The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman cover art

The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman

Women in the West, Book 1

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The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman

By: Margot Mifflin
Narrated by: Kaipo Schwab
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Summary

In 1851 Olive Oatman was a 13-year-old pioneer traveling west toward Zion with her Mormon family. Within a decade she was a white Indian with a chin tattoo, caught between cultures. The Blue Tattoo tells the harrowing story of this forgotten heroine of frontier America.

Orphaned when her family was brutally killed by Yavapai Indians, Oatman lived as a slave to her captors for a year before being traded to the Mohave, who tattooed her face and raised her as their own. She was fully assimilated and perfectly happy when, at 19, she was ransomed back to white society. She became an instant celebrity, but the price of fame was high, and the pain of her ruptured childhood lasted a lifetime.

Based on historical records, including letters and diaries of Oatman's friends and relatives, The Blue Tattoo is the first book to examine her life, from her childhood in Illinois - including the massacre, her captivity, and her return to white society - to her later years as a wealthy banker's wife in Texas.

©2009 The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska; postscript copyright 2011 by The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska (P)2016 Tantor Americas Historical Women Funny Mormon Old West Wild West Mormon History
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Critic reviews

"Recommended for general readers as well as students and scholars." ( Library Journal)
All stars
Most relevant
Excellent work conveying the facts and myths surrounding this woman’s experience. When you put it into it’s relative historical and social context you can really understand the why’s and wherefore that resulted in the story being retold in so many ways. Brilliantly written and told, definitely worth a listen.

Fascinating story in context

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This book was so good! I work in an office and the atmosphere can be a bit quiet so I often listen to an audio book to help pass time and I wizzed through this book! It was so interesting and I love the fact it was all based on so much fact and research. I loved it, highly recommend for those who love history.

Amazing for history lovers.

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Informative, well written and narrated. Interesting story. I recommend listening to this book for some relaxation

Very light and pleasant listen

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Enjoyed the telling of the story especially the analysis at the end. food for thought

olives story

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I have loved every word of this book. It truly gives an unbiased essence to the original story.

Excellent

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