Out today! A Free Unsullied Land by Maggie Kast - Wonderful Historical Literary Fiction

Sweaty in the hot summer of '27. An execution is imminent, and the family has been dreading it for years. Henriette wakes to the sound of feet hurring along the hall outside her second-floor bedroom, then down the stairs and back up again. A thin, keening sound. Coughs and sobs. It's her old brother Carl, plagued by a nightmare.
Henriette was eight in 1920 when Nicola Sacco, a fishmonger, and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, a shoemaker, were convinced of robbery and murder in South Braintree, Massachusetts, and she's grown up with this wound to her sense of hope and possibility. Wisps of adult conversation drifting above her head taught her the story. Now she lies rigid in her bed, as though her stillness could stop time, standing by while others face what may already have become disaster.
Father first assumed the two Italians were guilty. As followers of the anarchist Luigi Galleani, the men could be expected to plant bombs and murder anyone they considered a class enemy. Mother feared the jury was prejudiced against immigrants, workers, and all victims of the Red Scare then then roaring to life. The Attorney General had recently embarked on a round-up of those considered Red, chaining five hundred men together and marching them through the streets of Boston, then holding them without trial and eventually deporting them. Mother's dear friend and mentor, Jane Addams, had been attached as disloyal for her opposition to war...
As she [Henriette] she felt energized to protest. Her favorite poet, Edna St. Vincent Millay, wrote to the governor of Massachusetts in a letter widely published, "I cry to you with a million voices, answer our doubt." Her poem, "Justice Denied in Massachusetts," was published on the front page of the New York Times. 

JUSTICE DENIED IN MASSACHUSETTS

Let us abandon then our gardens and go home

And sit in the sitting room. 

Shall the larkspur blossom or the corn grow under this cloud?

Sour to the fruitful seed

Is the cold earth under this cloud,

Fostering quack and weed, we have marched upon but cannot conquer;

We have bent the blades of our hoes against the stalks of them.

Let us go home, and sit in the sitting room.

Not in our day

Shall the cloud go over and the sun rise as before,

Beneficent upon us

Out of the glittering bay,

And the warm winds be blown inward from the sea

Moving the blades of corn

With a peaceful sound.

Forlorn, forlorn,

Stands the blue hay-rack by the empty mow.

And the petals drop to the ground,

Leaving the tree unfruited.

The sun that warmed our stooping backs and withered the weed uprooted 

We shall not feel it again.

We shall die in darkness, and be buried in the rain.

What from the splendid dead

We have inherited --

Furrows sweet to the grain, and the weed subdued --

See now the slug and the mildew plunder.

Evil does overwhelm

The larkspur and the corn;

We have seen them go under.

Let us sit here, sit still,

Here is the sitting-room until we die; 

At the step of Death on the walk, rise and go;

Leaving to our children`s children this beautiful doorway,

And this elm,

And a blighted earth to till

With a broken hoe.

Millay was arrested along with Katherine Anne Porter and Dorothy Parker for demonstrating against the execution...

~~~

A Free Unsullied Land

By Maggie Kast

I think this is the first novel of this type written about the United States right before I was born...What saddened me most was that the issues may have been different, but the internal turmoil among America's citizens was just as strong...and wrong...

The main character , Henriette, seems to be telling the story herself, although the book is written in the standard third person. Henriette, stifled by her mother during her formative years, while being close to her father, who also received, and suffered, the strict life established, was anxiously waiting to flee her home. Readers will easily see her as an intelligent young girl, drawn to the arts, and in particular, poetry, so that those tender or angry words that may be written by older women and Black poets, sometimes formed against what was happening in the world in those days, helped to develop a desire to speak out, to learn and then act as others were doing...

But her youthful isolation from a world that she learned about through snatches of adult discussions, seemed far away--perhaps dangerous, especially for one so sheltered and isolated...

The novel is written in parts, so that we see portions of her life at certain ages. I found I enjoyed most the time when she was finally able to begin to get away from home, first to stay with her brother who was in college, and then to attend classes herself... Carl realized Henriette's need to begin to control her life, just as he had been doing, so he soon asked her to visit a bar where they could  hear Sachmo. Carl explained that it was a black-and-tan club--there's lots of them around here. They don't care if you're black, white, or homo for that matter. Come on"...

Henriette had an affinity toward Blacks, excited to be reading poetry created by fellow arts lovers. Now the music pulled her in and jazz was immediately taken into her soul...and began moving to it as she first learned to dance.

On the bandstand a seven-piece band tuned up...A white man in shirtsleeves and open collar entered from behind the bar and began to move through the crowd, shaking hands with everyone he passed. He made his way to the bandstand and embraced several of the musicians, who slapped him on the back. So it was all right for her to be here. The band began an upbeat piece about swing rhythm itself, making her feet tap.

"Swing that music," sang the vocalist, and Carl leaned over.

"That's him, that's Sachmo." The singer looked unassuming, medium height with chocolate-colored skin, but the voice was inviting and the smile, warm and engaging. She had expected a show-off type of performer, but Sachmo put the music ahead of himself. If only she could meet him and shake his hand!

