Memoir

Windfall: The Prairie Woman Who Lost Her Way and the Great-Granddaughter Who Found Her

Windfall: The Prairie Woman Who Lost Her Way and the Great-Granddaughter Who Found Her

  • Downloads：7869
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-03-04 11:21:49
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Erika Bolstad
  • ISBN：1666623288
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Leah ，

This is a DNF for me。 I wanted to love it because it had many of the topics I care about deeply， seemingly blended with a strong female protagonist who is on a mission to learn about her past， but the writing is so full of factual and scientific details that it is incredibly dry for a novel。 I appreciate the environmental stance the author takes， and I have many of the same concerns about the dangers of big oil on the environment， but this didn’t feel like a novel to me。 I thought it would feel This is a DNF for me。 I wanted to love it because it had many of the topics I care about deeply， seemingly blended with a strong female protagonist who is on a mission to learn about her past， but the writing is so full of factual and scientific details that it is incredibly dry for a novel。 I appreciate the environmental stance the author takes， and I have many of the same concerns about the dangers of big oil on the environment， but this didn’t feel like a novel to me。 I thought it would feel very much like Kristin Hannah’s Four Winds， which was a beautiful read， but it strayed from the storytelling pretty quickly。 Then I thought it was grip me the way the investigative Killers of the Flower Moon did， which I found to be riveting， but it fell short of my expectations。 。。。more

Sharlene ，

This book is much more than its title indicates。 True， the author does go in search of her great-grandmother in the Dakotas。 But it's also her tale of the oil boom and bust there。 The environmental damage seems to be always dismissed in favor of the "Windfall" from the profits of the oil。 The story also deals with how women were treated during homesteading and how post-partum depression suffers were sent to asylums。 And， there's the trek of the author and her husband as they use expensive fertil This book is much more than its title indicates。 True， the author does go in search of her great-grandmother in the Dakotas。 But it's also her tale of the oil boom and bust there。 The environmental damage seems to be always dismissed in favor of the "Windfall" from the profits of the oil。 The story also deals with how women were treated during homesteading and how post-partum depression suffers were sent to asylums。 And， there's the trek of the author and her husband as they use expensive fertility treatments hoping to become pregnant later in life。 A fascinating tale with many facets。 。。。more

Joanne Tarabicos ，

This was such an informative book。 Did not know the many issues that were prevalent during this period。

Tina Panik ，

Anna’s narrative is the most compelling， and would have worked well as a short story。

Judy ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 NORTH DAKOTAoil rights。 author searches for grandmother Annafracking， oil industry in ND

Sharon Benedict ，

Very informative。 I always knew it was a rough life back then， but had no idea the risks involved to married women！

Tana ，

I listened to the audiobook which the author narrated。 I thought this book jumped around to too many topics and didn't focus on the North Dakota oil boom like I was thinking it would be about。 I listened to the audiobook which the author narrated。 I thought this book jumped around to too many topics and didn't focus on the North Dakota oil boom like I was thinking it would be about。 。。。more

Gretchen ，

I was intrigued by the plot line of this nonfiction book， but once into it was very surprised to see the deep dive into an explanation of North Dakota’s mining history and current debates about its future。 Being a generalist writer myself， I can’t help but be interested in myriad topics。 Nevertheless， there were several points where I felt the author was meandering away from the original story， and another reader might lose interest。 For those staying with it， it’s a valuable， thought-provoking I was intrigued by the plot line of this nonfiction book， but once into it was very surprised to see the deep dive into an explanation of North Dakota’s mining history and current debates about its future。 Being a generalist writer myself， I can’t help but be interested in myriad topics。 Nevertheless， there were several points where I felt the author was meandering away from the original story， and another reader might lose interest。 For those staying with it， it’s a valuable， thought-provoking use of time。 。。。more

Marti ，

Another non-fiction book I really enjoyed！ "Nancy Drew meets Little House on the Prairie， my flawed but indelible childhood literary influences。""If you know where you are， you always know where you stand。" The description of the scenery in North Dakota reminds me of 143 Ostriches， my current in-the-car audio book。 And， Anna's confinement reminds me of Carville， from a recent read。 "Twice glad" a phrase for twins - would be good for baby cards。 Another non-fiction book I really enjoyed！ "Nancy Drew meets Little House on the Prairie， my flawed but indelible childhood literary influences。""If you know where you are， you always know where you stand。" The description of the scenery in North Dakota reminds me of 143 Ostriches， my current in-the-car audio book。 And， Anna's confinement reminds me of Carville， from a recent read。 "Twice glad" a phrase for twins - would be good for baby cards。 。。。more

