was apparently very long and run-on. She has even kept in tact many of the spelling errors. What a person absolutely must do when they read this book, is to immediately refer to the backnotes when one sees the annotation in the letter text. Ms. Brehm has done an absolutely impeccable job of putting historical reference around the letters, with her sources noted in case one wants to research with further detail. Putting context around the events Eliza is writing about makes her letters even more powerful. Eliza writes very simply, but from her heart. You can feel her pain and anguish when she writes about the accidental death of one of her children, and her frustrations pertaining to the goverment treatment of Indians and Metis. If you are at all interested in the history of Wisconsin, or the Great Lakes area Native American or Metis culture, this book is a must read.
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