Ada Blackjack was a young, Eskimo woman.  Her marriage ended and she was left with very little except for her little boy, Bennett, who was ill.  She found an orphanage that took in children when their parents could not take care of them.  This is where she decided to leave Bennett hoping they could help him get well.

Ada tried to find work as a seamstress.  She wanted to save as much money as possible so she could bring Bennett home some day.  She was approached by four men who were attempting an expedition to colonize the Wrangel Island for Great Britain.  They needed someone to sew for them.  She decided to risk everything in order to help her son.  The four men and Ada began their expedition.  They took supplies that would last for about six months hoping that they could get enough food later on from the land.  However, the winter was not kind and the food was not enough and they had to ration the supplies.  Three of the men set out to try and find help.  One man was too ill and stayed back while Ada looked after him.  He soon died and Ada was the lone survivor.

Following Ada's return, the press proclaimed her as the female Robinson Crusoe.  No matter what the press stated, Ada did not talk about the expedition.  The only time she talked about it was when she was falsely accused of causing the death of one of the men.  She did manage to speak up and defend herself.

Jennifer Niven has written a very compelling book about Ada Blackjack.  She did so through Ada's diary, her collection of papers and the memories of Billy Blackjack Johnson, Ada's surviving son.  She also had assistance from the nieces and nephew of Milton Gale, the youngest member of the expedition.  They were able to provide her with papers, letters, photos and a journal.

This book has everything needed to make it an interesting read.  It is filled with adventures, history and a woman's strength and courage in order to survive.  Jennifer Niven has done a wonderful job of gathering the facts to put this book together.  This is one you will want to add to your reading list!

REVIEWED BY NANCY EATON

DO NOT REPRINT WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR, NANCY EATON