Desert Wife
Volume I of Living Voices of the Past
By Hilda Faunce
Beverly's Ltd. - April 14, 2000
ISBN: 01767 1852-0 - Audio Book (Abridged)
Nonfiction / Memoir
for language

Reviewed by: Jo Rogers, MyShelf.Com
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In 1914, Ken and Hilda Faunce lived in Oregon, and had a business that was going under, thanks to the underhanded dealings of one of Ken's business partners. At that time, women weren't consulted when a change was made, they simply went along with their husbands. So, when Ken sold out the Oregon business and moved back to New Mexico to buy a trading post, Hilda had little choice but to go along. The trip was made by wagon, over a rough trail, but the biggest problem Hilda had was not the hardships of the trail, but the boredom of traveling mile after mile through desolate desert country, flat and featureless country, with two horses, a dog named Betty, and a husband that didn't talk much.

Once the arduous journey came to an end, Hilda found herself in the middle of nowhere, in a desert far from civilization. Gallup was the closest city, and it was three or four days drive in a wagon from the trading post. This post was in the middle of the Navajo reservation, and, at first, the Native Americans were none too friendly. For Hilda, the culture shock was tremendous. But with time and painstaking effort, the Navajo became customers and then friends.

I found this excerpt from Hilda's diary a most informative tale. The lessons of cooperation and race acceptance have yet to be learned by many people today. Life was much harder in those days, as you will learn from what Hilda goes through. Actress Jane Merrifield-Beecher really makes Hilda's words come to life for the listener, and we can feel what she must have felt at the time. I highly recommend these recordings the "Living Voices of the Past" series. They bring a bygone era to life through the words of those who lived it.