~~~

He led her to the bed, pulled down the
covers and covered her up, then quickly
undressed himself. She lay stiff, feeling
cold and sweaty. Before he turned out the
light, he looked over at her, rubbed her
cheek with his knuckles and said, "Hey
girlfriend. Don't worry. It's just a bit of
smooth."
...As Lucky pressed her closer, she
namedeach new perception...
He rolled on top of
her, and no words seemed suited to the
ridiculous situation in which her stony
body found itself, invaded. If she felt pain
she ignored it, but Lucky's ragged breathing
and accelerating pace, his convulsive climax,
his collapsed weight on her chest and the
slow trickle between her thighs made him
seem like an avatar of some ancient
creature, a throwback to times before
Victrola records or food in the fridge,
before art on the walls or books on the
shelves,,,she curled into a ball away from
Lucky and shed a few silent tears,
feeling used and unloved, then determined
to rise above this primitive level as far as
she could go, up and up...
~~~

The part that most impressed me about the novel is the meticulous research of what was happening during that time period. For those who enjoy historical novels and the discussions of the political climate during that period in history, I believe the novel brings a new and fresh perspective by seeing these events and time period through the eyes of a young girl growing up. 

The family chosen is Jewish, but has adopted the Unitarian Church and has very little to do with their heritage. The sad part for me was that Henriette either was told or realized that she was to not acknowledge that she was a Jew. 

Even when, later, she meets and becomes friends with a female classmate who invites her home for Thanksgiving, realizing as soon as she crossed the threshold that the Jewish religion would be celebrated, she did not break her silence...

Nor did she know how to handle the situation later, when her friend acknowledged she was a lesbian and now they could be closer friends, poor Henriette immediately said she understood all about it, referring to the books she read--the poetry written, including by her classmate... But when she was told the girl was talking about herself--her own thoughts and desires, Henriette was unable to respond to her, to acknowledge her as her friend.

Henriette had been so anxious to be "free" that she chose a number of wrong ways to do it. She had spit out a little ditty, "Seventeen years and she kept her viginity," singing and flirting with Lucky, a guy who had come to visit Carl, her brother, at his apartment. Carl had learned to cook exotic dishes that had never been near their home and Henriette was enjoying his making such efforts to learn about new foods...They had roast duck that night with traditional Chinese sides...

Soon after, however, Lucky took what she had saucily sang to him and Henriette now knew what could change you in one really important area.

She had awoken that unfortunate morning, in the chilly dawn, with the a quite different melody of a Mills Brother song playing in her head...

I'll be glad when you're dead, you rascal you. I'll be tickled to death when you leave this earth, you dog,"

Then, with a regal sense of triumph as she rose and dressed.

I'll be standing on a corner high

When they bring your body by

I'll be glad you're dead

You rascal you.

~~~

She had met Dilly when he was a TA for one of her classes... At that time she was studying to go into psychoanalysis while Dilly was studying anthropology. She'd thought she'd lost him when she pulled another of her stunts to see how he'd react when she brazenly remarked that she might go both ways... He had pulled away from her then...not understanding her desire to be seen as sophisticated really was resulting in choices she shouldn't make... The truth was that she continued to make wrong decisions, somehow making it through the results of those choices and becoming more mature as each was faced before moving forward...

The Depression, death, and all of the other fears and politics of the world went on until she and Dilly came together again and she began to take an interest in his work with Native Americans...