Kristi ，

Interesting discussion of oil drilling and climate change in ND。

Colleen ，

Climate change journalist in search of great grandmother's background; the author couldn't find any of her typically sources to fund her research so she spent 8 years writing Windfall。 Mixing in attempts to conceive and random info on North Dakota history and stops along the way。Like most journalists， they are determined to bash republicans。 （News flash， 76% of people in ND are republican or lean republican。 So noting that every male politician in ND is republican is rather pointless。）In search Climate change journalist in search of great grandmother's background; the author couldn't find any of her typically sources to fund her research so she spent 8 years writing Windfall。 Mixing in attempts to conceive and random info on North Dakota history and stops along the way。Like most journalists， they are determined to bash republicans。 （News flash， 76% of people in ND are republican or lean republican。 So noting that every male politician in ND is republican is rather pointless。）In search of her story， the author Erika Bolstad repeatedly asks folks about how they feel about climate change and what changes they are going to make in the face of climate change。 The author never answers that question herself， even at the end where there is Q&A with the author。 （Yes。 Climate change is "bad"， but what do we do about it？） Evidently the author is exempt from the question， she is constantly driving to/from ND at the drop of a hat for her research and when she isn't driving to ND， she is flying （and notes the changes to the airport over the years）。Once she realizes that the mineral/oil rights to the property are really never going to amount to much， then （and only then） she decides that she will return these rights to those who really should have the rights 。。。 the native Indian tribes that owned the property before her great grandmother。 （Partially because it would be more difficult for potential oil/mineral drilling operations to proceed。） Additionally， with all of the other investigating， I recall data about how much land Indians have for mineral/oil rights， but not one instance where she sought out Indians to interview and to include in her research; wouldn’t they have as much of a place in the book as a water slide？But she needs to also convince 10+ distant cousins to also agree; like that is going to happen…The author describes how oil companies burn off waste。 Brining for example is mentioned， but I really don't recall exactly what brining is or why it is bad。 Hearing about Medora， ND and their Musical shows sounded interesting and I'll make a note to look into that when we visit ND next。 I wanted to like Windfall。 We love being out West and were considering buying property in the Dakotas。 But at 10+ hours， Windfall left a "why did I invest so much time with this one" taste in my mouth。On a positive note， the narrator Marni Penning did a very good job。 There weren't multiple voices or anything， since it is pretty much a memoir from the author。Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review Windfall in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Laura ，

The interplay between current concerns: climate change/infertility/family memory and older ones: the impact of the pioneering life on those who lived it and those who were displaced/ the status of women and children was fascinating， and I enjoyed the book。

Faith Wiechers ，

I really enjoyed listening to this nonfiction memoir/informative book on audio。 The writer’s story of her great-grandmother mixed with the oil industry economic impact was so interesting。

Chelsea ，

I enjoyed this because I’m familiar with ND。 The author did a good job of talking about her ancestors and present day。

Christy Martin ，

I reluctantly finished this book。 I wasn't sure at times whether it was a personal or historical account。 I thoroughly enjoyed the parts that followed the life of the author's family， what she discovered and the mysteries left unsolved。 I didn't enjoy the political statements about the oil and windmills， or the personal journey。 It will be a good read for those from the areas the author describes and hopefully， they will identify with the setting， the use or misuse of the land， and the energy jo I reluctantly finished this book。 I wasn't sure at times whether it was a personal or historical account。 I thoroughly enjoyed the parts that followed the life of the author's family， what she discovered and the mysteries left unsolved。 I didn't enjoy the political statements about the oil and windmills， or the personal journey。 It will be a good read for those from the areas the author describes and hopefully， they will identify with the setting， the use or misuse of the land， and the energy journey of the area。 I did learn a few things from the book about the misuses and burnouts of gas and oil and hope the author will continue to write of those types of issues separately from personal and historical information that to me did not mesh well together。 Thanks to #NetGalley#Windfall for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more

Elaine Stover ，

Anna， a great grandmother who homesteaded on land her family owned。 Now Erika wants to know what happened to Anna。 She travels to N。 Dakota to learn what she can。 There were rumors that Anna was put into an insane asylum。

