LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

A. Bruchac, Joseph. THE TRAIL OF TEARS. New York: Random House, 1999. Illustrated by Diana Magnuson.

B. PLOT SUMMARY

Bruchac’s Step into Reading title tells of the difficult period of history out of which the “Trail of Tears” was born. Tracing the early history of Cherokee life from their Southeastern existence before the white man arrived and ending with the Cherokees of today, Bruchac tells us carefully, simply, and truthfully about the abuses and deception that the United States perpetuated upon the Cherokee Nation. Listing federal and state government methods of removing the Cherokee from their native lands, Bruchac traces the fate of the Cherokee Nation during the Presidencies of Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, and Martin Van Buren. The story of Sequoyah and the alphabet he created, of Chief John Ross and his family, the move to New Echota, and the journey to Oklahoma are all detailed by Native American, Bruchac in a simple straightforward style of writing.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)

I went to a huge Atlanta Barnes & Noble near my home to look for children’s books about Native Americans written by Native American authors. I was already reading Geronimo for class so this was not actually meant to be a reviewed selection. The reason I have chosen to talk about it now is it was the only book for young people written by a Native American about Native Americans in the entire store. The book was shelved with the paperback fiction section but the book is actually a true story of the Indian removal from the Southeast. Being the only book that a child could chose about Native Americans except for the tainted ANNIE AND THE OLD ONE, KNOTS ON A COUNTING ROPE, BROTHER EAGLE, SISTER SKY and the ROUGH FACED GIRL written by a non-Native American I decided I needed to read and dissect it a bit.

The illustrations are powerful and effective which is not always the case in the “Step into Reading”, “Rookie Reader”, “I can read it all by myself” genre of books and selection of titles. Bruchac gives a very balanced tale of early Cherokee history as well as the removal that caused the trail of tears. Mr. Bruchac states the amazing truth about the economy of the times as he tells us that, “Each Cherokee was given an allowance of $65.88. This would cover the cost of wagons, horses and oxen, bedding, food, soap, and clothing. They would also have to pay to use the turnpikes—private roads whose owners demanded money for their use.” Bruchac mentioned a melancholy part of the story when the very small group of wealthy Cherokees signed a treaty stating that all Cherokees would cede their lands and move Westward. John Ross and the rest of the Cherokees opposed that treaty and they claimed it was illegal since it was not explained to, signed by or ratified by the majority of the Cherokee Nation. John Quincy Adams, founding father and former President made his views known clearly as a then elder statesman saying that he believed the treaty brought disgrace to the United States.

The pictures aim for authenticity. Sequoyah is pictured with the characteristic turban and pipe seen in several photographs of the time. There are pictures of Indians of the past dressing like white men and pictures of Indians in their native dress. The Cherokee rose flower is not mentioned in the book but Cherokee rose stones found near the Arkansas river in the direction of Oklahoma were said to have been created by a single drop of Cherokee blood. These red gemstones are still found in that area to this day. Bruchac tells of the 1,000 or so Indians who refused to flee from North Carolina or escaped to return there. Today they are 10,000 strong. Talking about the 80,000 Cherokees in Oklahoma Bruchac makes a point of saying that the Carolina and Western Cherokees are in fact two separate Cherokee Nations. He talks with pride of the thriving economy of the Oklahoma Cherokee and their system of tribal government. These Cherokee of modern day Oklahoma are drawn wearing typical middle class garments and hairstyles. The book effectively takes us from the past to the present in realistic terms.

Bruchac’s insider status helps make the story honest and truthful, painful at times but not sentimental. He has done a fine job talking about the past and present Cherokee and their turbulent story. Mr. Bruchac also sees the lesson to be learned as, “when promises are broken, many people may suffer.” Interpreting the Trail of Tears as a story of hope and resilience Bruchac will keep his audience and give them much to think about.

Again, I must admit my prejudice about reading much less reviewing a title from the “Step into reading, ready for chapters”. For this type of book I would say it is a good deal better than most. My instinct is that a reluctant reader or an advanced one may enjoy the book and it would well serve as a springboard for further exploration of the role of Native Americans in U.S. history. Being a educational snob about this type of book is a bit limiting. Aren’t we glad that Dr. Seuss’ friend P.D. Eastman wrote so many wonderful Beginner books?

I read so many non-fiction books of this type when I was very young and bored with books I deemed as “silly” as did my daughter. Still my gut instinct after 23 years of working with children and libraries is that it would do best as a motivation reading selection for male reluctant readers.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS

I was not able to locate any journal reviews. The series has been reviewed and gotten high marks from time to time but the separate title has not been the subject of review. There are positive customer reviews on many sites. Amazon.com customer’s give it a 4.5 out of 5 possible stars.

E. CONNECTIONS

Bruchac has written many, many books about Native Americans for children of all ages. His story of Sacagawea has gotten nothing but rave reviews. I very much enjoyed his historical fiction novel entitled GERONIMO. SKELETON MAN and THE RETURN OF SKELETON MAN are also recommended but are for readers that are overall a bit more advanced than is necessary for reading, understanding and enjoying THE TRAIL OF TEARS.