...Dilly was glad to see her happy and never questioned her abandonment of anthropology. Now when he talked about the Ghost Dance, the glowed  as much as he, thinking of the story growing inside her, already taking form on the page...

~~~

This epic novel shares the dream of living in a world where we are all free to be ourselves and still be connected...Would Henriette be able to find that free unsullied land...Perhaps...but not as most of us would have expected... But for those of us who want to know "who we are," Henriette carves the way to not only find ourselves, but the willingness to share it with others. Quite an accomplishment...Do check out this remarkable book...

GABixlerReviews

After a lifetime career in modern dance, Maggie Kast received a Master of Theological Studies from Catholic Theological Union and began teaching, choreographing and performing liturgical dance. She received an M.F.A. in fiction from Vermont College in 2001 and has published fiction in The Sun, Carve Magazine, Kaleidoscope, Nimrod International, Paper Street and others. Her essays have appeared in America, Writer's Chronicle, Image and others. A chapter of her book, published in ACM (Another Chicago Magazine), won a Literary Award from the Illinois Arts Council and a Pushcart nomination. 

Big Blue and More Stories Presented by Wonderful Storyteller, Edmund Hickey!

Legend tells of a big blue horse that came to save us, to help us be free from harm... They called him Big Blue... He was no ordinary horse, having special powers that no other horse had ever been given... Do you want to hear the story?

Let me start my story by telling you my name is Big Blue, a name given to me by a small Hu-man boy (Edmund). 
I was born and raised across an ocean of water. I lived in a world of forest, where cold and snow was such a big part of my earliest memories. It was such a shock being born with four legs and being able to understand two-legged creatures. 
I grew up fast, understanding that I was quite different than other four-legged animals. I could mimic almost anything making sounds including two-legged creatures. Both my mother and father were silent in most of my early memories. I remember going to the village and learning what it was like to be a Hu-man. I even went beside open windows in warmer times to hear what, why, and how Hu-mans talked...
One day while carrying a small wagon of supplies with my father already working on the steep side of the mountain, we stopped. Looking at my father hauling logs down towards the road there was a loud roar and above my father, logs came crashing down on top of him. I started to panic and took off toward him. I didn’t get far before two Hu-mans pulled my reins and I came to a stop, but not before dragging them and the wagon close to my father. I was seven months old in Hu-man’s years when I began to understand the emotion called sadness...
Until my father died, I had no idea what he or anything else really meant to me. When I was two months old, I was sensing something very different about myself. Only when a boy of 17 Hu-man years and a girl of 14 came into the stable, talking did I realize I could understand them. They put a harness on me and attached a small wagon behind me, and I took them to a place called school. It was on those trips that my understanding of Hu-mans started. By overhearing what the boy and girl learned each day, I began to understand where my place in this world would be.

~~~

Big Blue

By Edmund Hickey

Edmund Hickey shares with readers that he never intended to write books... He was merely telling stories to his children as they grew up... What a wonderful thing happened for his readers' benefit. His children enjoyed them so much that they convinced him to share them! How cool is that?!!

Now everybody knows that I love cats, but, especially since I've moved into a log cabin, I've grown closer to our wild animals...raccoon, 'possum, deer are regular visitors onto my thirteen acre land... But Hickey put his imagination to work when he told his children about animals. Big Blue is the first story he shares. Two others follow but there is always an underlying theme that these special animals have the skills to understand human talk and they have a desire to help keep them from harm. And...each of these animals have an internal feeling that something is pulling them toward a specific place...

It didn't take Big Blue long to see how some men would treat other humans and animals. In the ship bringing him to America, his mother and many men and animals who died were just pushed off into the ocean...Blue felt like just doing the same to those men, but he knew that if he did, he would become just like those people!

When they landed, they were immediately taken to a market where everybody on the ship would be sold. Here the exciting part starts as Blue moves close to and listens to a family talking about buying a horse...and the children see in his eyes that he understands them!

The family all turned to me and stared, not talking, just looking at me as I moved closer to them. My first feeling seeing this Hu-man family was my desperate need to feel a part of this family. I felt so lonely not having anything good in my life, and with both my father and then my mother gone, I really felt so alone. 
As night was approaching, I moved toward some Hu-mans talking and already I knew that I was being sold to a Hu-man that was leading a wagon train west. I stepped back with great disappointment in not being with that family. Near dark, I could see the boy and girl across the way looking at me.

