Historical Fiction · Free kit
The Frozen River
In the brutal winter of 1789, the Kennebec River freezes solid, entombing a man in the ice. Midwife Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. She identifies Joshua Burgess—one of two men accused of raping a pastor's wife four months earlier. When Martha declares the death a murder, not an accident, she sets herself against powerful men who want the truth buried. Over one long, unforgiving Maine winter, Martha's diary becomes evidence in a rape trial, her family is torn apart by secrets, and she must decide what justice looks like when the law fails women. Based on the real-life diary of an 18th-century midwife who delivered over 1,000 babies without losing a mother, The Frozen River is a gripping historical mystery about a woman who refused to stay silent.
“Memory is a wicked thing that warps and twists. But paper and ink receive the truth without emotion, and they read it back without impartiality.”
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The Frozen River Icebreakers
Answer in under 30 seconds. These connect to the book’s themes without spoiling the story.
Personality Reveal
1. When you see injustice happening, are you the person who speaks up immediately or the person who documents it and waits for the right moment?
Personality Reveal
2. Are you more like Martha (determined to get justice even when the system is rigged) or Ephraim (quietly supportive but willing to let things go)?
Personality Reveal
3. Do you keep a journal, diary, or record of your daily life? If so, is it for yourself or because you think someone might need the information someday?
Funny & Light
4. Have you ever been in a situation where someone with credentials dismissed your expertise or lived experience? How did you respond?
Funny & Light
5. What's the coldest winter or harshest weather you've ever lived through? Did it change you, or were you just counting down the days until spring?
Funny & Light
6. Have you ever uncovered a family secret that made you see your relatives completely differently?
Would You Rather
7. Would you rather live in a tight-knit 18th-century village where everyone knows your business, or modern-day anonymity where your secrets stay private?
Would You Rather
8. Would you rather have Martha's practical expertise that saves lives, or Dr. Page's formal credentials that command institutional respect?
Would You Rather
9. Would you rather keep a secret to protect someone you love, or tell the truth and let the consequences unfold?
Hot Take
10. Hot take: Vigilante justice is always wrong, even when the legal system fails. Agree or disagree?
Hot Take
11. Finish this sentence: 'If someone I loved committed a crime for the right reasons, I would _______.'
Hot Take
12. Hot take: Historical fiction that changes the facts to give women justice is more valuable than strict accuracy that shows injustice unresolved. Agree or disagree?
Personal Connection
13. What's one skill or area of expertise you have that people have underestimated or dismissed?
Personal Connection
14. Have you ever had to choose between doing what was legally right and what felt morally necessary?
Personal Connection
15. Who is someone in your life whose documentation—letters, photos, journals—preserved a story that would have been lost otherwise?