Book Review | Sing Down the Moon by Scott O’Dell
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Book Review | Sing Down the Moon by Scott O’Dell
Sing Down the Moon is the third book I’ve read by Scott O’Dell. He is a masterful storyteller of shorter, historically-based books which often feature native peoples as the main characters. He uses beautiful settings into which he crafts his stories. They are full of trial and hardship, often include a journey with unexpected twists, but generally, resolve to a happy ending amidst the given circumstances. Last year I read, Island of the Blue Dolphin, set on an island far off the California Coast, and The Black Peal set on East Baja and Vermillion Sea between the Peninsula and Mainland Mexico.
Sing Down the Moon is written in a similar fashion. This time the setting is Navaho country, in the mesa and canyons near Canyon de Chelly near the current day Four Corners Area of the Southwest United States. I especially enjoyed the description of the changing landscapes as I recently lived nearby and travel through this country many times.
I had a favorite childhood memory of visiting the Four Corners monument and standing in Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona all at the same time and having each family member stand in a different state while being less than arms reach apart. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to take my children to visit there two summers ago now.
I was quite amazed at the difference in my impressions as a mother watching children rather than being the child. My memory now encompasses the whole drive through the mesa landscape and village towns on the reservations. There was a distinctly different feel in visiting the national museum like monuments that contrast sharply with the native locations, which really sre extensions of the people still living and working at these locations, some with active artisans booths where you could buy authentic wares.
There were not many artists there the day we were, but my children gravitated to one making arrowheads and we learned about his craft, his family and their struggles, the different rocks he used and where they came from, and how far he traveled to acquire them. My favorite came from Shasta mountain in California—blue obsidian— which he acquired in Washington on the Pow-Wow circuit the previous year.
O’Dell’s story begins in a peaceful village in Canyon de Chelly where Bright Morning a teenage girl and her friends are tending to the family sheep herds and crops of squash. O’Dell weaves this character through many of the trials faced by the native peoples in this decade: Spanish Slavers, White Soldiers, Removal of her People, The Long Walk, Bosque Redondo, and the return to their homeland.
Bright Morning endures many hardships in this story, throughout which she emanates perseverance, patience, kindness, companionship, self-reliance, resilience, and hope. All of these qualities, I hope to foster and model for my children. I love that O'Dell writes his stories in the first-person voice so you know the inner thoughts and dialogue as his characters navigate difficult situations and decisions.
“I think of our canyon. I see it before I go to sleep, sometimes in my dreams, and always when I wake up. I see the high stone cliffs and the trees standing against the sky. I see my sheep wandering about with no one to tend them.” Bright Morning p. 110
Having lived in the area for two years and visited many historical sites I’ve learned much about the different cultures and the clashes that ensued as a result. I had not yet heard about the Long Walk and the Navaho peoples’ removal to Bosque Redondo in the 1860s. It is a similar plight of removal that many people and tribes throughout history share.
“That afternoon we saw many bands of Navahos. They came from all directions, from the high country and from the valleys. It was like a storm when water trickles from everywhere and flows into the river and the river flows full. This was the way the trail looked as night fell, like a dark-flowing river.” p. 93
I love that books change the way I think about life, about people, and about the world around us. I feel very fortunate to have read Sing Down the Moon and pray its impact is to continue to increase my empathy, compassion, and hope.
If you’re interested in other books by Scott O’Dell here’s the ones I can personally recommend:
If you missed my last post all about what I’m reading now check out:
The Book Stack~March 2021
What are you reading this season? What book has had the biggest heart change for you this year?
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