I trotted over to them and got close and bent down and just stared. The boy turned toward his sister and said to her: “I told you so.”
Both came closer and the girl spoke out saying: “You can understand us?” 
Slowly, I moved my head up and down which meant “yes” to Hu-mans. Here was my chance to talk to Hu-mans, something I had not done before. I knew part of my loneliness was never having a chance to talk. The boy’s name was Tyger and the girl was named Bird. The boy looked at his sister and I could tell he did not believe it was possible that a horse could understand as much as I seemed to. I said my first words and in doing so, I felt a lightness in my body. I trusted them with my life and continued talking...

~~~

And then Big Blue's great adventure began! Would he settle down with the family he had first met and become a member of their family just like a horse named Ed once did? Oh no! The story is set in the old west, so plan on spending time reading about when the white people were coming west and taking land to homestead... and capturing or killing animals that they found abundant...You'll even meet the queen of the wild horses for whom Big Blue feels a special relationship! I'd love to tell you more about this special horse, but now I want to introduce you to the next special animal...

It seemed like a long time ago when

 I was just a pup when I last sat

 among  Indians. The eldest of the

 tribe  came close to look at me,

 not saying

 anything, just looking. He moved to

 the center and spoke to his people, 

telling them,

 “The Spirits have brought 

us a wolf. A wolf who is very special, 

who has no boundaries in helping

Indians and Blue Coats."

~~~

I sit here in the mountain pass watching Indians hunt, which I have done all of my young life. Looking back, I know that I am quite different than any wolf I have ever known. Thinking back, it is still very hard to think about my birth I was born the largest of the litter, which turned out to be the way I survived. My sight, my hearing and how well I could smell were quite different than any other wolf. I was born with a soul according to the Indians and explorers. As a very young pup, I was always fighting for my life. Living in a pack, I had nobody defending me. Because of my unique scent and strange behavior, I was quickly cast out...

Wolf had spent some time with an Indian tribe when he was younger but had set off on his own, feeling a need to travel to where he was being pulled...The first white man he met was when he came upon a great battle where the Blue Coats and Indians had fought. It was horrible to see and he realized how much he would need to fear and be careful around humans...

He noticed, though, that one man was still alive and he pulled him back into a safer place. Almost immediately the man, who was a doctor, realized that Wolf seem to understand him. The man knew he needed help or he would die and asked Wolf if he could find him water. Wolf went back to the battle scene and pulled two canteens from the horses and returned! Wolf learned much from the doctor, including how he could care for himself using his hands to mend his body...

The third story was both fun and exciting as we meet Light and Shadow. Light looked like a regular rabbit we've all seen but he was paranormal! He had visions of things which were going to happen! While Shadow was huge and could even climb a tree to escape his hunters! It was Shadow who figured out a plan to keep them out of danger! They hopped on a wagon heading West! The wagon had been in a train but a wheel had broken and had to be repaired, so the family were alone for a night and would leave early in the morning to catch up with the train. That was when Light and Shadow would get into the wagon and hide...Of course, there was a young girl who had realized Light was special and then was introduced to Shadow! Her parents at first thought they were ordinary pets...

“Shadow, you’re right, something in my rabbit-human soul has been added. I needed that emotion humans call happiness. I could see why humans like it so much. Makes you feel good inside. Something I had not felt good about in a long time. Okay, Shadow, you’re going to be the smart one and of course I will be the cleverest of all the rabbits in the world. So, what’s the plan?” 

