The Whip: A Novel Inspired by the Story of Charley Parkhurst

The Whip is inspired by the true story of a woman Charlotte Charley Parkhurst (1812-1879) who lived most of her extraordinary life as a man. As a young woman in Rhode Island she fell in love and had a child. Her husband was lynched and her baby killed. The destruction of her family drove her west to California dressed as a man to track down the murder. Charley became a renowned stagecoach driver. She killed a famous outlaw had a secret love affair and lived with a housekeeper who unaware of her true sex fell in love with her.Charley was the first woman to vote in America (as a man). Her grave lies in Watsonville California.