A Sorrow In Our Heart by Allan Eckert

Wow, this is quite the tome!  It's always a constant surprise to me when I meet someone who hasn't heard of Tecumseh.  Being raised in Ohio, it was a name we learned early on in history (there was even a wonderful outdoor theatre program about him in Chillicothe).  Because his is a tale that comes from the other side of history, it's one that should be told, and this book goes above and beyond to bring the research for it.

Tecumseh was born under auspicious signs.  It was clear that from birth he would be a great leader.  Showing an aptitude for strategy and diplomacy from an early age, he rose through the ranks of the Shawnee quickly and was instrumental in joining the different tribes together to oppose the encroachment of the European/American settlers in Native American land.

This is historical fiction.  So while it is about real people, I can't say that everything in here happened as the author described it.  He of course took liberties with the characters personalities and conversation.  Was Tecumseh really so noble in all of his thoughts and actions?  We assume so because his history is documented and we have some of his letters.  But everyone has their flaws.  That being said the way he was presented here was very much positive and probably very close to the truth.  The information presented about his family was new to me.  I never realized what important roles they possessed in their community as well and how much support that he had in his endeavors.

This is a long book.  The book itself over a thousand pages, and the actual story over eight hundred.  It is so long because of all the footnotes and bibliography included at the end.  So you can tell that the author did some research before writing this biography.  Because the book is so big it moves at a very slow pace.  After awhile I found myself skimming as I didn't care about all the little military nuances and battle plans that were being described.   A history or military buff would probably be very interested in those sections though.  I preferred the conversations and descriptions of the land, of which there were plenty of chapters about too. 

Lots of information about a remarkable man.  If you've ever been curious about the history of Tecumseh, I'd say this is a good place to start.

A Sorrow in Our Heart
Copyright 1992
1068 pages

Let the Drum Speak by Linda Lay Shuler

Let the Drum Speak is the 3rd in Shuler's series about Kwani, She Who Remembers.  These are books that need to be read in order as you need the history of the characters and to know how everyone relates to everyone else.

This is the story of Antelope, Kwani's daughter who has traveled far to the East with her mate in search of good trading.  They come to a city where a being called the Great Sun rules.  And that being wants Antelope and is determined to have her no matter what.  But he doesn't want to deal with the inconvenience of her child, especially when it makes such the perfect sacrifice for an upcoming festival.  With her mate nowhere to be found, Antelope must find what friends she can if she ever has a hope of returning home.

I never really realized that there were Queen and King figures in North Native American tribes.  The civilizations that were described sounded more like the Mayans or Aztecs, especially with the talk of Jaguar pelts.  So I learned more about the people of the area, if the information is indeed true.  Antelope is only a little more likable than her mother Kwani.  They are both pretty selfish and concerned with their own worth, but at least Antelope mellows out a bit with time.  Far Walker I actually liked.  Of all the men in these stories he actually didn't act the womanizer and was decent.  The rest had some pretty large fatal flaws and weren't the best people.  At least the younger ones.

This story moved with a better pace than the previous two.  And the story, despite spanning a number of years, had enough description to make it realistic.  There's still the usual vivid descriptions of sex, rape and violence though, so reader be warned.  There are a number of plot contrivances in this book (and the previous) that always make me question some of it though.  Like how people are always against Kwani and her daughter.  It seems that their lives are needlessly hard and everyone is out to get them.  While I recognize that sometimes powerful people have a hard time with people wanting to bring them down, I've just always felt that it's skewed a little too much in these books.  But they're still enjoyable, and if you like prehistory you'll probably like these books.  And you even get a little bit of real history as the author has done research before writing them.

I think there's a fourth book in the series and I might see if I can get my hands on it.  I'd like to know how the story ends and these books are decent enough to keep reading.

Let the Drum Speak
Copyright 1996
446 pages

Voice of the Eagle by Linda Lay Shuler

Voice of the Eagle is the second book in Shuler's Kwani series.  I would say that this is definitely a series you need to read in order, as it makes reference to characters and events that happen in the previous book.  You'd be a little lost if you started out on this one.

Kwani has had her son and become the mate of Tolonqua, a handsome hunting chief.  They return to his home where she is mostly welcomed, despite her blue eyes.  But not all is well.  Tolonqua is the leader of a group that wants to build a new city.  One that will be better protected.  But some have reason to hate him and Kwani and don't want to see that happen.  And they will try everything in their power to stop it.

