This is a slightly fictionalized account of an event that took place during the Revolutionary War. I say "slightly" fictionalized because the story itself has been around for over 200 years now. When the author took it upon himself to retell the tale for modern audiences, he cleared away some of the inaccuracies that had crept into the earlier versions of the tale. Anyway, the core story itself is about an encounter between a group of Quakers and a band of Native American warriors. It's wartime and tensions between Colonists and the Indians (not to mention between Colonists themselves) are high. Quakers--the Society of Friends--are pacifists and desire to be friends to everybody. But when the shooting starts, few combatants would trust a pacifist's claims. Mr. Bruchac provides us with two fictional characters through whose eyes we can see the story. Samuel is a young Quaker who struggles to define his beliefs amongst neighbors who are pushing for war. Stands Straight is a young Abenaki whose people are seeking the right path through this war between the whites. All in all it's a nice little tale. Check it out.
--J. ( )