“My hope was to have the particular mirror the period, leading on to a broader reflection of this country now as well as then, and finally to an expression of universal questions and emotions which have always plagued humanity,” says Kate Lehrer of her novel "Out of Eden," which just has been released as a paperback. "Out of Eden," the winner of the Western Heritage Wrangler Award given by the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center, reflects on the importance of women in developing the West through the story of Charlotte and Lydia, who homestead a plot in Kansas in the late 1800s.

Thousands of women gained their independence by homesteading in the states that allowed women to do so. “Speaking to a group in California after this book first came out in hardback, it seemed that almost every other person in the audience – the men as well as the women – had a great-grandmother or aunt who had done so, some with children in tow,” states Kate Lehrer.

Not every woman arrived in the West as a homesteader. “Norah, my fictional Irish serving woman, is representative of a class of Irish immigrant women, who unlike their Italian and Jewish counterparts, preferred to work for a family and move to outlying communities – a lower-status but higher-paying job than factory work,” explains Mrs. Lehrer. “With less chance to meet men, they could retain their independence and absolve themselves of the duty to marry and procreate by sending money back to their families and the church in Ireland.”

Kate Lehrer is the author of "Best Intentions" and "When They Took Away the Man in the Moon," and the 2003 novel, The Bigamist. A Texas native, she lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, Jim Lehrer.




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