I told Light how we were going to hitch a ride with the wagon that had broken down. This was the first step of being able to travel like humans, which did not give us time to do much of anything because we had to move fast before the sun rose or the wagon would leave without us.

~~~

I don't know about you but I have come to expect more errors in ebooks than in print books and there are many small ones in Big Blue so be warned. However, the stories are extraordinary and totally compelling...I am quite ready to move on to the next book, hoping that the special animals will one day meet and go on to work together for a series! How about it StoryTeller Hickey? 

These stories were first told to young children, so I'm guessing that those at six and above would enjoy them, with parents reading, but young children readers will certainly find the book quite enjoyable... And, yes, I was just as enamored as a child--don't mind admitting it! Anybody who enjoys historical novels will find this a refreshing, unique perspective of that time in American history...

GABixlerReviews

Edmund Hickey does not see himself as an author but rather as a story teller in the ancient tradition of story tellers of the past who handed down their tales by word of mouth, orally.

David-Michael Harding's Novel, Cherokee Talisman, Endorsed by Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker

"White people claimed to have ownership of the
land, as if they held dominion over it. He had
abandoned any measure of comprehending this
peculiar white-way years before. Even now as the
thought seeped through his mind again, Dragon
smiled slightly at the absurd notion. The land
could not be owned. Does anyone own the sky?
Do they pretend to own the water that flows? The
wind? The rain? Trees? Stones? The soil? No
one can own the land. The Tsalagi understood
that the earth was provided for them. If they took
care with it, it would support them...

Cherokee Talisman

By David-Michael Harding





The new historical novel by David-Michael Harding is an epic story covering generations of one family in particular and the Cherokee nation in general. Of importance to any potential reader is the Foreword written by Cherokee National Principal Chief Bill John Baker in November, 2012, which ended with, "History is written by the victorious, but when almost forgotten historical characters are brought to life, and their stories told, they are preserved for the ages, and in this preservation David-Michael Harding has succeeded."

Indeed, Harding has done an outstanding job in writing from the principal characters, so much so that you may feel it was written by those individuals who actually lived the stories. Readers will quickly understand the depth of reading and research done by the author in order to present the lineage of his characters, based upon that research. Note that on my own referencing, I did not find the name T'si'yugunsini, and all the other names by which he was known. However, Chief Baker has stated--most history has been written by the victorious...and we all know that our Native Americans were not those victors. The novels and the one coming next, are of course fiction but the words of this author ring true to me...Sad to say...I am thankful that I've had the opportunity to read this book and help spread news of  it...

Readers enter the lives of the Cherokee, Tsalisi, family, at the point when settlers and the government have started to "negotiate" land acquisition. Of course, there was no attempt to ensure proper compensation, even if the Cherokee believed they owned the land. What they did believe, however, was that it was given to them by the Everywhere Spirit and it was always to be available to them, by right!

There were many going into land trades, on their own, making deals and selling the land. When the government put a stop to that, many, such as John Sevier were given officer positions in the armed forces. They were as ruthless there as they were while making deals...

"That's true. But since we are in agreement about these savages, I need to assume that we are also in agreement on the present condition of our scalps. If you want to keep yours where it is and I know that I wish to retain mine, I say again, let's not insult these people. There wasn't a one in this room tonight who wouldn't take our hair if it profited him. I'm certain that Attakullakulla can be included in that group and I wouldn't put it past Boone to take a white man's scalp if he had a mind to.
"Now Sevier smiled outright. "Probably so. He's been so long in the wilderness he can't remember what side he's on...
'Henderson hesitated over his own papers but smiled through the side of his mouth. "We'd kill every one for a single acre of land just to have them out of our way...
"Good? This has got nothing to do with good. It's about land..."
"Land equals money. When this is said and done it's about money. Good or bad. Right or wrong is immaterial to me. And you..."

It was Attakullakulla, Tsi'yugunsini's father, who finally entered into the first treaty, even knowing that Tsi'yugunsini would not agree and thereafter would continue to fight and raid the settlements...

One happy connection, though, had been made that day. A young orphan named Totsuhwa became connected to his hero. Later when his only relative, his grandmother Ama Giga died, he went to find and live with Tsi'yugunsini as his son. He became a great warrior but also was a shaman, having learned everything from his grandmother.

It is Totsuhwa's story that is most central outside of the battles that were fought. For he fell in love and had a young son, who, even as he was very young, followed after his father in all ways, in order to become like him. But their loving relationship was also shattered by white men...

There is so much to learn in the pages of this novel. What I found most compelling, however, was what happened to Tosuhwa's family... It is one thing to read of the battles fought among men. It is another thing to read of the rape, the abuse, and the capture of women and children, to be sold for a profit...

