The Girl Who Chased Away Sorrow: The Diary of Sarah Nita, a Navajo Girl, New Mexico, 1864
by Ann Turner
Dear America Collections (Dear America: Native American, 1864), Dear America - Publication Order (16), Dear America (1864. Native American: New Mexico), My Story
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As the daughter of a newspaper reporter, fourteen-year-old Libby keeps a diary account of the exciting events surrounding her during the building of the railroad in the West in 1868.Tags
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Presented as a grandmother telling her granddaughter the story of her life, this book gives us a peek at the lifeways of the Navajo while also presenting the truth of the suffering they endured from the political decisions made in distant Washington DC. Of course, Sarah Nita has no idea of the reasons why the Army was rounding up her people, nor why they were made to walk for months in mid-winter. We read her thoughts, her attention to her younger sister, her knowledge of how to survive when they walked on their own to find relatives, her yearning for her mother, the care given the two girls by another Navajo family, how supportive of each other the walkers were.
The writing was a pleasure to read. Simple sentences carrying profound show more thoughts, revealing important events in our country's history.
I read this aloud to my blind son and he remembers and talks about Sarah Nita and her dog Silver Cloud.
black & white photos at the end of the book show us Navajo of that era and the landscape where they lived. show less
The writing was a pleasure to read. Simple sentences carrying profound show more thoughts, revealing important events in our country's history.
I read this aloud to my blind son and he remembers and talks about Sarah Nita and her dog Silver Cloud.
black & white photos at the end of the book show us Navajo of that era and the landscape where they lived. show less
: I read this as an adult last year, and was delighted at how swept back in time I felt. These books tend to have writing styles I really connect with. I grew up with this series, I'd say. This year, though, a month ago, I read "A Broken Flute," edited by Doris Seale. It's a critique of portrayals of Native Americans in childrens' media, and this book was one of the many examined. The review pointed out that this book is in no way historically accurate, and detailed why. I was stunned, ashamed I didn't know, and I so readily believed historical fiction without doing research of my own. This book takes place during an event that has negative effects to this day, and still hurts a lot of people. The author should have done far, far more show more research in order to portray such with the sensitivity it deserved. Better yet, this should have been written by someone of the community. This book, even last year, was one I planned to read only once. If I find out the Mary Driscoll one was also historically inaccurate, or the Oregon Trail one, I will be even sadder and more ashamed. Those were my two favorites, but I like nearly two dozen others. I'm doing a reread of the ones I liked, and will do more research on those time periods so I can know what really happened. show less
This is a very good detailed and dramaic historical novel based on the "Long Walk "of the Navajo's in 1864. Written in the first person, diary format makes this high interest reading for grades 6-9. We are in the mind of twelve year old Sarah Nita as she writes about her forced journey away from her homeland to the "white man's" Fort Sumner. This was a very important time in American history and the author, Ann Turner obvioulsy did her research on Navajo culture, language and history. I loved her descriptive language, "fear races inside my body like cold water...my words fall like pebbles into the water hole". I really felt like I was living this nightmare with Sarah Nita. At times it was difficult reading because of the hardships: show more separation from parents, weather conditions, cruelty of the soldiers, starvation, etc. This is a very significant story, and I'm glad it was written so effectively. show less
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
This is part of the "Dear America" series which accurately portrays treatment of the Navajos in the 1800's. Navajos and whites constantly raided each other, and so they were rounded up and forced to become Christianized and to adopt the settlers' culture. The novel is written with many descriptions of Navajo way of life, such as their food, child-rearing, animals, and treatment of elders. Sarah Nita wants to live in harmony with the white man, but the barely cooked wheat and bacon make her sick. We rejoice when she is reunited with her parents, but it is clear that the Navajos will endure more suffering from the white men. This is written in touching and easy to read language, and would appeal to middle school readers. This would be an show more excellent addition to a multicultural collection and would enhance studies of the history of Native Americans. The author also includes historical information as well as photographs of the actual victims from this experience. HIghly recommended. show less
Sarah Nita's diary, gives the reader a view of how hard reality was for those who had to follow the path of the Long Walk. This is a great read for middle school students because it talks about more mature ideas but it's still important to be able to understand other's backgrounds without being biased.
This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not.
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- Canonical title
- The Girl Who Chased Away Sorrow: The Diary of Sarah Nita, a Navajo Girl, New Mexico, 1864
- Original title
- The Girl Who Chased Away Sorrow: The Diary of Sarah Nita, a Navajo Girl, New Mexico, 1864
- People/Characters
- Sarah Nita
- Important places
- Fort Sumner, New Mexico, USA; New Mexico, USA
- Important events
- The Long Walk (1864); 19th century; 1860s; 1864
- Dedication
- I warmly dedicate this story to Tracy Mack, who first believed in it.
- First words
- "I am at home now from the white man's school, sitting beside Grandmother in the shade near our hogan. Slowly, skillfully, she spins wool, winding the long thread on a stick by her leg".
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)This Sah-nee had her own children and a daughter she called Sarah Nita, who was sent to the white man's school to be educated, as the Navajos had promised in their final treaty with the U.S. government.
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- 1,365
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- 17,350
- Reviews
- 17
- Rating
- (3.54)
- Languages
- English, French
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 9
