One of my favorite things about historical fiction is that it revives the moments in history we forget about. Stories that may seem too small to make the history textbooks but that are unique and interesting in their own ways.
Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart, tells the mostly true story of the Kopp Sisters. Constance Kopp, the eldest, became one of the first female deputy sheriffs in the United States. This story is what led her to her unusual (at the time) career.
The Kopp sisters are living in rural New Jersey at the onset of World War I. The women are living a purposefully quiet and secluded life when a chance encounter with a bullying gangster forces them into the spotlight. The situation continues to escalate until their lives are in very real danger. Constance and her sisters have a decision to make; give into the powerful man’s demands or stand their ground and fight for what’s right.
You can find a great article on the real life Kopp sister’s with photographs here.
Originally published on October 20, 2015