School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Fully researched, written by an outstanding Native American author, and without minimizing the horror and the genocidal nature of the Cherokee removal on the Trail of Tears, this story about Jesse and his mother and sisters has many strengths. Unfortunately, while being praiseworthy and authentic in terms of the history, the characters are bland. Bruchac is capable of lovely language and biting metaphor, but often simply recites the continuing horror in ways that numb rather than touch readers' hearts. Several references to attachments (such as between a slave and Jesse's sisters) are made just as they end. Because readers never see the relationships unfold, the separation isn't affecting. The characters are names only. Jesse's family seems forgotten by him for long periods of time as the agonizing details of the preparations for the journey and the trek itself are cataloged. Readers who have become used to making a personal connection to moving events in American history will find this diary more historical than personal. There is a good section of notes at the end, most of it repeating facts Jesse has shared.-Carol A. Edwards, Sonoma County Library, Santa Rosa, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Sixteen-year-old Jesse records the experiences of his family as they are relocated by the U.S. government and walk the Trail of Tears. Though a historical note provides background information, the fictional text also includes additional factual material that strains at the confines of the journal format and slows the pace of Jesse's story. A selection of historical reproductions is included. From HORN BOOK Fall 2001, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 5-8. Sixteen-year-old Jesse Smoke records the events leading up to the Trail of Tears as well as the excruciating journey west in this diary-format novel that comes alive with details of everyday life and of Cherokee spirituality and world view. Bruchac integrates a Cherokee creation story, the political issues surrounding the forced removal, and tribal practices into this compelling story about a young adult's struggle to understand what is happening to his people and their way of life: "At the end of each day I see how my mother stands, her eyes on the setting sun. That direction, the direction of the Darkening Land, is the way the whites wish us to go. It is also, in our old beliefs, the direction of death." Concluding historical notes summarize the issues and provide background information, enhanced with black-and-white photos. Bruchac demonstrates his extensive knowledge of the Cherokee people in this outstanding addition to the My Name Is America series. --Karen Hutt
