Description
Cherokee author Marilou Awiakta weaves a fascinating chapter book that is based on the real-life experiences of a seven-year-old Choctaw girl kidnapped by United States soldiers during the 1830s. Rising Fawn lived with her extended Choctaw family in Mississippi but the American government's plans for the removal of all Indians to the west intruded on her life. With clarity and compassion the author has taken the real-life experiences of a Choctaw child and retold a moving narrative as seen through the eyes of the child. With her grandmother's wisdom and teachings firmly established in her understanding, Rising Fawn overcomes the loss of her family, her language and her culture in this story through the means of silence. Drawing on her grandmother's strength the girl deals with her adoptive parents through listening and silence. As her new parents try to teach her about Christianity and the mainstream society, the girl manages to overcome her profound sadness and begins a healing process as she tries to make sense of American society in terms of her Choctaw understanding. This powerful story that seeks cultural understanding contains reader discussion questions, a suggested reading list, and background to the history of the original narrative. Highly recommended.