Review by TheyCallMeT13 -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon

[tguthrie]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Charlie Sheldon delivers a real surprise with his book Strong Heart. What would you do if a thirteen-year-old girl claiming to be your granddaughter suddenly shows up at the door while you're packing for a hike in the mountains of the pacific northwest? The answer, Tom decides, is to take Sarah along for the journey. What he doesn't realize, however, is that everyone involved will be changed.

The surprising thing about Strong Heart is how the events affect each character so wholly. Everyone gets a payoff in the end, and it is a work of beauty to behold. While everyone thinks the journey will be good for Sarah, a wildcard of a moody teenager, it is because of her that everything succeeds. Tom, Sarah, Myra, William, and Sergei are all developed in a way that leads to that success. Sheldon does an incredible job of making their backstories matter. We don't know much about them at the beginning, but we learn intimate details through the expertly crafted narrative. His background in seafaring, wildlife biology, and tribal conflict help sell the plot, too. From charting unknown waters to escaping forest fires, everything was believable in this "land of magic, history, and legend."

The content, characters, and setting were new to me, but somehow they still felt familiar. As the group sits around the campfire to tell stories about their past, I felt like I was with them. At its core, this book is about family and human connection, our origins and how we stay together. Most of the book had me on the edge of my seat. For the times when I felt lost, the characters' ruminating thoughts on their past experiences every couple of chapters, served to bring me back to focus.

I did not notice any editing errors in Strong Heart, so I am inclined to give this a 4 out of 4 stars. I consider this a must-read for anyone interested in native culture, and for those who enjoy stories with deep and meaningful perspective. It asks you to let go of rational thinking for a bit and simply allow yourself to feel. Connection to our history and stories matter, sometimes more so than people would like to admit. As one of the characters posits, "life is difficult...life [is] also beautiful." The two are not mutually exclusive, either. Often it is best to remember that life is most beautiful when it is hard.

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Strong Heart
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