Sacred Ground

Rating:
Summary: Must-Read for Native LA residents
Review: This wonderful book not only entertains but educates with tidbits of information about religion,history,cultural differences,geography, etc. I was mesmerized from the first page and hated to see the last page appear. Fix a cup of tea, curl up in a cozy spot and prepare to be enthralled.

Rating:
Summary: Generational Tale of Discovery
Review: When Erica Tyler, a controversial archaeologist, takes a stand regarding the discovery of the 2000 year old bones of an aboriginal woman found after an earthquake disturbs a cave in the Los Angeles region of Southern California, she embarks on an incredible journey of love and self-discovery while uncovering the story of an unknown Indian tribe whose history parallels that of the state of California.

As Erica battles both the Native American tribes who disagree with archaelogists interfering with the graves of their own, and her boss who is intent on turning the cave into a museum financed by a wealthy and influential benefactor, she relates the troubled story of her own past, an ordeal of abandonment, foster homes and trouble with the law. Concurrently, in an every other chapter format, Wood retells the bittersweet history of the Topaa tribe, founded by medicine woman Marimi, an outcast from an Arizona tribe forced to traverse the desert and settle her family near the Pacific ocean. Unbeknownst to Erica, the strength of Marimi and her descendants, warrior women who suffer from the dehabilitating headaches of prescience, infuse her with willpower and steadfastness of her own and with the help of lawyer and love interest Jared Black, she finds her way as did Marimi and her kin.

As always, Wood weaves a powerful tale of healer women whose compassion and sense of obligation acts as a strong repellant for all things negative. Her pages on the Topaa tribe fascinate; the reader cannot help but finish this novel in one or two days. Reminiscent of Michener's 'Centennial', without the cumbersome geological first chapters, her personal stories regarding the different generations of women remind me of an adult version of the American Girls series, where individual stories are intertwined with great moments of American history to allow the reader to empathize with the times and the time's emotions. Here, Wood delivers a page-turning tale of a strong yet subjugated people who make up the backbone of today's California. Nicely done.

If you are looking for a romance tale, this novel focuses more on self-discovery and the resolution of identity. As in other examples of Wood's work, Jared, although a fine masculine specimen, is depicted as more of a helpmate playing second fiddle to Erica's strong first. I also thought that the ending was a little rushed, but perhaps this is due only to the fact that usually I expect a Wood novel to be almost 500 pages.

All in all this is recommended to all who are fans of Ms. Wood or like novels depicting strong women in less than perfect situations.