Reader's Guides for Discussion
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Unsinkable: The Molly Brown Story |
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Emily Griffith: Opportunity's Teacher |
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Justina Ford: Medical Pioneer |
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First Governor, First Lady: John and Eliza Routt of Colorado |
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A Yellowstone Savage: Life In Nature's Wonderland |
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Something for Genealogists |
Joyce's latest book:
Unsinkable: The Molly Brown Story
UNSINKABLE:
The Molly Brown Story
from Filter Press -- "A Now You Know Bio" ...
Life stories for young scholars, and children of ALL ages!
This is the story of the real
Molly Brown and the facts that separate
her life from the myths that developed around her. You will find
that she is more fascinating than any tales made up about her.
2007 Silver CIPA EVVY Award!
I was asked to preview my book for the Women Writing the West
July Reading Group:
"Unsinkable: The Molly Brown Story" is my fourth biography, and the
third I have written for the "Now You Know Bio" series from Filter
Press. Readers can enjoy it on many levels. Adult readers like these
biographies because they are a quick, fun, and easy way to learn history
through peoples' lives in a researched format they can enjoy and yet
trust for historic accuracy. Young people use these books for reports
because of the research involved, including many primary sources, and
the non-fiction elements, such as glossary, timeline, bibliography,
index, topics for further study, and so on. This book recently received
a silver CIPA EVVY award in the 2007 juvenile division. CIPA is the
Colorado Independent Publishers' Association.
I strive to bring history alive for the reader by integrating a
journalism and genealogy background with intensive research methods. Use
of quotations allow characters to speak in their own voices. Historic
photos and graphics are contemporary to the lives of the subjects. For
instance, although the "Unsinkable" topic is not new, this book contains
newspaper graphics which have not seen the light of day since the
Titanic sank in 1912. It includes previously overlooked elements of Mrs.
Brown's life.
Points to Ponder
| What was your impression of Mrs. J. J. Brown before you read the book? |
| How did your impression change after you read the book? |
| What was the most surprising aspect of her character? |
| What events in Margaret's life had an impact on the way she behaved later in life? |
| What were the most important events in her life from her perspective? |
| Do you think she was unfairly judged for her behavior? In what way? |
| In what way were the critics correct about her behavior? |
| Do you believe her brave reaction to danger surpassed that of most people? |
| Did Margaret Brown go beyond acceptable boundaries with her spending and charity? |
| Do you like or dislike Margaret Brown? Why? |
Author's Comments:
Of all the subjects about whom I have written, Margaret Brown is probably the
most misunderstood. Although she suffered no handicaps either physically or
financially, she made strong impressions with each movement in her life which
tended to create obstacles, mainly due to the judgmental attitudes of others.
For overcoming those obstacles, I applaud Margaret Brown. Sorting the
facts from the myths in her life was equally difficult and satisfying. I hope I
have done her justice in this story.
From Filter Press -- "A Now You
Know Bio" ...
Life stories for young scholars, and children of ALL ages!
Emily Griffith: Opportunity's Teacher
Emily Griffith always
wanted to be a schoolteacher. She overcame
obstacles to start a school "for all who wish to learn", which
continues to operate as her humanitarian legacy to this day.
Points to Ponder
| What characteristics made Emily Griffith an outstanding role model? What were her weaknesses? |
| What elements lacking in the school system were filled by Opportunity School? |
| Was the time when the school opened in 1916 an advantage or detriment to its success? |
| What made Opportunity School different from other schools? How did Emily make it different? |
| How was the new educational system received by different segments of the community? |
| In what way was the community improved by Opportunity School? |
| How important was Emily Griffith's attitude and her signs with optimistic sayings to the success of her students? |
| Are students and the Opportunity School today able to benefit from Emily's legacy? |
| Why did Emily so stridently cover up her true birth date? |
| Did Emily achieve the recognition in her lifetime that she deserved? In what way has she been recognized? |
Author's Comments:
Emily Griffith was a complex, admirable woman of strength, with an almost angelic aura and affect on those she encountered. It was impossible to become involved with Emily and her school without wanting to become a better person, then carrying out that desire. Yet, Emily was real with human weaknesses and mysteries. We may never fully understand the secrets of her unabashed desire to achieve success.
Justina Ford: Medical
Pioneer
Finalist, 2005 CIPA EVVY Award - Finalist, 2005 WWW
WILLA Award
A biography about
the first African American female doctor
to practice medicine in
Colorado. A pioneer and humanitarian,
she delivered over 7,000 babies between 1902 and 1952.
This book is the first book in a new child-friendly series
from Filter Press
called "Now You Know Bios".
