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backonthealex's review against another edition
5.0
Isaac, 10, and his family are part of the Choctaw Nation living in Mississippi in 1830. One morning, Isaac's father tells his family that they will have to move from their homeland. The Choctaws had been Treaty Talking with the Nahullos (White people), who, Isaac declares, must want something.
Around the same time, Isaac begins to have premonitions of how people will die. And after the Nahullos burn down their village one night, he begins to see the ghosts of deceased Choctaws. Now homeless, the people of the village are offered blankets to keep warm in, but Isaac's mother refuses to take any. The blankets were full of smallpox, so many people got sick and dies.
Isaac, his father Zeke, mother Ochi, older brother Luke and talking dog Jumper take off through the woods and soon meet up with many walking Choctaws and soldiers on horses. All the Choctaws are wrapped in the blankets that the soldiers had given them against the biting winter cold. Wary, and hiding in the woods, they watched this procession a few days and when nothing happened, Isaac's father stepped out to ask if the blankets were safe.
Isaac's family joins another family, Gabe, Ruth and daughter Nita, 6, on their forced march west, sharing food and shelter. Isaac continues to see the ghosts of the people from his village, who are now guiding him to keep things safe, but he also realizes that he, too, will become a ghost soon.
Then, Isaac meet Joseph, the grandson of two deceased elders from his village. Joseph is a shape-shifter who can change into a panther as will. Together, they make a plan to rescue Naomi, the daughter of Gabe and Ruth, abducted by soldiers to cook and take care of them.
It is a dangerous rescue with very unexpected results.
How I Became a Ghost is a short, very straightforward story with elements of what we might think of as magical realism, but which are actually parts of Choctaw beliefs. Tim Tingle takes the reader into their belief system and lets them experience it without explanation.
The readers comes to understand that family and community are very importance aspects of the Choctaw Nation.. In How I Became a Ghost, you can see in the way they interact with each other that Isaac's family is close, loving and playful. And community is really just an extension of family, all Choctaw being kin, obvious when Gabe and Ruth welcome Isaac's family to join them on the Trail of Tears.
And ghosts, well, they are present in the daily life, guiding and helping the living. Choctaw's believe that everyone has an inner spirit or shilup and an outer shadow or shilombish. The shilup, meaning ghost, is supposed to go to a good afterworld but this couldn't happen without proper burial rituals, which couldn't happen on the Trail of Tears.
Most disturbing to read is the treatment of the Choctaw by the American soldiers. Abducting children to use as slaves, disregarding all Choctaw traditions, forcing people to walk in the bitter cold and snow with little food or withholding it as punishment, all this is described by Isaac.
But, How I Became a Ghost is written by such a gifted writer that it is not a book that should be passed over. Tingle is a member of the Choctaw Nation whose great great grandfather walked the Trail of Tears in 1835. He based this novel on family stories and those of other families, giving it it's feeling of authenticity.
There really are many good books about Native Americans, but Tingle's stories go far in giving the reader a feeling of what life was life. How I Became a Ghost is the first in a trilogy and I can't wait to read the next book.
The more I think about this novel, the more amazed I am at how much Tingle has managed to put into a novel only 141 pages long and never lose the integrity of the story he is telling. Surely that is the mark of a great storyteller.
This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
This review was originally posted at Randomly Reading
Around the same time, Isaac begins to have premonitions of how people will die. And after the Nahullos burn down their village one night, he begins to see the ghosts of deceased Choctaws. Now homeless, the people of the village are offered blankets to keep warm in, but Isaac's mother refuses to take any. The blankets were full of smallpox, so many people got sick and dies.
Isaac, his father Zeke, mother Ochi, older brother Luke and talking dog Jumper take off through the woods and soon meet up with many walking Choctaws and soldiers on horses. All the Choctaws are wrapped in the blankets that the soldiers had given them against the biting winter cold. Wary, and hiding in the woods, they watched this procession a few days and when nothing happened, Isaac's father stepped out to ask if the blankets were safe.
Isaac's family joins another family, Gabe, Ruth and daughter Nita, 6, on their forced march west, sharing food and shelter. Isaac continues to see the ghosts of the people from his village, who are now guiding him to keep things safe, but he also realizes that he, too, will become a ghost soon.
Then, Isaac meet Joseph, the grandson of two deceased elders from his village. Joseph is a shape-shifter who can change into a panther as will. Together, they make a plan to rescue Naomi, the daughter of Gabe and Ruth, abducted by soldiers to cook and take care of them.
It is a dangerous rescue with very unexpected results.
How I Became a Ghost is a short, very straightforward story with elements of what we might think of as magical realism, but which are actually parts of Choctaw beliefs. Tim Tingle takes the reader into their belief system and lets them experience it without explanation.
The readers comes to understand that family and community are very importance aspects of the Choctaw Nation.. In How I Became a Ghost, you can see in the way they interact with each other that Isaac's family is close, loving and playful. And community is really just an extension of family, all Choctaw being kin, obvious when Gabe and Ruth welcome Isaac's family to join them on the Trail of Tears.
And ghosts, well, they are present in the daily life, guiding and helping the living. Choctaw's believe that everyone has an inner spirit or shilup and an outer shadow or shilombish. The shilup, meaning ghost, is supposed to go to a good afterworld but this couldn't happen without proper burial rituals, which couldn't happen on the Trail of Tears.
Most disturbing to read is the treatment of the Choctaw by the American soldiers. Abducting children to use as slaves, disregarding all Choctaw traditions, forcing people to walk in the bitter cold and snow with little food or withholding it as punishment, all this is described by Isaac.
