Mary on Horseback

During one of my book conversation lunches, I read from one of my favorite biographies, Mary on Horseback: Three Mountain Stories by Rosemary Wells.

Mary on Horseback cover shot

Mary on Horseback is the story of Mary Breckinridge, the founder of the Frontier Nursing Service.

Mary Breckinridge

This slim volume packs a punch.  Readers are invited into the lives of three people, whose very existence is changed by Mary Breckinridge.  With honesty and grace, Wells gently introduces the reader to life in Appalachia in the 1920's.  The ensuing three stories then bring this time and this place to life. 

I recently found this footage about the FNS and Mary:


In the past, I have paired Mary on Horseback with That Book Woman by Heather Henson, the story of the packhorse librarians.

That Book Woman cover shot

The packhorse librarians were part of a Works Progress Administration program aimed at bringing books to the families of Appalachia.  You can see photographs of the librarians on this site from the New Deal Network.

A packhorse librarian delivering books

Biographies about women are not just to be shared during March, but it offers an opportunity to celebrate them.