There are several ways to write history. One is chronicling what happened--Great Britain sent prisoners to what is now Australia including women from 1788-1868. Another method is to look at what might have caused this to happen--industrial revolution, classicism, food shortages, women's position in society, wars, colonialism, etc. This book takes on a third way--telling what happened and why through the lens of individuals who lived the history. In this book, Deborah Swiss does this through the lives of about four women who were transported to Van Dieman's Land (now Tasmania) in the 1830's and 40's and the female Quaker reformer who worked to improve conditions for women prisoners and their children from London. Sometimes Swiss gets carried away with lyrical descriptions but her portrayal of the hardships these women faced and their strength and cunning that allowed them to survive comes through clearly.

Left in the Little Free Library