This book has the same problem as the first one in that the characters just aren't that likable.  They all think they're pretty special and above the rules of society.  Some humility would not be unwelcome.  And they're a bit selfish as well.  While I recognize it probably makes the book realistic, I still wanted some character I could care about and really root for.  And the bad guys, well let's just say that there is always at least one that is easily taken care of and they don't have any redeeming qualities at all.

I think part of the problem with the characters is on account of the pace.  This is a big book but it moves very quickly.  So much so that my favorite part, the last section, was not nearly long enough even though it was the most interesting.  I enjoyed hearing about Kwani's children grown up and everything that was happening and even Kwani became a more likable character.  There is a lot of history and information that was provided in the book though and I think it was well researched for a work of fiction.  I'm sure there are some errors, but it's clear that the author spent time learning about what she was writing.  I will put in my standard warning that there is graphic mention of sex and violence in the book, but it was all keeping with the time and setting of the book.

I'll read the third book.  I want to know what happens and where the story is taken from here.  But once again I'll be hoping for some better characters.

Voice of the Eagle
Copyright 1993
615 pages

She Who Remembers by Linda Lay Shuler

She Who Remembers is the first book in the Kwani series by Linda Lay Shuler.  A prehistoric fiction, it is compared to the Clan of the Cave Bear series quite often.  And while I see some similarities, I don't think it's quite as engaging as that series.

Kwani is of the Pueblo, Anasazi actually.  But because of her startling blue eyes she is accused of being a witch and driven from her home.  It is during her wandering that she stumbles into the path of Kokopelli, a proud and mysticized trader that decides she is perfect for his mate.  But Kwani may be meant for more, and will her love for Kokopelli hold her back?

I can't say that any of the characters in this book are really likable.  They're all quite selfish actually.  And Kwani I didn't quite understand.  She's born an Anasazi, yet when she goes to another tribe they have to explain customs to her that are shared across the tribes.  It seems like she should have known them all already.  I can understand when she goes to tribes that are not Anasazi and having to learn the customs, but that wasn't the case all the time.  Kokopelli was a jerk and definitely not how I had envisioned such a popular figure.  In fact, I think men were done a real disservice in this book because most of them didn't have anything good about them and were seen as controlling.  While I recognize that men play a stronger role in some cultures, it just painted too broad a brush on their personalities.

But as much as I complain about the characters in this book I do have to say that the plot was well done.  It was engaging, hard to put down and really researched quite well for being fiction.  I learned things about the Southwestern region that I didn't know before.  And the journey was lifelike and exciting.  So much of what Kwani had to endure was probably true to the times and realistic.  There was a lot of sex, and some of it was quite graphically written (and there is rape as well) so anyone who doesn't like these topics in a book should probably steer clear.  There is also some violence. 

I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book and hope that the character development is a bit better.  Or that there's at least a likable one.  The series has such a great premise that it could be something truly terrific with those aspects.

She Who Remembers
Copyright 1988
395 pages

Tecumseh by Paul Joseph Lederer

I like exploring different aspects of our history in this country. And in particular I've always been intrigued with the story of Tecumseh. This was a telling of the Tecumseh story, but widely different than anything I had ever read before. And to be honest, I didn't really like it.

Tecumseh was born under the prophecy of a shooting star. He was born to be a Warrior, and with the Americans encroaching further and further into their territory, an inevitable war breaks out. Tecumseh's first thought is war, but between his wife, true love, and a slave who worships him, he also has his hands pretty full with women too. As the years pass, he becomes more desperate to regain what used to belong to his tribe.

Tecumseh was a pretty flat character. Aside from his quick love for Elizabeth, the English woman he meets by chance, he doesn't really seem to care about much but the war that is raging on. Even his son by his wife he doesn't really express interest in. Elizabeth herself is such a weird character and I really didn't see what value she added to the story. The same with all of the women in Tecumseh's life really, with maybe the exception of the wife as she provided some antagonism.

The plot contained some historical accuracies. Some of the main battles were mentioned that Tecumseh was part of. And some real people were also included. But the main part of this book was pure fabrication. It kind of hurt to read actually. Especially all of Tecumseh's love interests. While I'm sure the guy probably slept around a little bit I doubt it happened in the way this book described. It just seemed too implausible. There was also a bit of descriptive sex in this book, which doesn't bother me, but wasn't something I was expecting in this type of book. And there were some gory descriptions of war as well. So you have been warned if you don't care for these types of things.

