Every Wednesday I share a picture for Wordless Wednesday–but it’s not any old picture. It’s always an old black and white of my family. Black and white pictures intrigue me. I love looking at every detail and wondering about the people and their lives.
This weekend, my husband, daughter and I went to a little arts & craft show near us. We stopped at a booth full of old black and white photos. The owner inherited thousands of glass plate negatives from a family member, he reprints them and also restores them. These negatives were pictures taken between 1880-1925! I could have stared at those photos all day! They were stunning–you rarely see pictures from that time, but to see the creative portraits and the incredible candids, it was just like opening a big door to the past!
We ended up buying two prints. One is of an old cotton mill (or some kind of barn with a bunch of guys and their wagons of cotton) and this is the second one…
Can you see what it is? It’s a baptism! Look at that! The pastor is in the suit and has his hand raised as he dunks the people all around him. Look at the ladies’ hats, the horse and carriage in the background and just the sheer amounts of people! I got tears in my eyes when I first saw it!
I know, you think I’m giving this away, don’t you? Heck, no. I couldn’t part with it. I just wanted to share it because just like this picture is an amazing doorway into the past, I’ve got a fantastic book that does the same.
Multnomah asked me to review this book and I jumped at the chance because it’s by Jane Kirkpatrick. I read her Kinship & Courage series and just loved it. It’s historical fiction but the kind of historical fiction that actually transports you back. Not just a random romance or adventure packaged in a skirt and bonnet. It’s real history with real research.
Ms. Kirkpatrick’s new book is called A Mending at the Edge and is book 3 in the Change & Cherish series. It’s the continuing story of Emma Wagner Giesy. She is a part of a religious community in the 1850’s that scouts out a new land in Oregon Territory. This community’s main tenet is the shared purse. Everyone works to better the community. And for an independent mind like Emma–this is a hard value to embrace.
The first book chronicles Emma’s journey to the new land, the second book, the life the they try to make there. And the third, the most poignant, I think, is the story of Emma coming to grips with her independence and inter-dependence on others and God.
The best part about this whole series is that it’s all based on a real live person! Emma Wanger Giesy was a real woman! Ms. Kirkpatrick has done extensive research into her life and her community. She even interviewed Emma’s decedents.
As an independent woman myself, I identified with Emma’s struggle to submit, to serve and to love others while being her own person. This is one of the best books I’ve read in awhile–rich with detail and full of dynamic characters. It’s stuck with me and I can’t wait to re-read it!
So, after all that blathering, I am indeed giving away TWO copies of Book 3: Mending at the Edge by Jane Kirkpatrick. (However, I HIGHLY recommend you read book 1&2 first!)
Just leave me a comment about anything you want–well, within reason, of course. I’ll pick a winner (who provides a valid email address) on the last day of this big bloggy giveaway and announce it here!
(oh, and guess what?! My fellow preggo blogger, bee from will blog for shoes and I are going to be hosting our first swap. A baby swap! That’s right, you can swap your own baby for another one! KIDDING. Actually, we’ll be swapping some fun baby stuff. So if you’re preggo, a new mama, or just have a special infant in your life, we’d love to swap with you. Click here for all the details. Sign up is going on now!)
Terra Heck says
I’d love to read this book.
Tonsofsons says
I must check out my local library.
Thanks for the chance to win.
http://tonsofsons.wordpress.com/
Val says
What a wonderful piece of photography! I adore it. Looking at it, I notice that most of the girls are to the left in one area and the boys are on the other side. Interesting. Love their hats and dresses.
What an incredible thing to have from the past.