Sees Behind Trees Revised Digest Sized

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Summary: A deep dark tale
Review: A fascinating tale of the lives of the old and young. In this story, a boy's handicap becomes a strength, and then an unwanted power. Following the adventures of a Native American boy, the story explores the nature of desire and our own darkness. The book was, in my opinion, well written and at no point relied on stereotypes. The book's Native Americans are never named, and this makes perfect sense. It reminds of that play, "Fifth of July", where an old hippie remarks that Eskimos call themselves "the people" and everyone else, "the other people". To which his co-horts exclaim, "Of course they say that. Everyone says that!". This came to mind while reading this book. I liked it. I liked the plot and the characters. I liked the odd jealousy the weroance had for her brother, and how the book didn't condemn her for it. I liked the descriptions of the land of water the most. I wasn't particularly taken with the magical realism concerning the disappearance of Gray Fire, but then it wasn't a bad way of presenting his disappearance. In the end, it's a strong story with a couple odd twists and turns. It would read aloud very well, and could pair with "A Boy Called Slow" as a story of a boy becoming a man.

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Summary: Please help me!
Review: Does Sees Behind Trees Really find the place Gray Fire wanted to find?!! Please e-mail me at [e-mail]

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Summary: Excellent!!!
Review: Loved this book. What a wonderful world that is depicted by the author. I think it would be a wonderful read for children of all ages. Excellent.

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Summary: LYRICAL VOICE
Review: Michael Dorris has a gift for lending lyricism to his writings. This book, like his most famous book, "Broken Cord," (his 1989 magnum opus about his adopted son's challenges with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) gives insight and voice to Native American traditions. His beautiful "rite of passage/naming ceremony" brings to mind the parallel naming ceremony of his son in "Broken Cord." It is hard not to see some parallels. Mr. Dorris describes natural phenomena with love and respect and that is resonated throughout this book.

In recent years, Mr. Dorris was involved in a controversy and subsequently committed suicide. This is a very tragic postscript for this gifted author and those whose lives were touched by his writings. One can only hope he was not guilty of the indescretion which he was charged. However, if he was guilty, one would hope proper legal steps were taken. Regardless of the man's unfortunate decisions in his life, he did enrich the lives of others with his works.

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Summary: Look beyond your eyes
Review: Sees Behind Trees by Michael Dorris is the perfect coming-of-age novel, but what I love best about it is the encouragement to see beyond a handicap. I have worn glasses since I was a young child and I remember not being able to see, but being afraid to tell anyone for fear of rejection. Walnut did not have that choice, and as he takes the name, Sees Behind Trees, he learns to see past his infirmity. He learns through several trials and a hard journey that growing up is about learning and about accepting differences in yourself, and in others. There are many lessons to learn in this novel and Dorris does a beautiful job of simply portrying his philosophy.

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Summary: Sees Behind Trees: The Epitome of Dreary
Review: The book, Sees Behind Trees, by Michael Dorris is a bland and dull book. It doesn't give any information about Indian culture. The story all starts when Walnut becomes a man in his Native American society. He has the special ability to see things from far away without looking. Gray Fire, a town elder, wants Walnut to help him find the land of water, which Gray Fire had seen at a young age but couldn't find the way back. They start on their journey, and run into many problems along the way. Will they make it, or will it end before it even started?

I don't recommend this book because it teaches you nothing. Walnut lives in an Indian village and, the author doesn't show enough of what Native American tribe he is from. At one point in the book he becomes a man, in a tribal event, where he spots a man from far in the woods, ad gets his nickname, "Sees Behind Trees". The author doesn't give enough insight to any cultural things. The events are lacking a certain credential. Another reason is that it doesn't make it more exciting when Walnut comes in either, and makes it a slow read. In one scene they are about to encounter these very dangerous strangers. The strangers end up being nice people from a foreign land. Also, when Walnut falls off the face of a cliff looking for Gray Fire he is fine. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book because of these reasons.

Some people who want to read books to their kids would probably disagree with me. A lot of people see this book as a novel for young teens. But it is a good children's book because of the plot, which is easy to follow, especially when they are in the woods. It probably wont be picked up by many parents, so preteens should listen to my suggestions. If anyone reads this book they will realize my recommendations were correct. It is a lackluster and bland book.

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Summary: beautiful story
Review: This book was required reading for a college children's lit class and I was incredibly pleased with it. It is an absolutely beautiful story of a young native american boy. The book is written in lovely, lyrical language using incredible imagery. It is a book children can relate to, as it is told in first person by a child and includes all the mixed up feelings of a child, but it also addresses some very deep and meaningful issues that adults will find rather poignent. I was captivated throughout.

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Summary: A great book!
Review: This is a coming of age book with a new twist. The child becoming a man lives in a world which is smaller than we can imagine. It is small because he cannot see more than a few inches, but it is also small because he lives in a tiny Native American tribe that has virtually no contact with anyone outside of its own narrow circle.

And yet in this very small world, the adolescent begins a voyage like that of all adolescents, where adults stop being enormous mythical figures and start emerging as human beings, each with their own strengths and weaknesses; and where those adults begin to see the adolescent as one of them, with whom they can share their secrets.

But, unlike adolescents in our larger world, this youngster does not rebel and become angry. Instead he grows and learns and is awed and almost overcome by what he discovers. Perhaps this is because, in this very small world, all the adults are able to show a respect and sensitivity to the emerging man that we have lost in our larger world.

This book is actually very complex. I doubt that your typical kid would understand it without help, but that is really its strength, that you can talk with your kid about what it feels like to become an adult.

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Summary: A great story for anyone who is less than perfect
Review: Walnut, a Powhatan boy in pre-Colonial Virginia, is approaching the age when he will have to take a test to prove himself ready for manhood. Because he is very near-sighted in a world without glasses, he is afraid he will not be able to pass the test, which involves hitting a moving target with an arrow. His mother teaches him to use his other senses, so Walnut is ready when the village matriarch announces a special test, which involves "seeing" something hidden behind a clump of trees. Walnut is able to use his other senses to detect Gray Fire walking towards the village, and earns his adult status as well as his adult name, Sees Behind Trees. Because of his skill, Sees Behind Trees is asked to aid Gray Fire in his quest for a hidden land. Avoiding dangers along the way, the two reach the end of Gray Fire's quest, but this proves to be only the beginning of a new quest for Sees Behind Trees. Sees Behind Trees is an beautifully written coming-of-age tale that meets the needs of readers in several ways. The tale is told in the first person with a skill that strongly connects the reader with the tale, and will allow young readers to place themselves inside the story. The characters are realistic, particularly Sees Behind Trees (nee Walnut), with whose emotions and anxieties the reader can readily identify. A young audience will quickly recognize similarities between events in the book and their own experiences in growing up, despite the differences in time and culture. This makes this book an excellent choice for students in or going into middle school, as they are faced with similar changes in their own rights and responsibilities, and with changing expectations from those around them. The story is also clearly described, allowing the reader to "see" Sees Behind Trees' world better than he can, as well as providing vivid portrayals of sounds, scents and sensations often lacking in other books. The quest that Gray Fire and Sees Behind Trees pursue is a quasi-mystical adventure with which the reader is nevertheless able to identify. Dorris' research of the Powhatan Indians (he cites his references in his acknowledgements) is thorough, lending further credibility and detail to the story. This story will be of particular interest to students with one or more disabilities, correctable or not, including but not limited to those with vision problems. The fact that Sees Behind Trees is able to overcome his problems purely through adaptation and perseverance makes this tale all the more insightful, meaningful and inspirational.