Not that historically accurate, flat characters, and just in general a read I wouldn't recommend, this book is one that makes me think I'll pass on any others by Lederer.

Tecumseh
Copyright 1982
298 pages

The Lakota Way of Strength and Courage by Joseph M. Marshall III

**This review is part of the Amazon Vine program**

This was a very interesting book. I have a traditional longbow, and while I'm sorely remiss in using it much, I still have a great appreciation for bowmakers and the actual bow itself. Not that this book is really about the bows in a traditional sense. It's more of a commentary on how the bow and arrow relates to life and also about the Lakota people as well.

This book has two main topics; the life of the Lakota and their resiliency and history and how it relates to to the bow and arrow, and also stories and legends of the Lakota. There is a story of a young warrior, learning to be a great scout from his grandmother. Another of the "shirt men" of the tribe and how they contributed and were selfless in their acts for others. A little bit of the history of the Lakota is shown, and their erosion of culture due to the outside influence of the English. But the author talks about how the culture and histories are preserved, even in small ways.

The stories were some of my favorite parts within this book. I always find cultural legends fascinating and they always seem to impart a good lesson the reader. These were no different and I think I almost learned more from these than I did the rest of the book. I especially liked the story of two men that traveled to find a shiny rock and the dangers they faced along the way. They went on faith in what someone told them and even though the journey was difficult, they became good friends as a result and even had a pretty good story to tell when they got home!

The other part of the book was a little more rambling in its tone. The author switched up what he was talking about and it didn't flow as smoothly. Which made the lessons a little more difficult to understand. I also found it difficult to connect to some of what he was saying as I have no native blood or culture in my life and so some of the concepts were not relatable. But there were still some very good lessons despite all this. I especially liked what the author had to say about resiliency. He liked life to a bow and that when it shoots an arrow it always returns to its normal position, ready to take what life throws at it again. And that strong people can be the same way. I think it's the most important lesson of the book (and it should be considering it's part of the title).

A very interesting book. I enjoyed the author's take on the bow and arrow and the meaning behind it; it's not just a weapon but a way of life. And I learned more about the Lakota than I had ever learned before.

The Lakota Way of Strength & Courage
Copyright 2012
179 pages

Shadow Tag by Louise Eldrich

Wow, this book really struck home for me. I could relate to it and its amazing how a couple can seem so perfect on the outside, and have such an insidious underbelly when in private. Deeply disturbing and very sad, this book was a hard one to read.

Irene America and her husband Gil have been an iconic couple for quite so time. Gil is a painter and has become famous off of painting Irene in various posings, some quite ugly and shocking, and some beautiful and demure. They have three kids who are all pretty unique themselves but each with their own problems as a result of their parents crumbling marriage. To put it bluntly, Gil is an abuser, and Irene an alcoholic. Irene wants out of the marriage but can never seem to quite get away from Gil. She even tries through her diaries. After finding out Gil was reading her red diary, she starts putting in untruths to drive him crazy and writing the real information in the blue diary, which she keeps in a safe deposit box. But even this isn't enough to completely destroy the relationship, Gil just won't let her go.

These characters were haunting. Gil especially. He is the perfect portrayal of a mostly emotional, sometimes verbally and physically abusive person. He also has a tendency to be narcissistic as well, which really escalates. Having had experience with an abuser I was shocked at how well the author got all the little signs right, the things said, things done, the emotional yoyo he kept his family on, that I had to look her up and discovered the Erdrich had personal experience to draw from when writing his character. Irene, despite being abused, wasn't a very easy character to like though because of the diaries and her alcoholism. But even when she didn't have alcohol she still couldn't get herself away from Gil, which is sadly realistic of these types of relationships. The children were also very interesting and sad at the same time.

This is not a cheery novel. It probably won't make you cry but it has a very depressive theme. Its beautifully written although I honestly think the part about the diaries, while quite a large bit of writing, didn't really do as much for me as the 3rd person narrative did. I also wasn't a big fan of the ending. There are some descriptive scenes about sex, rape, and other disturbing things in this book so those reading it should be advised. Its a very realistic book, and could be written from life probably.

It never ceases to astound me what human beings can do to each other, even if they claimed to be in love before. This book is definitely one to read, but one to be careful while reading as well because of its heavy themes.

Shadow Tag
Copyright 2010
255 pages