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A review by huncamuncamouse
The Girl Who Chased Away Sorrow: The Diary of Sarah Nita, a Navajo Girl by Ann Turner
3.0
Somewhere between a 3.5 and 4 feels right, especially for this series.
After reading Ann Rinaldi's My Heart Is on the Ground, I wasn't looking forward to another book from a Native American's perspective so soon (since this diary was also authored by a white woman). However, I thought that if nothing else, this book is not as tonally ambiguous, which I appreciated. I had (wrongly, thanks public school education) assumed that the Long Walk was the same thing as the Trail of Tears, but nope. This was just a similar event of native people being forced from their land.
Because the Navajo did not have a written language, the conceit of this particular diary is that Sarah Nita is giving an oral history to her granddaughter, who transcribes it. I thought this was pretty clever but it's a stretch to call it a diary. That didn't particularly bother me because we learn quickly that Sarah Nita is a very gifted storyteller and would have an excellent memory, especially about what was likely the hardest time in her life.
The first third of the book is somewhat slow moving, and it's unfortunate to say this, but once Sarah, her sister, and their surrogate family are forced to make the Long Walk, it picks up significantly and became really interesting. There are some brutal scenes, including the murder of a pregnant woman, so this is probably on the mature end of the Dear America books. The author also does a really good job handling the issue of sexual assault in an age appropriate way. That is, a reader who knows what sexual assault is will immediately recognize the threat, but those who aren't as knowledgeable will still understand that women are often singled out for abuse. That's a tough balance to strike.
I could have done without William/Micah Eyes, who takes a liking to Sarah's sister. Thank God this book didn't end with them married! In the author's defense, although he ALMOST veers into "white savior" and "not all white men" territory, I like that Sarah still remains suspicious of him and isn't exactly a fan. I appreciated that this had a relatively happy ending, all things considered. While not my favorite book in the series by any means, this was a definite improvement from the previous book featuring an indigenous narrator, and I appreciated a more straightforward indictment of how the Navajo people were driven from their land and brutalized.
After reading Ann Rinaldi's My Heart Is on the Ground, I wasn't looking forward to another book from a Native American's perspective so soon (since this diary was also authored by a white woman). However, I thought that if nothing else, this book is not as tonally ambiguous, which I appreciated. I had (wrongly, thanks public school education) assumed that the Long Walk was the same thing as the Trail of Tears, but nope. This was just a similar event of native people being forced from their land.
Because the Navajo did not have a written language, the conceit of this particular diary is that Sarah Nita is giving an oral history to her granddaughter, who transcribes it. I thought this was pretty clever but it's a stretch to call it a diary. That didn't particularly bother me because we learn quickly that Sarah Nita is a very gifted storyteller and would have an excellent memory, especially about what was likely the hardest time in her life.
The first third of the book is somewhat slow moving, and it's unfortunate to say this, but once Sarah, her sister, and their surrogate family are forced to make the Long Walk, it picks up significantly and became really interesting. There are some brutal scenes, including the murder of a pregnant woman, so this is probably on the mature end of the Dear America books. The author also does a really good job handling the issue of sexual assault in an age appropriate way. That is, a reader who knows what sexual assault is will immediately recognize the threat, but those who aren't as knowledgeable will still understand that women are often singled out for abuse. That's a tough balance to strike.
I could have done without William/Micah Eyes, who takes a liking to Sarah's sister. Thank God this book didn't end with them married! In the author's defense, although he ALMOST veers into "white savior" and "not all white men" territory, I like that Sarah still remains suspicious of him and isn't exactly a fan. I appreciated that this had a relatively happy ending, all things considered. While not my favorite book in the series by any means, this was a definite improvement from the previous book featuring an indigenous narrator, and I appreciated a more straightforward indictment of how the Navajo people were driven from their land and brutalized.