The Divorce Colony: How Women Revolutionized Marriage and Found Freedom on the American Frontier (Hachette, 2022)

Saturday, September 24
1:30 PM
Lewes Public Library, Fireplace Reading Area

About the book
South Dakota had the laxest divorce laws in the country in the late 19th century, and the city of Sioux Falls, with five railroad lines and the finest hotel for hundreds of miles, became the unexpected headquarters for unhappy spouses. Society divorcées put Sioux Falls at the center of a heated national debate over the future of American marriage. As clashes mounted in gossip columns, church halls, courtrooms, and even the White House, the women caught in the crosshairs geared up for a fight they didn’t go looking for, a fight that was the only path to their freedom.

About the author
April White is a senior writer and editor at Atlas Obscura. She previously worked as an editor at Smithsonian magazine, and her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Atavist magazine, and JSTOR Daily, where she wrote a regular column on the history of food.

White was in conversation with Anne M. Boylan at the event.

Anne M. Boylan is Professor Emerita of History and Women and Gender Studies at the University of Delaware. A social historian, she is the author of four books, including Women’s Rights in the United States: A History in Documents and Votes for Delaware Women.

Purchase the book
Please help support local independent bookstores by purchasing this book at Browseabout Books, official bookseller of the History Book Festival. Online sources and digital versions are tempting; however, supporting local brick and mortar shops helps to preserve our vibrant main streets. Drop by Browseabout, order books online, or call the store at 302-226-2665. You also may purchase a copy at biblion in Lewes.

About the Festival
With the help of our presenting sponsors—Delaware Humanities and The Lee Ann Wilkinson Group, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices I PenFed Realty—as well as our community partners and volunteers, the 2022 History Book Festival was full of great discussions with authors of newly published narrative nonfiction and historical fiction.

Special thanks to Lewes Public Library, for venue and assistance with event promotion; to Browseabout Books in Rehoboth, our official bookseller; and to the Cape Gazette and Delmarva Public Media, our media partners.

Mark your calendars for the 2023 History Book Festival. Join our authors, interviewers, and other attendees at live events throughout the weekend of September 29, 30, and October 1.