Unflinching Courage: Pioneering Women Who Shaped Texas

From New York Times bestselling author and groundbreaking politician Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison comes a history of the extraordinary women who shaped the state of Texas.

The only woman ever to represent Texas in the United States Senate, Kay Bailey Hutchison has been a trailblazer in the Lone Star State. Nevertheless, Hutchison is just one of many women who, for two hundred years, have embodied what we've come to recognize as the spirit of Texas—rugged independence, fierce loyalty, and an unflappable entrepreneurial streak. In Unflinching Courage, Senator Hutchison tells the dynamic history of her home state through the lives of some of these pioneering women and their remarkable achievements.

Among the brave souls Senator Hutchison profiles are Jane Wilkinson Long, "the Mother of Texas," and others who claimed a stake in the land when it struggled under Spanish and Mexican rule; Dilue Rose Harris, whose memoir of the Runaway Scrape exhibits the strength so many women were forced to call upon as the Texas Revolution drew able-bodied husbands, sons, and brothers to the battlefield; Margaret Houston and Emily Austin Bryan Perry, who stood behind the great leaders of a burgeoning republic and helped usher in a new era of statehood; Henrietta King, Molly Goodnight, Sarah Cockrell, and Oveta Culp Hobby, ranchers and entrepreneurs who have helped Texas thrive; and numerous others who valiantly held their ground in the face of raids and unimaginable violence. In Unflinching Courage, Senator Hutchison pays tribute to these extraordinary Texan women whose lives inspire us today and will continue to do so for generations to come.

In Unflinching Courage, former United States Senator and New York Times bestselling author Kay Bailey Hutchison brings to life the incredible stories of the resourceful and brave women who shaped the state of Texas and influenced American history.

A passionate storyteller, Senator Hutchison introduces the mothers and daughters who claimed a stake in the land when it was controlled by Spain, the wives and sisters who valiantly contributed to the Civil War effort, and ranchers and entrepreneurs who have helped Texas thrive.

Unflinching Courage: Pioneering Women Who Shaped Texas is a celebration of the strength, bravery, and spirit of these remarkable women and their accomplishments.

Kay Bailey Hutchison was twice elected to the Texas House of Representatives, became state treasurer in 1990, and in 1993, became the first woman elected to represent Texas in the United States Senate. In 2006, she was elected chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, becoming one of the top four leaders of Senate Republicans and the only woman among them. Senator Hutchison lives in Dallas with her husband, Ray, and their two children.