Daniel Boone leads more settler's into land previously housing
The Cherokee Nation.
"Totsuhwa eventually found the cabin in the village of dead. As he got near he saw soldiers running from other
roughhewn log houses carrying all manner of spoils and trinkets. No one came out of the cabin that held his attention
and in a moment he knew why.
"When he reached the cabin door he peered in cautiously, remembering the woman with the small knife and the boy
with the tiny bow. Movement to the side of the single room captured his eye and he saw soldiers. One was going through the family''s belongings and had already placed a decorative belt under his arm. A second was standing near the woman buckling his pants and refastening his suspenders. A third was still hunched over the woman between her legs. At the moment Totsuhwa understood, the third soldier raked his knife across the woman's throat..."

Cherokee Talisman is an excellent historical novel about what happened in early America--from the Native Americans' standpoint...Give yourself the opportunity to understand what our heritage is really about...and read some of the truth you never learned in history class... Highly Recommended!

GABixlerReviews

David-Michael Harding, seen here working on Book 2, is a life-long writer whose work has appeared in national publications and has been recognized by the international writing community. He is a former collegiate writing instructor and semi-professional football player. His experiences provide readers with well researched, crushing fast-paced action. Most of his days are spent writing from the cockpit of his sailboat, Pegasus, somewhere off the Nature Coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. 

Related articles

• Book Excerpt: Cherokee Talisman - David-Michael Harding
• Book review: 'Cherokee Talisman' by David-Michael Harding

Native American's Lives Portrayed in Early Times Great Read!

"Black Raven took her baby from his hands; then sheremoved the rabbit skins revealing the mark. The grandfather stared long and hard at the mark; then looking up at Black Raven he whispered. "It is a mark of a wolf. Black Raven then told him about the mother and child, who had been banished from their camp for the same mark. She told him that because of the mark, Q'ull-Q'ull would not name the child.
"So that is why my son must find this spirit man for a name...
"The Ya-Ha-Tinda Mountains were feared by all the tribes, it was saturated in deep taboos, impregnated with stories of evil spirits that took the form of wolves, and roamed only the highest stretches of the mountains. It was said that animals of stone walked the earth nearest the sun. To ride above the timberline was instant death..."
Nez Perce warrior on horse, 1910. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Society of Wolves


By Robert E. McHaney







Far in the past before America was fully colonized, most of the west was the hunting grounds of Native Americans...They believed that the land, the waters--the earth did not belong to anybody, that it was for the benefit of all... As we all know, the people who first landed on our shores were there representing governments from overseas or those people who had fled from their countries to find land they could claim for their homes and communities.

And as they moved from the east to the west, those lands normally hunting grounds for those that lived here before any of us, were stolen or, worse, the Indians were killed defending that land.

It has always intrigued me that people felt they had a right to do this. Obviously, the Indians did not accept those who moved further and further across the lands, and, sometimes, special people were born, chosen, to act on their behalf. Gray Wolf, ancestor to Crazy Horse could have been one of those!

Fiction based upon historical research and facts has a growing interest to me. This fast-paced, thriller is exciting, terrifying and also disturbing--especially knowing that it is based on fact to a great extent. I believe this book will be of interest to not only those who are interested in reading historical novels, but those who enjoy action/adventure thrillers. This novel is highly recommended.

Iron Belt and Black Raven were the parents of Gray Wolf. He was a beautiful boy but he had been born with a mark that looked like a wolf! Q'ull-Q'ull was supposed to decide the child's name, but he knew Iron Belt would kill him if he went against him in any way. Besides, when he accepted the baby in his arms, he experienced a "shocking and frightening reaction. It was as if he was holding a small animal..." He quickly wangled out of it by referring Iron Belt to the great shaman who lived on Ya-Ha-Tinda. At least Iron Belt was relieved that he wouldn't to take action against a man of his tribe, but now had to try to find this shaman. A long, dangerous trip into land that was considered taboo...


The Shaman had been expecting him...and the name Gray Wolf was given... A name that meant much more than anybody knew except the shaman...and the boy as he began his training as a warrior...

I was somewhat disheartened that there were wars between tribes but the author spends time for readers to settle in and learn about the lives of members of various tribes--mostly hating each other and killing...Guess we humans are all alike! Anyway, soon the settlers started moving close to the Oglala Tribe's, most commonly known today as Sioux, land used for Buffalo hunting...

Gray Wolf had grown into a man who was both feared and respected by tribe members and when his father is killed, he is asked to become one of the chiefs and specifically to fill his father's place and to prepare for the coming of the white man. At that time, he chose 20 of the finest braves and, instead of going out to scout, took all of them into the forest. There he trained them, and when they came back, all wore the headdress of a wolf...they sat tall and serious on their horses and everybody knew that they were ready! They called themselves The Society of Wolves and their reputation soon spread to both other tribes and the white men.

