Cyrus Field’s Big Dream

Cyrus Field was a dreamer of very big dreams. He was willing to take on tough tasks and build enterprises that would better his family, his community, and, ultimately, the world. By the mid-1800s, when only in his early 30s, Cyrus retired from running a successful paper mill and was looking for his next big thing. His brother introduced him to a man seeking backing for a telegraph venture stringing cables across parts of Canada. This was the first step in a very long journey for Cyrus, a journey with plenty of disappointment, failure, and even heartbreak but one that spotlighted the resilience and tenacity it takes to change history.

Mary Morton Cowan has found a fascinating subject for her latest book, one youngsters will be drawn to by her choice of a bigger-than-life character, excellent storytelling, and fine research. Her writing is lively and succinct and will keep her audience turning pages as she takes her readers to a very different time and place. This great story that comes with tremendous back-matter (timeline, source notes, bibliography, and resources for further study) and that shows how really good non-fiction should be done. This is a winner!