Author Talk: Linda Laurence Hunt

Bold Spirit: Helga Etsby?s Forgotten Walk Across America

Join author Linda Laurence Hunt for a discussion of her book Bold Spirit: Helga Etsby's Forgotten Walk Across America. Presented with the East Spokane Kiwanis Club, everyone is welcome to attend. 

Bold Spirit is the extraordinary story of Helga Estby, a mother of eight who, in 1896, dared to walk unescorted with her daughter across America in order to win a $10,000 wager and stave off the foreclosure of her family farm. Using their wits and armed with little more than a compass, red-pepper spray, a Smith and Wesson revolver, and daughter Clara’s curling iron, they confronted snowstorms, hunger, mountain lions, and the occasional thief with grit and determination. Allowed to carry only $5 a piece, and needing to earn their livelihood along the way, their treacherous and inspirational journey to New York challenged contemporary notions of femininity and captured the public’s imagination.

Accomplishing what was once deemed impossible for women, they arrived in New York heralded by the city’s newspapers for their astonishing achievements. But their triumph was quickly complicated by deep disappointment, betrayal, and heartbreaking news from home. These devastating consequences combined to silence their remarkable story among their family and friends for generations. https://www.lindalawrencehunt.com/bold-spirit-book/

This talk is part of a new speaker series hosted by East Spokane Kiwanis. The club invites all members of the community to enjoy these talks from fascinating local speakers.

Kiwanis International is a global community of clubs, members and partners dedicated to improving the lives of children one community at a time. Today, we stand with more than 550,000 members from K-Kids to Key Club to Kiwanis and many ages in between in 80 countries and geographic areas. Each community has different needs, and Kiwanis empowers members to pursue creative ways to serve the needs of children, such as fighting hunger, improving literacy and offering guidance.

Kiwanis clubs host nearly 150,000 service projects each year. (kiwanis.org/about)

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