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A review by celia_thebookishhufflepuff
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
5.0
In my junior year of high school I read both [b:The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn|2956|The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn|Mark Twain|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546096879l/2956._SX50_.jpg|1835605] and [b:The Grapes of Wrath|18114322|The Grapes of Wrath|John Steinbeck|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375670575l/18114322._SY75_.jpg|2931549], and while I'll admit the latter was pretty good, the former is very poorly written and doesn't sit well with me at all. I think that high schools could kill two birds with one stone and use [b:This Tender Land|25813942|This Tender Land|William Kent Krueger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565526433l/25813942._SY75_.jpg|45670651] by [a:William Kent Krueger|71170|William Kent Krueger|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1407117369p2/71170.jpg] to replace both novels.
[b:This Tender Land|25813942|This Tender Land|William Kent Krueger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565526433l/25813942._SY75_.jpg|45670651] follows orphans Odie O'Banion, his brother Albert, their best friend Mose, and a recently orphaned little girl named Emmy as they escape from a Native American reform school headed by the vicious Thelma Brickman, who all the students call the Black Witch.
Immediately, I got vibes from both [b:The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn|2956|The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn|Mark Twain|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546096879l/2956._SX50_.jpg|1835605] (assumed kidnapping when it's not really the case, traveling down the river in a canoe) and [b:The Grapes of Wrath|18114322|The Grapes of Wrath|John Steinbeck|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375670575l/18114322._SY75_.jpg|2931549] (the Depression era setting, traveling from place to place). Some reviewers have called this book "a modern classic," and because of how closely it relates to these two stories, I wholeheartedly agree.
But [b:This Tender Land|25813942|This Tender Land|William Kent Krueger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565526433l/25813942._SY75_.jpg|45670651] is very much its own story as well. The way it starts off with the kids at a Native American school, although only one of the main characters is of Native American descent, is interesting and gives an aspect of the Great Depression and the early 20th century that we rarely see in literature from or about that time. By this, I mean Native American reform schools, or really even the plight of Native Americans in the Depression, especially as children. In many ways, the story is very relevant to today and the recent protests at Mount Rushmore concerning the ownership of the land and what it means to be American. Mose's spiritual journey back to his roots throughout the story is a very important and seldom seen aspect of life in the early 20th century, and I think Native American representation is a part of stories from this era that needs to be told much more.
One other thing I found interesting is how various layers of privilege are explored in this novel. It was fascinating to me that the kids in the story knew, at the beginning, a little bit about the stock market crash, but had no idea the extent of the Depression they were living through at its height in 1932 until they came to the Hoovervilles and met various kinds of people along their journey. There was also the idea of Native American representation and the different levels they all experienced.
One thing I wish had been explored more was the relationships in the story, especially at the end. While most of the story was very well executed, I was a little confused by the last chapters and epilogue. I would have liked to know more about Mrs. Brickman's relationship to the family and, admittedly, about how Odie and Maybeth reconnected. Despite that, this is a very powerful historical novel that addresses a lot of topics that can be overlooked. I will definitely reread this at some point.
Disclaimer:
[b:This Tender Land|25813942|This Tender Land|William Kent Krueger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565526433l/25813942._SY75_.jpg|45670651] follows orphans Odie O'Banion, his brother Albert, their best friend Mose, and a recently orphaned little girl named Emmy as they escape from a Native American reform school headed by the vicious Thelma Brickman, who all the students call the Black Witch.
Immediately, I got vibes from both [b:The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn|2956|The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn|Mark Twain|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546096879l/2956._SX50_.jpg|1835605] (assumed kidnapping when it's not really the case, traveling down the river in a canoe) and [b:The Grapes of Wrath|18114322|The Grapes of Wrath|John Steinbeck|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375670575l/18114322._SY75_.jpg|2931549] (the Depression era setting, traveling from place to place). Some reviewers have called this book "a modern classic," and because of how closely it relates to these two stories, I wholeheartedly agree.
But [b:This Tender Land|25813942|This Tender Land|William Kent Krueger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565526433l/25813942._SY75_.jpg|45670651] is very much its own story as well. The way it starts off with the kids at a Native American school, although only one of the main characters is of Native American descent, is interesting and gives an aspect of the Great Depression and the early 20th century that we rarely see in literature from or about that time. By this, I mean Native American reform schools, or really even the plight of Native Americans in the Depression, especially as children. In many ways, the story is very relevant to today and the recent protests at Mount Rushmore concerning the ownership of the land and what it means to be American. Mose's spiritual journey back to his roots throughout the story is a very important and seldom seen aspect of life in the early 20th century, and I think Native American representation is a part of stories from this era that needs to be told much more.
One other thing I found interesting is how various layers of privilege are explored in this novel. It was fascinating to me that the kids in the story knew, at the beginning, a little bit about the stock market crash, but had no idea the extent of the Depression they were living through at its height in 1932 until they came to the Hoovervilles and met various kinds of people along their journey. There was also the idea of Native American representation and the different levels they all experienced.
One thing I wish had been explored more was the relationships in the story, especially at the end. While most of the story was very well executed, I was a little confused by the last chapters and epilogue. I would have liked to know more about Mrs. Brickman's relationship to the family and, admittedly, about how Odie and Maybeth reconnected. Despite that, this is a very powerful historical novel that addresses a lot of topics that can be overlooked. I will definitely reread this at some point.
Disclaimer: