The Personal History of Rachel Dupree

by Ann Weisgarber

Book Overview

An award-winning novel with incredible heart, about life on the prairie as it's rarely been seen When Rachel, hired help in a Chicago boardinghouse, falls in love with Isaac, the boardinghouse owner's son, he makes her a bargain: he'll marry her, but only if she gives up her 160 acres from the Homestead Act so he can double his share. She agrees, and together they stake their claim in the forebodingly beautiful South Dakota Badlands. Fourteen years...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670022012
• ISBN13: 9780670022014
• Release Date: August 2010
• Publisher: Viking Books
• Length: 321 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

A story of courage and strength

The Personal History of Rachel DuPree is a story best experienced firsthand with fingers pressed to the pages and an uninterrupted stretch of time. I found myself unwittingly drawn in by narrative that's so direct and familiar in tone, it's as if Rachel herself were speaking to me. Even the most subtle passages are deeply moving and the clarity of the simplest details brings Rachel's world fully to life. But there's far more to this book than time and setting. This is as much a story of race and the ambition to better one's self, as it is about courage in the face of adversity. Twenty-five year-old Rachel, a kitchen maid in a Chicago boarding house, agrees to marry Isaac DuPree, the son of a doctor's widow. Although she barely knows Isaac, Rachel admires his ambition and believes that together they can build a better life. Newly wed, they leave to hew out a living on a ranch in the dusty wilderness that is the South Dakota Badlands. Negroes in the West are rare and Isaac is determined to build his wealth in land and earn the respect of others. Despite the toll inflicted on them by their harsh environment, Rachel bears a quiet fortitude as she tries to live up to Isaac's expectations. But sometimes with sacrifice comes suffering and Rachel and her family are no exception. Hunger and thirst are all too familiar and death an often unwelcome guest. As their neighbors abandon their lands, Isaac clings ever more fiercely to his dream. Meanwhile, Rachel struggles to ensure her family's survival, while alternately longing for the comforts of her old Chicago home. Without a doubt, Rachel DuPree will take her place among America's literary heroines. The Personal History of Rachel DuPree enlightens us to the tenacity of the pioneer spirit, the stark realities of life in an unforgiving land and the sometimes cruel truth about how the West was really won. Ann Weisgarber captures the otherworldly landscape and harsh climate expertly - so much so that you can feel the grit under your fingernails and the dryness in your mouth long after you close the book. This is a poignant tale that will move you in unexpected ways, as it pits hope and pride against reality and resourcefulness. Not only did this shoot to the top of my list of all-time favorites in historical fiction, but it easily takes a spot among my favorites of any genre. If I'm asked to recommend one must-read book for the year, The Personal History of Rachel DuPree is definitely it.

African-American Historical Fiction

I selected this book because I lived in South Dakota for a long time, and I still have family there, so I was very familiar with the setting. I was surprised that someone wrote a story involving the Badlands from the POV of an African-American woman named Rachel living on a struggling ranch. When the story began with Rachel's daughter, Liz, being lowered into a dried up well, I knew then I wouldn't be happy unless I read the entire book right away. There was never a point where I felt I could put the book down. Each chapter introduced another level of Rachel, as well as her life with her husband, Isaac. I was expecting her to have lost some children, just because of the time period, but the descriptions of the family's thirst and hunger was extremely upsetting. Even the farm animals suffering was described in detail...it made me feel like I was experiencing the drought myself. After reading about one hardship after another, I wondered why she would have stayed with Isaac for so long, when the original agreement was not a traditional marriage proposal. I was suspicious of the pregnant Indian woman with the mixed-race little boy, but Rachel's reaction was unpredictable. She was a very complex character, and Isaac seemed more like a shadow of a person compared to Rachel. It was disappointing to see them being just as racist with the Native Americans, as the white people were to them. I was very pleased with the way Rachel handled herself in the end, but I was disappointed that the story didn't continue onto the train. This novel was written as if Rachel herself was writing it; I thought the flashbacks made the story stronger too. Ironically, I wouldn't compare this story to The Color Purple, but maybe Their Eyes Were Watching God...the concept of a family struggling with a new environment reminded me of The Calligrapher's Daughter. I think Ann Weisgarber did an excellent job of telling Rachel's story.

Exciting, different.

I've recommended this book to everyone I know, and everyone loves it. Absolutely loves it. My book club, my sisters, my husband. Everyone is wondering when the sequel will come it. Unfortunately, I don't think a sequel is planned but it is still a great read and interesting to consider what might come next. It starts off in a very tense situation and continues to grab the readers attention. The story is that a young black mand and woman in Chicago in the early part of the 20th century want to ranch out west. Well, he wants to ranch out west and she wants to get out of Chicago and experience adventure with this life and with this intense man. It is a hard, lonely life, and the husband is willing to sacrifice almost anything to acquire more land and more cattle. I liked being taken to that time and place. It felt like I was there. It is a short book and the pages turn very quickly. Cancel your plans for the evening if you start reading this book today. I haven't written many (or any?) book reviews before.

Big Hearted

The best novels put you not just in a place and time other than your own, they put your soul inside the soul and body of another. You live this person's pain, sorrow, fear, confusion, satisfaction, enlightenment, and joys with them. And when you're done, you're changed. The story you have finished is now, in part, your story. It's become a part of your DNA. This is Ann Weisgarber's singular achievement in The Personal History of Rachel DuPree. You come away from her vivid, moving, tough, and tender novel exhausted by the trials of a young African-American wife and mother scraping out a living in the Badlands of South Dakota in the early years of the Twentieth Century. You also come away stronger, wiser, and with a bigger heart. Weisgarber has a remarkable eye for detail. The grit, dust, relentless heat, and hard-heartedness that Rachel and her family endure are rendered with such exquisite granularity, that after each chapter you feel it necessary to shake the dirt off your clothes. Novels about tough women who triumph over seemingly insurmountable challenges are a dime a dozen. This is not one of those novels. There is nothing formulaic, forced, or forgettable about this story. It is priceless. The Personal History of Rachel DuPree was nominated for Britain's prestigious Orange Prize, alongside works by Toni Morrison (Nobel Prize) and Marilynne Robinson (Pulitzer Prize). When you read the book, you'll know why.

A wonderful, very moving story

This is a fantastic book. You will love the main character from the start and be rooting for her every step of the way. It's also a fascinating look into life on the Badlands and what it took to survive. Author Ann Weisgarber's gift for detail makes you really feel like you are there with this brave and stubborn family. Filled with complex characters...there are no easy answers in this story. You will not be able to put it down.