My Antonia

The classic novel of an immigrant woman's life on the Nebraska plains is "e;a book for our times [and] an education in what it means to be American"e; (Bret Stephens, The New York Times). They came to the prairie on the same train: Jim Burden, a ten-year-old orphan from Virginia en route to his new home with his prosperous grandparents, and Antonia Shimerda, an immigrant from Bohemia, free-spirited and a few years older than Jim, traveling with her family. Through Jim's affectionate reminiscence of his childhood friend, a larger, uniquely American portrait emerges, both of a pioneer community struggling with unforgiving terrain and of a woman who, amid great hardship, stands as a timeless inspiration. One of the most significant American novels of the twentieth century, Pulitzer Prize-winner Willa Cather's My Antonia is an unforgettable story about coming of age, community, and the dangers and tragedies endured by those who made the long journey to the West. Includes a foreword by Kathleen Norris