But, How I Became a Ghost is written by such a gifted writer that it is not a book that should be passed over. Tingle is a member of the Choctaw Nation whose great great grandfather walked the Trail of Tears in 1835. He based this novel on family stories and those of other families, giving it it's feeling of authenticity.
There really are many good books about Native Americans, but Tingle's stories go far in giving the reader a feeling of what life was life. How I Became a Ghost is the first in a trilogy and I can't wait to read the next book.
The more I think about this novel, the more amazed I am at how much Tingle has managed to put into a novel only 141 pages long and never lose the integrity of the story he is telling. Surely that is the mark of a great storyteller.
This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
This review was originally posted at Randomly Reading
ehparrish's review
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
sarahrusty's review against another edition
5.0
Heart wrenching, inspiring, historical fiction takes form in this amazing book. The Trail of Tears story everyone needs to read. Fast paced, action filled, ghosts, and historical events are sure to pull you in and never let go. I never learned much about the Trail of Tears and I wish I would have had this book as a kid. Tim Tingle is an amazing Choctaw author and storyteller. This is a must read!
dellaporta's review against another edition
4.0
#Readathon2020 - ebooks / / #Indigathon2020
How is this a children's book?!? I admit that as a Greek woman I was only vaguely aware of the trail of tears but how is this a children's book. People drop dead right, left and centre. Am I the only one who wants bad things to happen to the soldiers? Like awfully bad? Well, I am pretty sure that their grandchildren are the same people who refuse to wear a mask so they are spreading covid19, so not much has changed. *Spoiler* this is a story about a 10-year-old who dies literally and becomes a ghost. I do not know why I thought it was a metaphor; it's right there on the title, but still.
Here is a phrase that struck me That's when I realized for the first time that the soldiers couldn't hurt me. I was already dead! Maybe being a ghost wasn't so bad after all.
What? WHAT???? He is TEN. Don't get me wrong; you must read this book, just be prepared to cry.
How is this a children's book?!? I admit that as a Greek woman I was only vaguely aware of the trail of tears but how is this a children's book. People drop dead right, left and centre. Am I the only one who wants bad things to happen to the soldiers? Like awfully bad? Well, I am pretty sure that their grandchildren are the same people who refuse to wear a mask so they are spreading covid19, so not much has changed. *Spoiler* this is a story about a 10-year-old who dies literally and becomes a ghost. I do not know why I thought it was a metaphor; it's right there on the title, but still.
Here is a phrase that struck me That's when I realized for the first time that the soldiers couldn't hurt me. I was already dead! Maybe being a ghost wasn't so bad after all.
What? WHAT???? He is TEN. Don't get me wrong; you must read this book, just be prepared to cry.
brookes_books_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
bookworm_baggins's review against another edition
5.0
Read for school prep. This book was powerful and beautiful, but devastating and difficult at the same time. Any story about the Trail of Tears is going to be heartbreaking, but I really appreciated the hope that shone through despite the terrible circumstances. Hope in family, community, in forgiveness, and in understanding who the Choctaw are as a nation.
There is a lot of death in this book, and that can make it hard to figure out what is age appropriate. I'm struck again with the thoughts I had after reading the March series though, that this is our history even if it isn't the work of our own hands or something done to us. These stories are better told young, because we need to be aware of history to rightly see our role in the present. The writing style is quite simple for this book, but I think that it still manages to depict a powerful and important story.
There is a lot of death in this book, and that can make it hard to figure out what is age appropriate. I'm struck again with the thoughts I had after reading the March series though, that this is our history even if it isn't the work of our own hands or something done to us. These stories are better told young, because we need to be aware of history to rightly see our role in the present. The writing style is quite simple for this book, but I think that it still manages to depict a powerful and important story.
ce_read's review against another edition
3.0
When telling any story about horrific past events, it is most important to center the see story on the resistance of the disenfranchised. This does exactly that. Isaac and Joseph's story of resistance is one of many ways Choctaw people may have resisted the abuses of the US Army on the trail of tears.
J novel, so the pace was quick with pretty explicit exposition (story was Told, rather than Shown).
Also, as much as I would have loved for Joseph to kill Leader at the end instead of letting him live, I feel like maybe most children's authors would rather promote forgiveness than revenge killings. Fair enough.
J novel, so the pace was quick with pretty explicit exposition (story was Told, rather than Shown).
Spoiler
Also, I do not understand the meaning of introducing Chief/General Pushmataha in the last two chapters. This seems like a nod to western assimilation?Also, as much as I would have loved for Joseph to kill Leader at the end instead of letting him live, I feel like maybe most children's authors would rather promote forgiveness than revenge killings. Fair enough.
kevinhendricks's review against another edition
3.0
A ghost story of sorts about the Trail of Tears. It's a quick read, and kind of a morose tail, but it feels like it should be part of a larger tale.
libraryjen's review against another edition
3.0
A short and entertaining middle grade story about the Choctaw Trail of Tears that wasn't too terribly graphic but didn't sugarcoat the atrocities either. This book predates the #OwnVoices movement, but was written by a member of the Choctaw Nation. A solid offering if you're looking for a historical fiction novel about the forced removal of the Choctaws to Oklahoma at the middle grade level.
crhealey's review against another edition
3.0
I can see why this book would appeal to young readers. As an adult, I found the dialogue to be pretty formal and awkward, especially for a 10 year old main character. I think the author was trying to convey a certain sense of the time period (the 1830s) but it didn't quite work. The author (a Choctaw native himself) really succeeded at weaving in Choctaw folklore and culture into the story in a natural way and added in elements of magical realism that really made the story shine. While I don't feel compelled to pick up the next book, I can see the value it has for middle grade readers and why it is an important book for indigenous literature.