Beatrice Followill ，

Intersting Memoir ，Erika is a journalist ， looking into her familys history ， particuly one that involves Anna ， woman who was a homesteaer and was put in a asylum ， listenig on audio ， the narrotor keeps the reade intrigued 。Mineral rights ， womens rights ， Oli industry ， lots of information ， fascinating really 。I also commend the author for writing aboout her own persinal journey with trying to have a baby while she was learning about her history 。

Moonkiszt ，

We could be rich。We ARE rich。 Our present moments have always been blessed by the random acts of those who have gone before us。 Erika Bolstad's book reminds us of this as she documents her eight years of researching her ancestor's life and tie to a particular piece of land in North Dakota。 Her narrative pulls a reader in a variety of directions: women homesteading， consequences for women in difficult situations in the 19th century （asylums）， legal rights related to owning minerals of a certain p We could be rich。We ARE rich。 Our present moments have always been blessed by the random acts of those who have gone before us。 Erika Bolstad's book reminds us of this as she documents her eight years of researching her ancestor's life and tie to a particular piece of land in North Dakota。 Her narrative pulls a reader in a variety of directions: women homesteading， consequences for women in difficult situations in the 19th century （asylums）， legal rights related to owning minerals of a certain piece of land - but not owing the land， extracting those resources in the past and currently， the heartbreaking effort of trying to get pregnant when you are ready - but which prove unsuccessful， and the on-again， off-again particulars of employment in a journalist's life。 There was a lot of ground covered， literally and figuratively， in producing the pages of this book。While it covered all that ground， and my interest in drilling， fracking and pulling out minerals was the least of my personal interests stirred by the read， when the author came to her final， last conclusion I was captivated and thoroughly on board。 It was a resolution bridging generations and cultures。 "YES！" I whisper-gasped。 I meant it。 Turning my face to the sky， eyes closed， I repeated it， a prayer or an arrow aimed heavenward， hoping both g-granddaughter and the Prairie Woman could hear it。 A Sincere Thank You to Erika Bolstad， Sourcebooks， and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review。 。。。more

Maxwell DeMay ，

1 / 4 : If interested， readNON-FICTION[A DC journalist books it West to investigate family rumors of her inherited mineral rights。]A relatively pep-less memoir， whose author only really lights up when relating lurid true crime details tangential to the story and less than satisfactory Starbucks experiences。 Reads like an assignment that took 12 years to write， with an amount of content barely able to round out an article。The ticker-tape oil prices that introduced each chapter were kind of cool。I 1 / 4 : If interested， readNON-FICTION[A DC journalist books it West to investigate family rumors of her inherited mineral rights。]A relatively pep-less memoir， whose author only really lights up when relating lurid true crime details tangential to the story and less than satisfactory Starbucks experiences。 Reads like an assignment that took 12 years to write， with an amount of content barely able to round out an article。The ticker-tape oil prices that introduced each chapter were kind of cool。I listened to a narration by Marni Penning 。。。more

Tara Sypien ，

I wavered between 3 and 4 stars for this one。 I wanted more of Anna and her story， if you pulled that from the book it was probably 40 or so pages。 To me it was marketed as a prairie true crime book; even the title。 And that is what I wanted more of。 There were a ton of side stories and some were not interesting to me。 Why I still gave it a pretty high star rating was because the writing was really good and what I did read about Anna was excellent， haunting， and devastating。

Dawn ，

Not what I expected。 The search for the ancestor was interesting but my interest waned with the tangent into climate change and fossil fuel angst。 I listened to the audiobook and felt the reader overly emoted in the telling。 Some emphasis is good。 Near constant emphasis makes it meaningless。 Too often people apply their modern sentiments and ways of thinking to things in the past and cannot comprehend that things were the way they were。 There are things done wrong in every era。

Carol ，

When I picked this book randomly I had no idea how much I would enjoy it！ It combined my hobby of genealogy with a Erika Boldstad's determination to find her great grandmother Anna's legacy and the mineral rights in North Dakota she owned。 I didn't even know the story was nonfiction， which I don't always enjoy by Ms Bolstad combined grandma's story， the oil industry and her own story very skillfully to make a truly interesting story！ I also learned a lot about the oil industry， which I have alwa When I picked this book randomly I had no idea how much I would enjoy it！ It combined my hobby of genealogy with a Erika Boldstad's determination to find her great grandmother Anna's legacy and the mineral rights in North Dakota she owned。 I didn't even know the story was nonfiction， which I don't always enjoy by Ms Bolstad combined grandma's story， the oil industry and her own story very skillfully to make a truly interesting story！ I also learned a lot about the oil industry， which I have always been leery of， and all it's nasty little secrets。 Oil takes advantage of people and the land and then turns it's back on them when they're done with them， leaving the public to clean up the mess。 。。。more

