Book Review of "How I became a ghost: A Choctaw Trail of Tears story" by Tim Tingle

 

1.     Bibliography

Tingle, T. 2013. How I became a ghost: A Choctaw Trail of Tears story. Roadrunner Press. ISBN: 9781937054533

2.     Plot Summary

We follow Isaac and his tribe as they are fleeing their homeland to escape the Nahullo soldiers.  When the Treaty Talk doesn’t go as planned and the soldiers come in the middle of the night and set fires to the tribe’s houses, Isaac and his family must flee into the woods to hide.  Once they are in the forest the winter season comes and makes it even more difficult for the Choctaw to get away from the soldiers.  When the soldiers give Choctaw people blankets that are filled with smallpox, Isaac and his family are forced to move again.  They run into another family on the road and Isaac and Nita form a close bond.  When Nita passes away, she visits Isaac as a ghost and tells him she has a sister.  Isaac is determined to help and find her sister and reunite her with her family.  Joseph, the grandson of the Old Man, helps Isaac with this quest and eventually must take over after Isaac is killed by a wolf.  Isaac in ghost form and Joseph both find Naomi and rescue her and reunite her with her family. 

3.     Critical Analysis

In this story we meet Isaac who is a 10-year-old boy who ends up being killed by a wolf on the trail of tears as his family is trying to escape the white men coming for the tribe.  Issac has visions which he keeps to himself because he fears them, and he can also see ghosts.  Through his visions he sees himself dying and different hardships that he endures but isn’t sure if this is when he is a ghost or alive.  We also meet Joseph who is the grandson of the Old Man and Old Woman in the book.  He also has supernatural powers and can turn into a panther when necessary.  Both characters come together to help rescue a girl who is held captive by the Nahullo soldiers.  Joseph symbolized the Choctaws’ connection to nature and land, giving the book accurate details about the tribe’s culture.  Nita is a young Choctaw girl who Isaac forms a connection with while they are on the trail.  We also see Luke who is Isaac’s big brother and develops more over the course of the story.  Finally, we have Naomi who is taken by the Nahullo soldiers and who Isaac is trying to rescue.  The setting of the story takes place in Choctaw Nation, Mississippi, which is the ancestral homeland of the Choctaw people.  Most of the novel takes place when the tribe is trying to flee the Nahullo soldiers and they end up in the forest, traveling roads, fields, and camps.  The time is a historical piece in the 1830’s.  There are cultural details in the story like the ability to see ghosts, this transformation of characters into ghosts when they die shows the spiritual connection the Choctaw tribe has.  In the story you can see this when they say goodbye to each other, instead of goodbye they say chi pisa lachike, meaning they will see each other again in the future.  The story shows the Choctaws’ connection to nature when they are performing rituals in the woods and river.  This shows their community connection as well when they all join in together.  The story also features a map on the front page that shows the different directions the tribe took and where they ended up.  Overall, this story shows the connection the Choctaw tribe had with each other and their challenges along the Trail of Tears.  People will come to see the hardships they endured and get a glimpse into their lives when they had to fight for their lives. 

4.     Review Excerpt(s)

"The beginning of a trilogy, this tale is valuable for both its recounting of a historical tragedy and its immersive Choctaw perspective." -- Vicky Smith "Kirkus Reviews"

 

"Tingle, a Choctaw storyteller, relates his tale in the engaging repetitions and rhythms of an oft-told story. ... The novel comes alive in Isaac's voice and in the rich alliance of the living and the dead." -- Dean Schneider "The Horn Book Magazine"

5.     Connections

*Students can research the trail of tears and create an interactive map showing the route, key events, and impact that the tribe faced during their journey.

*I would also have students pick one character from the book and create a diary entry from their perspective showing what they felt or what they were afraid of.