I enjoyed the inclusion of a trapper Murdoch who became Gray Wolf's friend and blood brother as well as the relationship of both of these men with the women who they ultimately married. I also found the portrayal of ranking officers in the military an interesting choice--most of them power hungry and totally uninterested in trying to negotiate some type of relationship with the Indians as anything more than scouts...

But when they met The Society of Wolves, only one thing happened. Gray Wolf led his men to victory...quite cunningly in fact! Of course I don't know how much of the story is factual, but I have to say that I learned much about the culture of our early Native Americans. The story of their lives rang true and we do know that there were many wars...We also learned the reason why, perhaps, Crazy Horse became such a great chief! Was he also born with the mark of the wolf? We learn his father, Ghost Wolf also became a member of the Society of Wolves...Only his name makes me think differently and I admit that I looked up Crazy Horse and read contradictory information since Crazy Horse was also his father's name (although his Indian name was Cha-O-Ha ("In the Wilderness" or "Among the Trees") which in many ways supports the book's story...

But you know what, no matter whether the underlying history is not correct, I think the author has done a wonderful job in hypothesizing those early days in American history.I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though some parts are gruesomely detailed! Albeit adding to the reality of it all...



GABixlerReviews

Author Robert E. McHaney  was a corporal, a soldier during the Battle of the Bulge. Decorated with the Congressional Medal of Honor, the French Medal of Honor, a Bronze Star, Two Purple Hearts, Combat Infantry Badge, and Legion of Honor. 

He also wrote I'll Fight But Not Surrender, which tells the story by one who was there. It vividly brings to light the horrors of World War II, by a soldier who faced death almost every day. This is a story of tough young men from the rough side of East Los Angeles, who were thrown into the cauldron of war. Of the fifteen original members of Dolphin Company, First Platoon, Second Squad, who landed in Oran, North Africa, only three survived the battles of World War II.

The Second Squad often asked, "Are we all going to die before this war is over?" The tour of duty in World War II was, "For the duration." Superb combat units such as Dolphin Company served for years, not months of combat. "When a soldier is wounded they sewed you up, and he is returned back to combat to bleed some more!" 

Stories like I'll Fight But Not Surrender are needed today to tell us who sacrificed themselves to establish freedom in the world. These WWII warriors are vanishing before our eyes, but thanks to books like these, we will have the precise knowledge of why they killed and died...

Corporal Robert E. McHaney

So, too, do we now have a history of those Native Americans who killed and died... God Bless all Servicemen and women!

Review: Heaven's Keep - Great Characters!

Heaven’s Keep
By William Kent Krueger
Simon & Schuster Atria Books
ISBN: 9781416556763
321 Pages

It was there in Casper, Wyoming, that Jo O'Connor started to regret that she hadn't called her husband to say, "I'm sorry." But she proceeded to get on the small plane that would take her and her party--a committee tasked with drafting recommendations for oversight of Indian gaming casinos--to present to the annual conference of the National Congress of American Indians in Seattle.

She should have called, and she did, but he wasn't there to answer, "I'll call you later" was her only message.

William Kent Krueger, in Heaven's Keep, tells the drama of a man whose wife left on a business trip, after they'd had a quarrel that had not been resolved. When the plane goes down somewhere around Heaven's Keep, he is haunted because their last words had not been expressions of their love.

Cork O'Connor had been Sheriff of the Tamarack County Sheriff's Department in Minnesota and had since become a PI; however, his main gig was as the owner of Sam's Place, a small restaurant in an old Quonset hut built on the shore of Iron Lake. He loved that place! So much so that he was willing to fight a major builder, the Parmer Corporation, who wanted to purchase the shoreline to build a large condominium resort community.

In the process of fighting off a major legal battle, Hugh Parmer came to visit and meet the man who was opposing him. The exchange between he and Cork O'Connor resulted in immediate friendship and it was Hugh Parmer who stood with Cork as the long and dangerous search for the plane took place.

Another heartwarming, and closer relationship that developed during the search was between Cork and his son, Stephen.

But, most importantly, the long search involved so many rescue staff that, for Cork, he couldn't figure out why they weren't finding the plane. And then Stephen shared his dreams of his mother with him. And they added visions and guidance from other respected wise men, one of whom, Will Pope, unfortunately was also known for his fondness for alcohol and therefore was being totally discounted by those leading the search activities.

But Stephen wanted to follow their guidance. Cork supported his son's wishes.

Soon they realized that the plane going down was not an accident. Soon they found that the assumed pilot had not even been on the plane. Soon they knew that those on the plane had been murdered.

Mystery, suspense, and just a touch or so of the supernatural makes this a fascinating drama that highlights the ancient ways of the Native American, as well as the greed and reach for power that we all possess to a small or greater amount. Believe me, this is not the usual novel surrounding the greed of those who build and run casinos. The people involved are uniquely developed to reveal the potential of friendship and love and what it makes possible, but with great suspense. Very highly recommended--easily 5+!

G. A. Bixler