"My mother and sisters had vanished in the crowd. I tried to find them, but I could not. Some of the Cherokee faces around me seemed familiar, but I could not be certain who they were. It was not just the darkness and confusion --- most of the faces were distorted with fear and grief. All around us was the sound of weeping and moaning, the thud of hooves and angry oaths bellowed at us."

Sixteen-year-old Jesse Smoke was one young boy among thousands of Native Americans being herded like cattle away from their ancient homelands on the eastern coast of America. A tragic period in the history of our country, The Trail of Tears represents one of the many wrongful actions taken against Native American tribes. The United States government was eager to take control of these lands to build white settlements and eventually new states. Jesse's people, like the Indian nations, were an obstacle that needed to be removed.

Through the daily entries in Jesse's diary, we witness the brutal march of the Indian nations toward the western lands that were to become reservations. With a final destination of Oklahoma, the Native American men, women, and children were forced to move along rugged trails and raging rivers in all types of weather. Taken from their homes with few clothes and belongings, the bitter cold winter turned the trail into a graveyard. Weak from exhaustion and hunger; hundreds suffered and died along the way. Jesse is bewildered by the hatred of the soldiers and the strange new lands they pass through on their journey. Read about Jesse's struggle to survive and the new life he and his fellow Native Americans build in the Oklahoma territory.

As always, this fictional story is followed by pages of information about the actual event, complete with pictures, a map, and current facts about the Cherokee Nation today. It is a sad but fascinating look at one of America's most embarrassing moments in history.

   -   --- Reviewed by Ann Bruns