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TO SPOIL THE SUN by Joyce Rockwood

TO SPOIL THE SUN

by Joyce Rockwood

Pub Date: Sept. 1st, 2003
ISBN: 0-8050-7372-8
Publisher: Henry Holt

Three omens came to the Cherokee tribe—first the snake in the winter, then the burning of the honey locust tree, and finally, the loss of the ancient fire. These events only foreshadowed the devastation of Small Pox that was to come to the Seven Clans. The focus on the destruction caused by the invasion of Europeans is much more a part of the story than it was in Louise Erdrich’s The Birchbark House (1999) and is set two centuries earlier; both, however, tell a similar powerful tale of drastic changes made to the way of life of the Native American. Told from the perspective of Rain Dove, a mother of two small children who catch the fever, the survival theme is most riveting. Rockwood’s insight into the period of history and her attention to detail make this novel a historical gem and a great read. (Historical fiction. 10+)