Memories of a Big Sky British War Bride
As a young British woman caught up in the trauma of World War II, Irene Hope welcomed U.S. troops with open arms. Enticed by the prospect of an idyllic future "over there," she married an American airman and set sail for rural Polson, Montana, one of many British war brides bound for America.But by the time she arrived at her new home--a one-room, unpainted shanty on the border of the Salish-Kootenai Indian Reservation--Irene knew that her wedding vows had bound her to a lifetime of harsh lessons.Memories of a Big Sky British War Bridetells the story of her shocking transplant to a place where indoor plumbing was not yet universal and where her husband's "injun hating ways" would influence every aspect of her new life.Twenty years in the making--and against her husband's wishes--this candid memoir is a testament to one woman's inner strength, carried all the way from Sankey Bridges, England to Big Sky country.