How did this book influence your opinion of Sacajawea?    What did you think / know about her before reading Stone Heart?   And after?

Prior to reading Stone Heart, I think I had the more stereoptypical view of Sacajawea as the guide and I always thought of her as having more autonomy than was shown in this book.  She was helpful to the expedition in several ways, but wasn't relied on as a guide.  And she didn't have much power or control over what happened to her but rather she was at the mercy of the men around her, especially her husband.  I hadn't realized the hardships she endured, especially the illnesses and the loneliness.  The book definitely made me interested in finding out more about the expedition and Sacajawea's role in it.

Other than this book, I think the only other book about her that I'd read was the 80s historical romance.  This was very interesting as I'd always had the impression that she was much more valuable to the expedition than she came across in this novel.  In a way, that made me sad.

I liked the view this author gave of Sacajawea.  Yes, I thought she played more of a role in leading the expedition but was not surprised when I thought about how women were regarded at that time.  She seemed to be an independent strong young woman.  Too bad she died so young.