Growing up in Kansas City, the author of Eight Days in August learned about the border wars -- like Jessie James and other ruffians who terrorized the countryside. As it turns out, it was some of the lessons the author never learned as a child that ended up fascinating her and becoming the basis of this book.
August 1863: The wives, sisters, and daughters of Confederate soldiers and sympathizers are being held in a make-shift jail in downtown Kansas City. Tired of waiting for their men to come out of hiding to rescue the women, Union soldiers sabotage the building, killing many of the women within.
And so began eight of the bloodiest days in American history. William Quantrill and his men rode toward Lawrence, Kansas in hopes of wiping the town from the face of the map, while residents along the exploding plains fight to survive.
The story of Jack Harrington, Annie Logan, Tom Duncan, and Ruth Ann Crippen is ultimately a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the power of love to overcome all odds.