A Country of Strangers

"Sometimes the clouds thinned a little, not much, barely enough to make out strange forms behind them. One was a house of pink stones, all the same shape and size, a house far bigger than her own Indian bark cabin".

A Country of Strangers by Conrad Richter

This book is about a native american girl named Stone Girl and is also the companion piece to "The Light in the forest". Although it is young adult, anyone with an interest in Native American History can enjoy this.

I really enjoyed Stone girl's story and while I will not leave any spoilers about it, I will drop one little nugget.

Spoiler:

True Son does indeed make an appearance in this story and it is unexpected and very gratifying when he does. Light in the forest is up there as one of show more my all time favorites and for years I was unaware that this book existed. It is a lovely read and I'd recommend it. show less

I remember reading The Light in the Forest back in middle school. I remember vaguely the teacher saying there was another book Richter wrote that was pseudo sequel, and for some reason, years later I decided to look it up.

This book tells the story of another young person who was adopted by the Indians, and is forced to return to the white world. Unlike True Son in The Light in the Forest, Stone Girl is not welcomed by her white family, who do not believe her to be the missing Mary Stanton thanks to an impostor taking her place.

This duplicity is a secondary plot that is unresolved. The book instead focuses on Stone Girl's existence straddling two worlds. She's too Indian to be white, and after spending time with her white family, becomes show more too white to be accepted by her old Indian tribe.

This was a very quick read, and an interesting one but, like The Light in the Forest, is ultimately unsatisfying in the end - the main character learns s/he does not fit into either society. show less

Country of Strangers is a companion book, of sorts, to the better known "The Light in the Forest". As in that other work by author Conrad Richter, "A Country of Strangers" is set in early America, when Pennsylvania was still the wild frontier. Stone Girl is taken from her home, her tribe, to be returned to the white family from which she was taken many years before.

The author did his research, and it shows, in how the different people of the time are portrayed. One can have sympathy for those on both sides, but also feel anger at man's inhumanity to man due to racial differences.

Never preachy, this story draws us into Stone Girl's dilemmas, and helps us to realize that relationships are not always full of sweetness and compassion, but show more are complicated things. show less