The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman

Women in the West, Book 1

By: Margot Mifflin

Narrated by: Kaipo Schwab

In 1851 Olive Oatman was a 13-year-old pioneer traveling west toward Zion with her Mormon family. Within a decade she was a white Indian with a chin tattoo, caught between cultures. The Blue Tattoo tells the harrowing story of this forgotten heroine of frontier America.

Orphaned when her family was brutally killed by Yavapai Indians, Oatman lived as a slave to her captors for a year before being traded to the Mohave, who tattooed her face and raised her as their own. She was fully assimilated and perfectly happy when, at 19, she was ransomed back to white society. She became an instant celebrity, but the price of fame was high, and the pain of her ruptured childhood lasted a lifetime.

Based on historical records, including letters and diaries of Oatman's friends and relatives, The Blue Tattoo is the first book to examine her life, from her childhood in Illinois - including the massacre, her captivity, and her return to white society - to her later years as a wealthy banker's wife in Texas.

©2009 The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska; postscript copyright 2011 by The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Recommended for general readers as well as students and scholars." ( Library Journal)

Incredible story

This story attempts the filter through the facts and fiction of the true story of Olive Oatman! It is just incredible! Whether there is still fiction or if it's 100%, this story is heart wrenching endearing and fantastical! To hear that there were other slightly similar tales is also mind boggling! I especially love the reading of the actual letter at the end! Wonderful book that I highly recommend for readers and writers of the Old West, Native American History, American History and Historical Romance!

Loved the details about Indian Tribes

I really enjoyed all of this book, but I have to say my favorite parts were when the author would go into detail about the different Indian tribes. I love hearing about their culture and personalities, their physical appearance and I feel that these details really added a lot to the book. This was a great read, and the reader’s voice was very pleasant to listen to.

Very interesting!!!

There are so many stories about Olive and I can’t imagine all she went through. I’m sure there’s truth in it all. She was very strong. She had to be.

Very informative

I appreciated the historical context as well as the research that was done for this book.

It was ok. I hoped for more story.

Not very straight forward. It's an ok history, I guess I presumed it would be in more story form. The end, where letters Olive wrote, was the best part.