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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Plan your meeting
The Frozen River This or That
Answer in under three seconds. No wrong answers — only revealing ones.
1 / 40
Rapid fire (60 seconds)
Read these aloud as fast as the group can shout answers.
- 1. Midwife's wisdom or Doctor's credentials?
- 2. Frontier Maine winter or Modern heating?
- 3. Diary as evidence or Verbal testimony?
- 4. Frozen river or Flowing water?
- 5. 1789 justice or Modern legal system?
- 6. Split skirt horseback riding or Walking?
- 7. Martha's forensics or Dr. Page's diagnosis?
- 8. Tight-knit village or Anonymous city?
- 9. Documented truth or Protected secrets?
- 10. Frontier justice or Court verdict?