Andrea Walton ，

Found the book interesting as I had recently been to North Dakota。 Was difficult to follow at points and felt the author was trying to tie too many threads together。

Dani Hill ，

This book was on my Audible wishlist。 Thank goodness I had the opportunity for an ARC and did not pay for it。 I went into “Windfall” expecting to learn about Anna， her life as a homesteader， and what happened to her after she was institutionalized。 Instead I suffered through over 10 hours of a book about climate change， politics， infertility， life along the Mississippi， the economy， and how all of this affected the writer and her family。 The only information about Anna that was not in the publis This book was on my Audible wishlist。 Thank goodness I had the opportunity for an ARC and did not pay for it。 I went into “Windfall” expecting to learn about Anna， her life as a homesteader， and what happened to her after she was institutionalized。 Instead I suffered through over 10 hours of a book about climate change， politics， infertility， life along the Mississippi， the economy， and how all of this affected the writer and her family。 The only information about Anna that was not in the publishers summary of the book is a few notes from her medical records。 While politics is a topic of interest for me I do not want it in a book that is supposed to be about a prairie woman。 I do have sympathy for the author’s fertility struggles， but again it is completely unrelated to the book’s supposed topic。 It was very obvious that Ms。 Bolstad did not spend much time along the river。 The way she wrote about the communities （especially Black communities） in those areas was slightly derogatory。 Thank you NetGalley and DreamscapeMedia for the ARC。 All opinions expressed in the review are my own。 。。。more

Laura ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really wanted to like this but I thought it would be a memoir about finding a long lost relative but it was more so about oil， climate change， wind power。 Very strange mix。

Lorette Russenberger ，

Great sleuthing to find a forgotten relative and how she helped to create the map of the western plains; goes on to follow the transformation of that land as oil supplants ranching and farming。

Cheryl ，

As a genealogist， I was sorely disappointed。

MissSusie ，

It’s pretty amazing how someone not from North Dakota has us perfectly clocked。 I live in North Dakota so I was intrigued by the description of this book， however I did feel like at times this book was more about the authors infertility than it was about her grandmother。 I wanted more about her grandmother。But as I said the author has ND politics figured out pretty well and how the oil companies in ND are Gods and can do no wrong。 I was glad she went into some of the ways they are destroying our It’s pretty amazing how someone not from North Dakota has us perfectly clocked。 I live in North Dakota so I was intrigued by the description of this book， however I did feel like at times this book was more about the authors infertility than it was about her grandmother。 I wanted more about her grandmother。But as I said the author has ND politics figured out pretty well and how the oil companies in ND are Gods and can do no wrong。 I was glad she went into some of the ways they are destroying our state and about climate change she was very knowledgeable。I found this book good and interesting if a bit slow at times。Narrator Marnie Penning does a good job。I still think this would make a good book club book for North Dakota Libraries especially。3 starsI received this book from the publisher Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for a fair and honest review。 。。。more

Carlene ，

I enjoyed this engrossing and well researched memoir， a search for the author's long lost great grandmother who seemed to virtually disappear not long after marriage and the birth of her son， the mineral rights she passed on to family and saga of oil and gas drilling and fracking in North Dakota and other areas of our country。 So many important topics are explored- the history of abuse of women and of Native Americans， the Homestead Act and it's ramifications， climate change and the whole subjec I enjoyed this engrossing and well researched memoir， a search for the author's long lost great grandmother who seemed to virtually disappear not long after marriage and the birth of her son， the mineral rights she passed on to family and saga of oil and gas drilling and fracking in North Dakota and other areas of our country。 So many important topics are explored- the history of abuse of women and of Native Americans， the Homestead Act and it's ramifications， climate change and the whole subject of the oil and gas industry。 Along with the tie-ins on the Lewis and Clark Expediation， I enjoyed other historial notes such as the references to Eugene Field， a favorite poet of my childhood and， as I learned， a newspaperman。 Questioning the hopes of a "windfall" her own story wove through it all， making it personal， as did the occasional black and white photos interspersed throughout。 An important read。 。。。more

Barbara ，

Erika Bolstad has written a fascinating memoir on her quest to discover the origins of a mineral rights document held in her family for generations。 Never would I think an in depth look into North Dakota fracking and oil drilling would be so interesting。 In addition， her personal struggle with infertility and discovering how many women in her family struggled with postpartum depression was compelling。