I was born in East Texas, and I currently live in the area schoolchildren learn as the "prairies and lakes" region of Texas. We moved around a lot during my childhood, though, and I don't self-identify as Texan. But while I've personally never felt any real connection with the state, I think it's no secret how proud others are to call themselves Texan. Some (many) of them, obnoxiously so. I never much understood it.
This book, however, is about generations of people who have every reason to be proud of being Texan. Euphemia, her sisters, and many hundreds of other women and children fled from Santa Anna's army in what became known as the Runaway Scrape. They helped to make Texas the Republic it once was, and managed not only to just survive in the harsh environments they chose to call home, but they worked hard and came to thrive in what I feel is a nearly impossible place to live. This is the part of the book that really sets it apart from others for me. Other states have a lot of history from the scars left by the many wars this country has seen, but the time of the Texas Republic is something else. I've always thought the obnoxious and blind state pride I've seen in Texas was silly, but for those whose roots go as deep as this, I can certainly see what there is to be proud of. As for myself, I can't say I have any more pride in being born in Texas after having read this book, but I have a much greater respect for the history and the people who struggled through and fought for its beginnings.