Points to Ponder
| What obstacles interferred with Justina's desire to become a doctor? |
| What characteristics allowed Justina to succeed as a doctor? |
| Was she helped or hindered by working from her home office and making house calls? |
| How would Justina have coped with her occupation in today's world? |
| Was Justina helped or hindered by her marriage to Reverend Ford? |
| How did Justina's work affect her community? |
| What do we learn about Justina's personality from her quotations? |
Author comments:
The difficulty in researching Justina Ford resulted from the lack of material contemporary to her life, due to the lack of recognition she received during her career. Fortunately, she was recognized for her work toward the end of her life. We benefit from several interesting quotations from interviews with her at that time. I was also able to unearth documents from her early years which filled in some interesting facts about how her young life evolved. Her quotations reveal a woman of quiet dignity, sharp wit, and keen understanding of the world around her.
First Governor, First Lady:
John and Eliza Routt of
Colorado
Winner of CIPA EVVY Award - Best Biography 2003
The story of Colorado's early statehood evolves through the lives of the first Governor, John Routt, and his wife Eliza. While John served three terms as governor, was mayor of Denver, served 12 years on the Board of Capitol Managers, was a banker, rancher, and struck it rich in his silver mine, his wife worked to settle her community, to help educate women and children, for passage of women's suffrage, and was the first woman to vote in Colorado. Together they boldly ushered Colorado into statehood and made their mark in its history.
Points to Ponder
| Why has the Routts' story been overlooked for so long considering their important role in Colorado's history? |
| How was John Routts' life and success affected by his marriage to Eliza? |
| How would Eliza's life have evolved had she not married John Routt? |
| What affect did the Civil War have on John Routt's life and career? |
| What was Eliza able to achieve in spite of her quiet disposition and Victorian constraints? |
| How did John and Eliza affect the passage of Women's Suffrage in Colorado? |
| How was their relationship and household affected by the Morning Star Mine in Leadville? By public life? |
| What affect would winning the Senate Race have had on John Routt's career? |
| Did John Routt have his eye on the White House? What obstacles would have kept him in Colorado? |
Author comments:
The Routts' story was assembled from the many scattered and far-flung details of their lives. The more their story evolved, the more it became apparent that a beautiful treasure had evolved. I consider it my greatest writing achievement to have assembled this untold story so it could be preserved and shared with readers and historians as a gift to Colorado's history. The dynamic personalities of John and Eliza give the story life and make the history of the time become real and alive.
A Yellowstone Savage:
Life in Nature's
Wonderland
Tales from the life of a
"Savage" (a concession
employee) who lived and worked in the oldest
and largest national park in the United States,
Yellowstone National Park, nature's wonderland.
Points to Ponder
| What experience have you had with a similar impact on your life? |
| How was the author's experience similar or different than other Savages? |
| How important is the setting to the story in the book and the impact on the author's life? |
| Why were details such as song titles and menu items mentioned so prominently? |
| How different do you suppose the Yellowstone Savage experience is today than in 1973? |
| Was 1973 a particularly special year to come of age in Yellowstone, or elsewhere? |
| How differently would you treat your story of a special time in your life, or what genre would you use as a vehicle? |
| In what obvious ways has American culture changed since 1973? |
| How would the story have changed without a car for transportation? |
Author comments:
This book is more personal than the others, bordering on memoir, although it became fiction when names were changed to "protect the innocent". It is a fun little diary, which indulges my passion for the place where the earth bubbles up, and great times in 1973 with people who are my dearest friends to this day. Trips and reunions to Yellowstone and the surrounding area followed, adding families and friends along the way, although the Savage year remains the touchstone which binds us. This book honors some great friends and the majesty of nature as it erupts in the land of the Yellowstone.
Everything I Learned About Research and Writing
I Learned From Genealogy
by
Joyce Lohse1. Start with what you know. Do not believe everything you read or hear, but use that information to seek primary evidence.
2. Leave no leaf unturned. Check all available resources and never give up. Continue to seek new resources. Cite your sources.
3. Do not ignore negative evidence, but try to disprove it. Although you would love to ignore it, respond by seeking ways to prove your data.
4. Spend quality time with genealogy, but remember the living. Be careful when you publish material to protect data about living relatives.
5. Visit all available repositories, libraries, and archives. Ask questions. Our utilization of these resources keep archives open and librarians hired.
6. Keep in touch with your relatives. Family members may have valuable information and photographs. Ask them to share and save precious items.
7. When you have gathered all low hanging fruit, seek higher branches. Keep trying. Tough challenges can produce the best results.
8. Share your research. Write it up and print it out in usable form. When new information becomes scarce, it could be time to publish.
9. Get out. Join a club. Take a class. Share information, learn new things, meet new people, find out where you stand, identify with others.
10. The fun never ends, and the story is never finished. There is always new information out there somewhere, if you continue to search for it.
[Disclaimer: Pardon the clichés! - JL]
Copyright © 2006 - Reprint permission required.
Links to web sites about books and Western history:
| Filter Press Books - more Western History from Filter Press |
| CoResPubs - rare resources from Colorado Research Publications |
| Ghost Road Press - Order Writing, Etc. More than 250 Tips on Craft, Marketing, and the Writer's Life, from Colorado Authors' League members, including Joyce B. Lohse. |
| Visit the Molly Brown House Museum in Denver |
| Also, the Molly Brown Summer House in Denver |