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Title details for Mary Edwards Walker by Dale L. Walker - Available

Mary Edwards Walker

Above and Beyond

by Dale L. Walker
Kris Faulkner
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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Mary Edwards Walker (1832-1919) defied the conventions of her era. Born and raised on a farm in Oswego, New York, Walker became one of a handful of female physicians in the nation-and became a passionate believer in the rights of women. She campaigned for women’s suffrage and against traditional male-dominated marriage vows, and any issue involving the sublimation of her sex. From the outset of the Civil War, Walker volunteered her services as a physician. Despite almost universal opposition from army commanders and field surgeons, Walker served in the many bloody theaters of the war. She was captured by Confederates near Chattanooga in 1864, she served four months in a Southern prison hell-hole where she tended the prisoners of war. In 1865 she became the only woman in American history to receive the nation’s highest award for military valor, the Medal of Honor.

  • Creators

  • Series

    American Heroes

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 9, 2006

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • File size: 138398 KB
      • Duration: 04:48:19

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Walker has written an extensive history of the life and work of Mary Edwards Walker, one of the nation's first female physicians, a devoted patriot, and suffragette during the time of the Civil War. Kris Faulkner keeps an even pace and varies her accent and voice enough to keep the biography moving and interesting. The only shortfall in an otherwise stellar performance is that Faulkner's tone often sounds urgent when reading Mary Edwards Walker's own words so that Mary at times comes across as hysterical rather than visionary. This effect makes the criticisms of Mary's peers seem warranted and appears to diminish her contributions to both the war and to women's rights. H.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      May 30, 2005
      A women's rights advocate, a Union spy and an "indefatigable foe of traditional female dress," Mary Edwards Walker (1832-1919), one of the first female doctors in the United States, was a pioneer. In this compact entry in Forge's American Heroes series, Walker (The Calamity Papers) brings her many accomplishments to light. Unfortunately, while the doctor's history is fascinating-under the guise of a civilian contract surgeon, she spied for the Union, was imprisoned by the Confederate army for five months and was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1865-this brief, just-the-facts recounting doesn't hint at Walker's personality. As the author notes in his preface, Walker's voice is curiously missing from historical records and her own writings were perfunctory, presenting a challenge for any historian looking to capture the woman, not just her deeds. In an effort to make up for this lack, the author attempts to contextualize Walker's life, and often does so with great success. For example, the details of the famous John Brown trial and the political elections leading up to the Civil War shed light on her involvement with the anti-slavery movement; however, the book occasionally misses, drawing scant connections between historical anecdotes and Walker's life. Although this brief chronicle succeeds more as a textbook lesson than as a nuanced biography, it is nonetheless a thorough overview of one of history's most enigmatic heroines.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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