Review of Strong Heart
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Latisha McDaniel
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Review of Strong Heart
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
In Charlie Sheldon’s Strong Heart, he opens with an ominous mood as a rainstorm passes Tom’s house, personified as ancient spirits awakened and knock on the door. Meanwhile, Tom, William, and Myra are inside the house preparing for their trip to the Olympic National Park. William and Tom are elderly but still in good shape. While Tom invited his friend William to join him, Willam invited his daughter Myra to look after them with her resourcefulness. As the spirits knocked on the door, so did Ruth, Tom’s ex-wife, to introduce Tom to their 13-year-old granddaughter Sarah Cooley–their daughter Becky became estranged with them after she ran away from home at the age of 15, got sick, and later, died. Sarah is like Becky returning with unfinished business as Tom notes their resemblance. William insisted that Sarah joins them to meet her great-grandfather’s spirit. Despite Tom’s reluctance, he agreed. He wanted to secure Bob-Bob’s grave, his grandfather who died there, burn Bob-Bob’s old backpack, and return the atlatl, an ancient artifact. However, there were factors that challenged their journey, such as interference by Buckhorn International company, Sarah’s disappearance, and the severe thunderstorms.
I appreciate how Sheldon uses his characters to debate the two perspectives on the origin of modern humans. As Myra asserts, in this “land of magic, history, and legend. A place of myth, ancient stories, ancient people'' (p. 7), legend states that indigenous people were always in the Pacific Northwest. Sheldon notes that this belief clashes with scientific evidence collected for many years by archeologists claiming humans first arrived in North America at the end of the last ice age up to 15,000 years ago. He cleverly pits Myra against Sergei, the son of William’s Russian friend Alec, who is also a Koryak–descendant of indigenous people in Russia. Sergei represents scientists who choose scientific data over legends; thus, he often argues with Myra as she defends the tribes’ legends.
In Strong Heart, Myra recalls the legend shared by her great-grandmother in Haida Gwaii. While the whale used its voice to sing, the bear used its mind to think. One day, a bear and whale decided to work together to catch fish, and they fell in love after an honorable battle over their catch. They started a family and others did the same. As the offspring evolved, they were able to “hold their thoughts and memories with song, tell stories, and so learn how to become people” (p.52). Moreover, Sarah encountered a bear so she drew it in her sketchpad, and then it beckoned her to follow. Myra was envious of Sarah for seeing the same ancient bear that she studied about in college.
When Sarah disappeared, she fell down a hole, knocked unconscious into a dream-vision. She recalled being kidnapped with several girls used as bargaining for the canoe group who needed wives. After the trade went wrong, the canoe group claimed the girls, and they faced unfortunate events due to greed, jealousy, and cowardice as they traveled home. Furthermore, Thin Hair dubbed Sarah as “Strong Heart” because she never complained about her hands bleeding while paddling the canoe–she continued until told to stop. Bright Eyes also praised Strong Heart for being small yet showed great strength. Thin Hair chose Strong Heart to visit the Marking Place. Once the vision ended, Sarah woke up in the hole with the bear staring at her in darkness; it led her out of the hole.
Later, Sarah noticed the group trekked the same direction that the bear beckoned her, and everyone except Tom saw the short face bear. They realized their arrival at the Marking Place from Sarah’s vision. Sergei speculated that “It could have been a glacial refuge here, right here, on the Olympic Peninsula, in the dark time after the Toba eruption, 75 thousand years ago, when ancient people, not yet modern, came together to create us” (p.255). This indicates that the tribe evolved during their canoe journeys and became modern people. The group concluded that the tribes possibly started their journey from Kamchatka to St. Paul, the headland, and then traveled to the Olympic Peninsula, The Place People Were.
I rate Strong Heart 4 out of 4 stars because it is beautifully written and demonstrates Charlie Sheldon's dedicated career; he was a seaman, involved in habitat cleanup, and cooperated with the local Puget Sound Tribes. These experiences breathe life into the book, which is shared with readers just as the legends are passed down to the younger generation in the tribes.
