{"product_id":"the-westerners-mythmaking-and-belonging-on-the-american-frontier-9781668004340","title":"The Westerners: Mythmaking and Belonging on the American Frontier","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom award-winning historian Megan Kate Nelson, an epic account of the creation of the American West in the 19th century, shattering the traditional frontier myth that has dominated popular American culture.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Westerners\u003c\/i\u003e tells two richly detailed and interwoven stories. The first reveals the captivating lives of women and men moving through the American West--Indigenous peoples, Black Americans, Mexican Americans, and Canadian and Asian immigrants--in the 19th century. The second tracks the attempts of many Americans to erase these westerners from history, through a frontier myth that lionized individualism and conquest and celebrated white settlers traveling west in search of prosperity. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Nelson's vivid, eye-opening account centers on seven extraordinary individuals whose lives capture the true history of the frontier: Sacajawea, not just Lewis and Clark's guide but an explorer who forged her own path; Jim Beckwourth, a biracial fur trader whose sharp cultural insight made him indispensable; María Gertrudis Barceló, a Hispana gambling saloon owner who broke every stereotype to become the wealthiest woman in Santa Fe; Ovando Hollister, a gold miner, soldier, and newspaper man who championed Western expansion; Little Wolf, a Northern Cheyenne chief whose courageous leadership secured his people's future; Canadian immigrant Ella Watson, who strove to become a ranch woman in a male-dominated world; and the defiant Polly Bemis, a Chinese immigrant who carved out a life in Idaho despite federal expulsion efforts. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Nelson roots this bold new history of the American West in the deep research and gripping storytelling that have garnered her critical acclaim. Highlighting the perseverance and ingenuity of the communities that have otherwise been forgotten or erased from history, \u003ci\u003eThe Westerners\u003c\/i\u003e challenges us to reimagine who we are and where we came from.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Megan Kate Nelson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Scribner Book Company\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/31\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 464\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.35lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.71d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781668004340\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/30\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBorn and raised in Colorado, Megan Kate Nelson is a writer and historian now based in Boston, Massachusetts. She has written about US western history, the Civil War, and American culture for \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Atlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSlate\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTime\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eSmithsonian Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e. Nelson earned her BA in history and literature from Harvard University and her PhD in American studies from the University of Iowa. She is the author of \u003ci\u003eSaving Yellowstone\u003c\/i\u003e;\u003ci\u003e The Three-Cornered War\u003c\/i\u003e, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; \u003ci\u003eRuin Nation\u003c\/i\u003e; and \u003ci\u003eTrembling Earth\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Megan Kate Nelson \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":47809159364765,"sku":"9781668004340","price":48.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_2c0bc9a5-f2df-4a6c-a2cf-84b8158e2d85.jpg?v=1775557450","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/the-westerners-mythmaking-and-belonging-on-the-american-frontier-9781668004340","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}