Crow Mary

In 1872, sixteen-year-old Goes First, a Crow Native woman, marries Abe Farwell, a white fur trader. He gives her the name Mary, and they set off on the long trip to his trading post in the Cypress Hills of Saskatchewan, Canada. Along the way, she finds a fast friend in a Métis named Jeannie; makes a lifelong enemy in a wolfer named Stiller; and despite learning a dark secret of Farwell’s past, falls in love with her husband.

The winter trading season passes peacefully. Then, on the eve of their return to Montana, a group of drunken whiskey traders slaughters forty Nakota—despite Farwell’s efforts to stop them. Mary, hiding from the hail of bullets, sees the murderers, including Stiller, take five Nakota women back to their fort. She begs Farwell to save them, and when he refuses, Mary takes two guns, creeps into the fort, and saves the women from certain death. Thus, she sets off a whirlwind of colliding cultures that brings out the worst and best in the cast of unforgettable characters and pushes the love between Farwell and Crow Mary to the breaking point.

This discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Atria Books.

Book club questions for Crow Mary by Kathleen Grissom

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

“What were our young warriors to do but to take a stand and fight for the right to live as their fathers and grandfathers had always done?” Crow Mary is about colliding cultures and a woman caught between the two. Farwell insists throughout the novel that the only way for the Crow people to survive is to adapt to the White laws and customs. Was there ever a way for the Crow people to retain their culture while adapting to the new laws and customs? Even if they adapted, could they survive? How is Crow Mary able to reconcile her Crow past with her husband and their way of life?

The Crow people honor and celebrate nature throughout the novel. Discuss the role of nature in Crow Mary. Does Goes First’s connection to the natural world change over the course of the narrative as she evolved into Crow Mary? How do these changes impact her well-being and identity?

“We Crow used every part of the buffalo . . . everything we needed came from the buffalo.” The buffalo is essential to the Crow way of life. Both the Crow people and the White people hunt for sustenance, but in distinct ways. Discuss these differences.

The Crow people are interdependent. They rely on each other for support, possessions, medicine, and more. How does this compare with the expectations of the White culture? Are the differences reconcilable?

“You don’t have to be a warrior to be brave. Women are as brave as any warriors.” The Crow women are raised to be independent, courageous, and strong. They can leave their husbands, they possess their own belongings, and they care for their own horses. Discuss how women are perceived in the novel by the different communities and characters. Does this create a conflict for Crow Mary?

Crow Mary’s marriage to Farwell was seen as a great honor when it was first proposed. How does Crow Mary’s decision to marry Farwell impact the rest of her life? How does their relationship evolve throughout the novel? Did they ever understand each other or were they making concessions until they finally couldn’t anymore?

Although Jeannie is one of the characters not based on a historical figure, Crow Mary’s friendship with Jeannie brings levity and warmth to the novel. What is the role of their friendship? Why did the two women connect so strongly? What does the friendship represent to Crow Mary?

“Another thing I like about you is how confident you are. And there is that—that determination of yours. Some might call it stubborn, but I call it having a mind of your own.” Crow Mary is known for being headstrong and stubborn. Do these attributes aid her throughout the novel or cause her more strife? Discuss times when she is praised for her strength and determination and times when she is rebuked for them.

“My mother was gone. Everything had changed. Where did I belong?” Crow Mary is about one woman’s epic journey to determine her own life. Crow Mary’s identity changes throughout the novel, from her name, to the way she dresses, to where she sleeps. Was she able to stay true to herself, even as she adapted? Discuss what parts of her identity she was able to retain and what she sacrificed as her life evolved.

Alcohol is the cause of much of the conflict in the novel. Discuss its impact on the people in the novel. How do you feel toward the characters who sold and drank whiskey? Was there another way? To what extent did they have the power to choose?

Crow Mary Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Crow Mary discussion questions

“Grissom offers an ambitious account of bravery and initiative inspired by the true story of a Crow woman who married a white man in late-19th-century Montana…With a flashback-heavy narrative, Grissom effectively conveys how Mary’s Crow childhood stays with her over the course of her new life. This moving story of one woman’s grit, survival, and resilience will keep readers turning the pages.”—Publishers Weekly

“Kathleen Grissom is a tremendously gifted storyteller. Here she combines intensive research and her own superb novelistic skills, to unveil one of our nation’s darkest eras. In the process she brings back to life her narrator, the real Crow Mary—a native American woman who with love, wit and pure strength of character, not only survives these seemingly impossible times, but prevails against all odds. A riveting tale, beautifully told.”—Jim Fergus, author of The Vengeance of Mothers

"My favorite novels shine a light on women that history books have forgotten. Over twenty years ago, Kathleen Grissom heard about an incredible woman named Goes First, and Crow Mary is worth the wait. While reading Crow Mary, I couldn’t help but think of My Antonia by Willa Cather, and the debt we owe to the women who came before us."—Janet Skeslien Charles, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library

"Crow Mary left me breathless. Kathleen Grissom has the gift of waking up the past with fever, illuminating an aspect of American history that few know. Each page engulfed me in a world of conflict, love, and heartache. Tender, compelling, and a profoundly educational and satisfying read. The strength and sheer bravery of Crow Mary will stay with me for a long time."—Sadeqa Johnson, international bestselling author of The Yellow Wife and The House of Eve

“Kudos to Grissom for weaving truth into masterful storytelling about Crow Mary’s epic journey. The result presents the fragile legacy of an emancipated woman determined to make her own destiny. Prepare to marvel at the strength and wisdom of Crow Mary. She is a heroine for all times.”—Leah Weiss, bestselling author of If the Creek Don't Rise and All the Little Hopes

"I fell into the world of Crow Mary utterly and completely. It’s a superbly spun tale about a life that deserves to be told."
—Martha Conway, author of The Physician’s Daughter

"Crow Mary is a richly detailed story of a woman caught between two cultures. You’ll be captivated by Mary’s strength and determination as she struggles to save her family and her people from destruction. A compassionate and deeply satisfying novel."—Sandra Dallas, New York Times best-selling author of Where Coyotes Howl