Review by srensch1 -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon

[srensch1]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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STRONG HEART: Two Eras Merging

Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon tells many stories. It is the story of a young teenager thrown into the life of her grandfather, whom she does not know. It is the story of an Alaskan tribe trying to hang on to its sacred grounds against the encroachment of a ruthless mining company. It is the story of natives who are also part of the white culture struggling to determine which to honor. It is the story of a young girl’s actual experience of the lives of her ancestors. It is the story of the war between those archeologists who rely only on hard data and those who accept legacy as data. And it is the story of the coming together of the ancient and the present.

The person who is at the center of all these stories – Sarah – is a 13-year-old who has been abused, is effectively parentless, is artistic and intelligent, is willful but somehow also open to experiences that rational minds reject, and is feisty. Immediately after being handed over to her grandfather, she joins him and others on a trip into the Olympic Mountains to honor a dead relative of the grandfather. But it does not take long before the adults realize that it is not them taking Sarah on a trip but rather Sarah leading them.

The battle between the tribe and the mining company comes down to a race to obtain an artifact which, if found and presented properly, would block the mining company from its planned excavations. The mining company’s representatives – who have no problem with violence -- become major obstacles for Sarah’s group. There is no question where Mr. Sheldon’s sympathies lie, but for some reason he does not bring this particular story to a conclusion, suggesting that he may have a sequel in mind.

The first part of Strong Heart moves slowly, though I had no problem staying with it. The second half, however, is all action. The action takes place in two venues. There is, of course, the present day race through the mountains to avoid the mining company agents and find the artifact. But the parallel story is that of Sarah with her ancestors. Somehow, probably as a result of a fall, she is transported to a time when she could join an ancient tribe and gradually become a member of it. I don’t want to tell you about the events of either time, but I will say that Mr. Sheldon uses them to bring the eras together and dispel any notion of separation. And it is also through these two parallel stories that Sheldon brings together the two scientific views about the natives’ history.

This is a good book. Mr. Sheldon’s writing style is neither complicated nor flowery. The pace of the story keeps the reader thoroughly involved, especially in the second half of the book. Sheldon does not go deeply into the thoughts of any of his characters, but he does nevertheless show evolution in all of them, through their actions and dialogue with each other. There are no plastic characters: each one has his or her moment of glory and moment of foolishness. Most of all, I admire Sheldon’s ability to tell all these stories simultaneously, moving smoothly from one to the other, and then bringing them altogether at the end.

I have no problem giving this book 4 out of 4 stars.

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Strong Heart
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[Espie]

It's a piece that has gripped my heart as well. The second book in the series had been out as one of our BOTD entries, too, and the third one is in the pipeline. Thus, we've got more of the author's work and the story to look forward to. Thank you for your review.