The Bonnet Book

Diary of an Orphan Train Hatmaker

By: Nancy Menees Hardesty

Narrated by: Ann Richardson

Sent away on an orphan train at 14, smart and lovely Blanche Spencer lands in St. Louis, Missouri, as a nursemaid, wearing rags and sleeping in a pantry. To rise above her servitude, she begins a self-education program. A trade booth at the 1904 World’s Fair and a Cobden, Illinois, apprenticeship launch her into a hat-making career, which she documents in a tiny diary, The Bonnet Book.

An early example of self-determination and girl power, Blanche—now Bonnie—travels alone to the Wild West, where she’s presented with the chance of a lifetime and the possibility of love—both rife with challenges that test her drive, purpose in life, and sense of self.

The Bonnet Book diary and other historical items in the novel are real-life touchstones in this gripping, inspiring story based on the life of the author's grandmother.

©2020 Nancy Menees Hardesty (P)2022 Nancy Menees Hardesty