The Education of Little Tree

The follwing is my own personal opinion and review --


Synopsis:


After his parents die, a young boy called Little Tree is raised by his Cherokee grandparents in the mountains of Eastern Tennessee during the 1930s. The novel follows Little Tree's daily life as he helps his grandparents learn to stand up for their rights, and in the process he learns a great deal about standing up for his own. As the novel progresses, Little Tree describes the simple life lessons he learns by living in touch with Nature.

Publisher: University of New Mexico Press; 25th Annv edition (September 2001)
Language: English
ISBN: 0826328083

This is a book that should be on every single bookshelf. If you have never read it before, run, don't walk (or pop over to half.com) and get it! There is a lot of controversy about Forrest Carter (born Asa) in which it turns out this book is not an autobiography as claimed, but a work of fiction. In fact, the early life of Asa Carter is a despicable one. Not only was he a white supremacist, but also the speech writer for George Wallace. A very surprising life history for a man who wrote this incredible work, as well as the likes of The Outlaw Josey Wales and Watch for Me on the Mountain! There is nothing in the book that would lead you to believe this was the man who wrote the book, and the story seemed like a redemtion of his past.


My husband and I read the book before finding out who Forrest Carter truly was, and if you can look past the man, you will find a magnificent piece of work that will change you forever. I know we did... We checked it out at the library, but had to buy a copy at the used bookstore. We hope our children will read it.. As Pagan's -- we found the nature, spiritual, and soul connection of the story to be educational in and of itself. There is a movie, and just as the book will make you cry (besides having a hard time putting it down) the movie will bring you to tears too, in a good way.