"Women's history buffs will find plenty of drama and adventure in this thoroughly researched account of how one family's 'spirit of resilience' helped form the character of the American West."—Publishers Weekly
"This is an outstanding tribute to three strong, assured, and fearless women battling long odds to survive and thrive in the West."—Robert Clark, Roundup Magazine
"An excellent read, well researched, this book will have broad appeal to academics and lay persons alike."—Dee Garceau, Utah Historical Quarterly
"Using family journals, correspondence, and photographs, Burning the Breeze explores the story of three generations of intrepid women in rich and engrossing detail."—Missouri Historical Review
"The novel-like feel, inclusive detail, and supplementary photographs make this book an enjoyable read."—Stephanie M. P. Aulner, South Dakota History
“[A] remarkable blend of history and biography. There’s a Ken Burns or Willa Cather–like feel of both intimacy and sweep to the storytelling, and a touch of the heroic. When I finished reading, I felt not only as though I knew these women (and was inspired by them) but that I had a deeper understanding of American history.”—Susan Neville, author of Fabrication: Essays on Making Things
“Only enormously gifted women could have won the contest between financial disaster and hard-earned success. This book is a wonderful read. You won’t be saddle sore, but you will be thrilled by the ride.”—Pierce C. Mullen, professor emeritus of history at Montana State University
“Julia Bennett sure did ‘burn the breeze’ as she rode at full speed though a long life. . . . [Hendrickson] vividly portrays the ups and downs of a remarkable woman, sprinkled with a dash of scandal.”—James H. Madison, professor emeritus of history at Indiana University
“Hendrickson meticulously fleshes out the larger-than-life Bennett, a woman who overcomes financial woes to set up and operate early dude ranches, catering to elite and monied early twentieth-century blue-blood Americans seeking diversion and adventure in the West.”—Betsy Gaines Quammen, author of American Zion: Cliven Bundy, God, and Public Lands in the West
