Westlake Girl: My Oregon Frontier Childhood is the true story of a spirited girl coming of age in an isolated village on the Oregon coast from 1928 to 1936. It portrays the artless feminist strivings of a capable girl who dreamed of a career in the Coast Guard on the merit of her skills as a boat pilot and champion swimmer. Frieda’s triumphs (taming a harbor seal as a pet, winning swim races against older boys) and disappointments (exclusion from the Coast Guard “for no better reason than that I was a girl”) will resonate with modern women who still meet obstacles – some natural and some arbitrary – to having it all.
This story from the Depression-era Pacific Northwest delivers rich sensory detail, well-drawn characters, an evocative sense of place, thoroughly researched history, and a fresh, strong voice. It’s like Little House on the Prairie, except with lots more fish and a pet seal.
