Review by vhardaway -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
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vhardaway
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Review by vhardaway -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon is an interesting, multi-layered read. On the surface, the book is a coming-of-age story set in the backcountry wilderness of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state. Teenager Sarah unexpectedly joins her grandfather Tom, his good friend William, and William’s daughter Myra for a pilgrimage to return an artifact to an ancestor’s final resting place. However, surprising events lead to the telling of a historical journey of First People from Eastern Russia to the land that is now Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. The layers of the story and the weaving of past and present make Strong Heart a very compelling book.
Woven into the present and past storylines of this book is a discussion of the history, culture, and rights of Indigenous peoples. I appreciated the attempt to include the traditions and stories of Indigenous people and to bring this discussion to fiction. However, the heavy-handed approach of this attempt was my least-favorite part of this book. The inclusion of Indigenous elements seemed not to consult Indigenous perspectives and instead treated these elements as exotic and stereotypical.
On the other hand, the use of the same places to tell a story set in two different times is a fascinating and very effective storytelling technique. Furthermore, Charlie Sheldon does a great job creating believable, compelling characters who drive the story forward. The dialogue is engaging and changes in temp and tone to reflect the different times of the story. The author uses beautiful descriptions to communicate the beauty of the nature in which the story is set. Overall, the masterful storytelling was my favorite part of the book.
I give Strong Heart 4 out of 4 stars. I found no typos or grammar mistakes, demonstrating high quality editing. I found myself picking the book up to return to the story and eager to find out what happened next. I also enjoyed the author’s writing style and storytelling technique.
This would be a good book for anyone with an interest in history, wilderness, or coming-of-age stories. I will caveat this statement by saying that Indigenous people may find the simplistic portrayal of the history and culture of the Haida people off-putting or offensive. There are also some racial slurs used by the antagonists. Due to some mature themes (hints at molestation, violent death) I would recommend it for middle school and up. There is mild language sprinkled throughout as well.
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Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon is an interesting, multi-layered read. On the surface, the book is a coming-of-age story set in the backcountry wilderness of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state. Teenager Sarah unexpectedly joins her grandfather Tom, his good friend William, and William’s daughter Myra for a pilgrimage to return an artifact to an ancestor’s final resting place. However, surprising events lead to the telling of a historical journey of First People from Eastern Russia to the land that is now Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. The layers of the story and the weaving of past and present make Strong Heart a very compelling book.
Woven into the present and past storylines of this book is a discussion of the history, culture, and rights of Indigenous peoples. I appreciated the attempt to include the traditions and stories of Indigenous people and to bring this discussion to fiction. However, the heavy-handed approach of this attempt was my least-favorite part of this book. The inclusion of Indigenous elements seemed not to consult Indigenous perspectives and instead treated these elements as exotic and stereotypical.
On the other hand, the use of the same places to tell a story set in two different times is a fascinating and very effective storytelling technique. Furthermore, Charlie Sheldon does a great job creating believable, compelling characters who drive the story forward. The dialogue is engaging and changes in temp and tone to reflect the different times of the story. The author uses beautiful descriptions to communicate the beauty of the nature in which the story is set. Overall, the masterful storytelling was my favorite part of the book.
I give Strong Heart 4 out of 4 stars. I found no typos or grammar mistakes, demonstrating high quality editing. I found myself picking the book up to return to the story and eager to find out what happened next. I also enjoyed the author’s writing style and storytelling technique.
This would be a good book for anyone with an interest in history, wilderness, or coming-of-age stories. I will caveat this statement by saying that Indigenous people may find the simplistic portrayal of the history and culture of the Haida people off-putting or offensive. There are also some racial slurs used by the antagonists. Due to some mature themes (hints at molestation, violent death) I would recommend it for middle school and up. There is mild language sprinkled throughout as well.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Nightlord: Sunset by Garon Whited
