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Sacagawea: Westward with Lewis and Clark by Alana White: A Book Review

Sacagawea: Westward with Lewis and Clark

Author: Alana White

Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography 

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

Book Release Date: 2024

Pages: 91

Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: A young Shoshone woman. A small baby. A gigantic dog. A journey like no other.


      In 1804, President Thomas Jefferson appointed Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to lead an expedition across the western United States to the Pacific Ocean. To communicate with the Native peoples they would encounter, they engaged a young Shoshone woman called Sacagawea to accompany them. Sacagawea’s knowledge of the West allowed them to trade for food and supplies and request help when desperately needed.


      In Sacagawea: Westward with Lewis and Clark, Alana White explores the life and times of this fascinating woman. In their journals, Lewis and Clark describe Sacagawea as calm, courageous, and uncomplaining. Down raging rivers, around turbulent waterfalls, and over the Rocky Mountains, during desperate times when there was little to no food or shelter, Sacagawea endured.


      My Review: Sacajawea was one of the most celebrated women in American history. Sacajawea is on the American golden dollar. She also has monuments named after her. At the age of sixteen, Sacajawea was an interpreter during the Lewis and Clark Expedition. This biography of Sacajawea chronicles her expedition and the hardships she faced.


      I have heard of Sacajawea since grade school. I was very pleased to learn that there was a biography of her. Sacajawea was a Shoshone woman. The Hidatsa tribe raided her tribe and took her captive. Charbonneau, a French Fur trader, acquired Sacajawea through either a purchase or a prize from gambling and married her. She then gave birth to a son named Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. At the age of sixteen, Sacajewea, her infant son, and husband accompanied Lewis and Clark during their expedition.


      Overall, this was a very short and comprehensive biography of Sacajawea. Besides the Lewis and Clark expedition, there is very little information known about Sacajawea. Therefore, this biography mostly focuses on Lewis and Clark. Nevertheless, this biography proves that Sacajawea is an admirable historical figure! She made a difficult and perilous journey while taking care of her infant son! As a mother myself, I sympathized with her difficulties and respect for pushing through so many hardships. Therefore, I came away from this biography by having a deeper appreciation for her! This biography does an excellent job highlighting Sacajawea’s accomplishments! I recommend this for fans of Lakota Woman, The True Story of Pocahontas, and Wise Women!


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


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