WESTWARD THE WOMEN is a book about women of every kind and sort, from nuns to prostitutes, who participated in the greatest American adventure—pioneering across the continent. Not only does the material represent half-forgotten history—which the author garnered from attics, libraries, state historical museums, and the reminiscences of Far Western Old-timers—but it is unique in presenting the woman’s side of the story in this major American experience. With dramatic clarity the author of FARTHEST REACH has written the intimate and human stories of certain outstanding personalities among these pioneer women; the Maine blue-stocking pursuing her studies of botany and taxidermy in frontier solitude; the gentle nuns from Belgium teaching needlework and litanies to “children of the forest”; the little ex-milliner who performed the first autopsy by a woman; the suffragette who established a newspaper for Western women and rode plushy river boats and the dusty roads preaching her gospel of Equal Rights; hurdy-gurdy girls from Idaho boomtowns; and many another martyr, heroine, diarist, gun moll, missionary, feminist, and mother in this turbulent era of pioneering.

WESTWARD THE WOMEN is a book about women of every kind and sort, from nuns to prostitutes, who participated in the greatest American adventure—pioneering across the continent. Not only does the material represent half-forgotten history—which the author garnered from attics, libraries, state historical museums, and the reminiscences of Far Western Old-timers—but it is unique in presenting the woman’s side of the story in this major American experience. With dramatic clarity the author of FARTHEST REACH has written the intimate and human stories of certain outstanding personalities among these pioneer women; the Maine blue-stocking pursuing her studies of botany and taxidermy in frontier solitude; the gentle nuns from Belgium teaching needlework and litanies to “children of the forest”; the little ex-milliner who performed the first autopsy by a woman; the suffragette who established a newspaper for Western women and rode plushy river boats and the dusty roads preaching her gospel of Equal Rights; hurdy-gurdy girls from Idaho boomtowns; and many another martyr, heroine, diarist, gun moll, missionary, feminist, and mother in this turbulent era of pioneering.

WestWinds Press is proud to bring back into print this classic history of the Pacific Northwest from native daughter Nancy Wilson Ross. Reading the book is like opening a time capsule to Oregon and Washington as they were from the Oregon Trail days through the 1930s. FARTHEST REACH is an engaging, affectionate account of the remote and mysterious Pacific Northwest and a celebration of its people—the loggers, fishermen, cowboys, Native Americans, and eccentrics; its big cities and rural towns, and its spectacular natural beauty, from the rugged coast to the wild rivers, the snowcapped mountains to the high desert.

Two sisters. Two voices. One Heart. The mystery of Magic Man. The wicked riff of Barracuda. The sadness and beauty of Alone. The raw energy of Crazy On You. These songs, and so many more, are part of the fabric of American music. Heart, fronted by Ann and Nancy Wilson, has given fans everywhere classic, raw, and pure badass rock and roll for more than three decades. As the only sisters in rock who write their own music and play their own instruments, Ann and Nancy have always stood apart-certainly from their male counterparts but also from their female peers. By refusing to let themselves and their music be defined by their gender, and by never allowing their sexuality to overshadow their talent, the Wilson sisters have made their mark, and in the process paved the way for many of today's female artists. In Kicking and Dreaming, Ann and Nancy, with the help of critically acclaimed and bestselling music biographer Charles R. Cross, recount a journey that has taken them from a gypsy - like life as the children of a globe-trotting Marine to the frozen back roads of Vancouver, where they got their start as a band, to the pinnacle of success-and sometimes excess. In these pages, readers will learn the truth about the relationship that inspired "Magic Man" and Crazy On You, the turmoil of interband romances gone awry, the reality of life on the road as single women and then as mothers of small children, and the thrill of performing and in some cases partying with the likes of the Rolling Stones, Stevie Nicks, Van Halen, Def Leppard, and other rock legends. It has not always been an easy path. Ann struggled with and triumphed over a childhood stutter, body image, and alcoholism; Nancy suffered the pain and disappointment of fertility issues and a failed marriage but ultimately found love again and happiness as a mom. Through it all, the sisters drew from the strength of a family bond that trumps everything else, as told in this intimate, honest, and uniquely female take on the rock and roll life. Throughout their career, Ann and Nancy have never found an answer to the question they are most frequently asked: "What is it like to be a woman in rock and roll?" Kicking and Dreaming puts that question to bed, once and for all.

How does a woman build her house? Nancy Wilson begins with the table, remembering how each scratch and stain in the wood chronicles a memory - "hours of stories and jokes, questions and concerns (through courtships and pregnancies), prayers and discussions..." She continues, each essay full of stories and encouragement - the beauty of imperfection, the comfort of Velveeta, the strengths of mothers- and daughters-in-law, the honesty that is submission, the laughter of reading aloud. As ever, while Nancy draws out our sins and weaknesses and sore spots, she comforts us with the favor of God and rouses us to a joyous faith.

For a Christian woman, motherhood is the subtle art of building a house in grace - "The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands" (Prov. 14: 1). Each day's work is significant, for it contributes toward the long-term plan. Each nail helps a house stand in a storm. But motherhood isn't a simple formula. Building a home - childbirth, education, discipline - requires holy joy and a love of beauty. The mother who fears God does not fear the future.

Imagine where the Church would be today if the men in it were respected as they ought to be by their wives. What power would God unleash through godly men who were respected in their homes? Wives, instead of focusing on your husband's problems and shortcomings, look at what you are supposed to be doing yourself. In the Song of Solomon we read, "Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons." So what is your perspective when you look at your husband? Is it biblical or does it stem from all those modern lies which surround us?

Explains the origins, development and basic principles of the religion followed by nearly one-quarter of the people on earth.