I recommend this book to readers open to interesting history and science about the origins of modern humans as a journey unfolds. There is also emphasis on immersing oneself in nature to reconnect with one’s ancestors, sharing stories of the past, and righting past wrongs.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
In Charlie Sheldon’s Strong Heart, he opens with an ominous mood as a rainstorm passes Tom’s house, personified as ancient spirits awakened and knock on the door. Meanwhile, Tom, William, and Myra are inside the house preparing for their trip to the Olympic National Park. William and Tom are elderly but still in good shape. While Tom invited his friend William to join him, Willam invited his daughter Myra to look after them with her resourcefulness. As the spirits knocked on the door, so did Ruth, Tom’s ex-wife, to introduce Tom to their 13-year-old granddaughter Sarah Cooley–their daughter Becky became estranged with them after she ran away from home at the age of 15, got sick, and later, died. Sarah is like Becky returning with unfinished business as Tom notes their resemblance. William insisted that Sarah joins them to meet her great-grandfather’s spirit. Despite Tom’s reluctance, he agreed. He wanted to secure Bob-Bob’s grave, his grandfather who died there, burn Bob-Bob’s old backpack, and return the atlatl, an ancient artifact. However, there were factors that challenged their journey, such as interference by Buckhorn International company, Sarah’s disappearance, and the severe thunderstorms.
I appreciate how Sheldon uses his characters to debate the two perspectives on the origin of modern humans. As Myra asserts, in this “land of magic, history, and legend. A place of myth, ancient stories, ancient people'' (p. 7), legend states that indigenous people were always in the Pacific Northwest. Sheldon notes that this belief clashes with scientific evidence collected for many years by archeologists claiming humans first arrived in North America at the end of the last ice age up to 15,000 years ago. He cleverly pits Myra against Sergei, the son of William’s Russian friend Alec, who is also a Koryak–descendant of indigenous people in Russia. Sergei represents scientists who choose scientific data over legends; thus, he often argues with Myra as she defends the tribes’ legends.
In Strong Heart, Myra recalls the legend shared by her great-grandmother in Haida Gwaii. While the whale used its voice to sing, the bear used its mind to think. One day, a bear and whale decided to work together to catch fish, and they fell in love after an honorable battle over their catch. They started a family and others did the same. As the offspring evolved, they were able to “hold their thoughts and memories with song, tell stories, and so learn how to become people” (p.52). Moreover, Sarah encountered a bear so she drew it in her sketchpad, and then it beckoned her to follow. Myra was envious of Sarah for seeing the same ancient bear that she studied about in college.
When Sarah disappeared, she fell down a hole, knocked unconscious into a dream-vision. She recalled being kidnapped with several girls used as bargaining for the canoe group who needed wives. After the trade went wrong, the canoe group claimed the girls, and they faced unfortunate events due to greed, jealousy, and cowardice as they traveled home. Furthermore, Thin Hair dubbed Sarah as “Strong Heart” because she never complained about her hands bleeding while paddling the canoe–she continued until told to stop. Bright Eyes also praised Strong Heart for being small yet showed great strength. Thin Hair chose Strong Heart to visit the Marking Place. Once the vision ended, Sarah woke up in the hole with the bear staring at her in darkness; it led her out of the hole.
Later, Sarah noticed the group trekked the same direction that the bear beckoned her, and everyone except Tom saw the short face bear. They realized their arrival at the Marking Place from Sarah’s vision. Sergei speculated that “It could have been a glacial refuge here, right here, on the Olympic Peninsula, in the dark time after the Toba eruption, 75 thousand years ago, when ancient people, not yet modern, came together to create us” (p.255). This indicates that the tribe evolved during their canoe journeys and became modern people. The group concluded that the tribes possibly started their journey from Kamchatka to St. Paul, the headland, and then traveled to the Olympic Peninsula, The Place People Were.
I rate Strong Heart 4 out of 4 stars because it is beautifully written and demonstrates Charlie Sheldon's dedicated career; he was a seaman, involved in habitat cleanup, and cooperated with the local Puget Sound Tribes. These experiences breathe life into the book, which is shared with readers just as the legends are passed down to the younger generation in the tribes.
I recommend this book to readers open to interesting history and science about the origins of modern humans as a journey unfolds. There is also emphasis on immersing oneself in nature to reconnect with one’s ancestors, sharing stories of the past, and righting past wrongs.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Deceptive Calm by Patricia Skipper
