The Education of Little Tree

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Summary: One of the most memorable stories I have ever come across.
Review: This is a bittersweet tale told in a simple voice with great poignancy and power. Despite every opportunity, Forrest Carter never portrays himself or any of the many characters he encounters as victims. He weaves a nearly dream-like account of life close to the Earth, of great respect and admiration for all things of nature, and the fine line between the "thinking" world of white men and the "knowing" world of the red man. This book will make you giggle and make you cry, but mostly it is a powerful cathartic medicine for those afflicted with the maladies of the modern world.

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Summary: Achingly beautiful and life altering book! A Classic!
Review: I had this book on my bookshelf for over a year before I finally took it down to read. Mere mortal words cannot describe the beauty, wisdom, spiritual depth, joy and sadness in this little book. I laughed; I cried; I smiled; I thought; I read it aloud to my husband and I cried some more. This is truly a classic that every human being should have to read. I'm passing it along to my daughters and hope they read it to their children.

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Summary: Living With Clarity
Review: I have read this book 5 times. It calls to me every year or so, and, wondering why, since it always leaves me in tears, I have decided that the simple, clear integrity of the lives of the characters in this book appeals to something deep inside of me. Raised a cultural Christian, with all of the "bible training" and Sunday school attendance pins that go along with that background, I was always troubled by the guilt and shame for just being human that orthodox Christianity attempted to cast upon me. I realized, as an adult, after much study and soul searching, that we are all a simple part of a complex universe, and, deserve to live in it fully, with all of the joys and sorrows encountered along the way, and, be able to question every single fascinating bauble that is presented to us by fate. I am also comfortable in the knowledge that my soul is part of something finite and larger than this life. I do not have to pay dues to a church or a judgemental diety. Little Tree and his kin knew this. They felt no shame or guilt unless it was self inflicted. Little Tree's simple life, religion and expectations, with a heritage of love, allowed him to live his life with crystal clear vision and peace. This book is written in a style that lets one's soul soar with expectation and joy, if only for the short time that it takes to read it. God, please grant me the grace to raise my children like Little Tree.

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Summary: The Education of Little Tree
Review: What a poignant, heart-wrenching book Forest Carter has written. I would hope that everyone could read this, and understand the futility and despicability of ethnic HATE, and learn to love their fellow man. Little Tree is one of my all-time favorite books. Even when I read it for the 6th and 7th time, the tears refuse to be stifled.

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Summary: Growing Up
Review: I have enjoyed all of Forrest Carter's writings, but this one is above all the best. It is a shame we don't have him anymore. This book will evoke laughter, sadness, anger, and many more emotions in each chapter. I agree this book should be read by ALL young people. It shows how good morals, teachings and lots of love will enable a person to achieve all he can. No matter how tough life can get, if you have these basics as a child you will survive and become stronger.

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Summary: Grappling with the contraversy.
Review: It's a strange, strange world. And while I'm stunned, and a little saddened, to learn of the background of the book and its author, my opinion of the book is changed, not one iota. It remains, to my mind, one of the most beautiful, beautifully written and meaningful stories I have ever read. So, how do I reconcile the apparent contradiction between author and story? I can't and don't really care. To me the book, and my experience of it, stands on its own, untainted by its background and associations. If I felt compelled to, I could rationalize the author's actions by depicting him as a man of a certain time and place as, say, George Washington or Thomas Jefferson, both of whom owned human beings as slaves, and yet did some good in their lives. As it is, I try to stand in judgement, especially of people I don't even know, as little as possible. I don't know if (Asa Earl) Forrest Carter was a good man or a bad man or how you even make a judgement like that from this place and time. But I do know that art, even while standing distinct and separate from the artist responsible for it, is almost always a reflection of some vital part of that artist. It may be only the tiniest facet of his self, it may not be the sum total, it may not even be understood by the artist himself, but it arises from within. So, I believe this: some facet of the author's spirit was inspired with a love and respect of truth and a deep understanding of human nature, and that that inspiration was responsible for a book of overwhelming beauty and humanity. I would still recommended it to my best friends as a rare, spirit-nourishing book. I view the contraversy surrounding its author as one of life's more bizarre lessons in self honesty, critical judgement and prejudice. To indict the book because of the sins of its author would be hypocritical, irrational and another form of prejudice - a case of judging something on other than its own merit. Ironic that. Read the book.

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Summary: "Being human"
Review: Dear Forrest ... Thank you so much for allowing yourself to express as student/teacher/guide.

The wisdom you have conveyed here, through the expression of the "sorrows" as well as the "joys" of your youth offered me the opportunity to experience the parts of myself I thought were safely buried ... hidden away in the depths of my inner self.

I am grateful to you for giving me this opportunity to laugh and cry my way through to myself ... the outcome of this process has been a lightening of the "vale". The floodgate of my good is now more open than before.

Blessings to you!

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Summary: "The Way"
Review: A five-year-old "half breed" Cherokee Indian is left orphaned in Tennessee in the early 1900's and is adopted by his loving grandparents. Restrained by the chains of prejudice of the white men and ignorance to their way, the couple struggles to teach the young boy the way of the Cherokee people and share a precious few blissful years before their time is out. You'll journey with Little Tree through the Chattanooga Mountains, joining him on his many adventures as complex as the illegal whiskey making trade and as simple as standing on top of a mountain to watch the sun rise. You'll see the Cherokee perspective on big events such as the Civil War and the Trail of Tears as well as smaller ones such as relating to the earth and to other people. This book will make you laugh, this book will bring tears to your eyes. Its characters are lovable and believable. It's one of those books that you can apply to your own life, one that becomes a part of you, one that you'll never forget. The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter.

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Summary: Education of Little Tree - a review
Review: This is a well-writted literary work about a little part-Native American boy growing up with his granparents in the mountains. It has a mixture of subtle comedy with a deep emotional overtone about Native American life. It also contains some spiritual morals and interesting philosophies if you read it closely. It is a very enjoyable book to read and I'd recommend it to anyone of any age.

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Summary: This was a pleasant diversion
Review: I enjoyed reading this book. It was a pleasant diversion. However, I wasn't quite as moved by it as some seem to have been. Perhaps if this had been my first introduction to the Native Amercan view of nature, it might have been more meaningful for me. As it is, it reminded me a little of the kind of anti-establishment novel we would have read in the 60's and early 70's and found to be "so true."

I did, however, feel that the writing was quite good. The author did a very believable job of telling this from a child's point of view, and I always appreciate someone who describes nature so that you can feel,taste and smell it. Over all, I would recommend this as an excellent book for young adults.