Indian Boyhood

March 28, 2016
The language of this abridgement of Eastman’s 1902 memoir may strike some readers as stilted, and Rasch’s flat, stylized figures have a faltering, uncertain line. Readers should not be put off. Few records of childhood from the period survive, and this one is singular. Eastman remembers both famine and cruelty (“When I was six, my father and my two older brothers were taken prisoner by the United States Army”), but he maintains a tone of quiet resignation throughout. Details of his upbringing in the wilderness delight: “Every boy was trained to find new and strange things in the woods. If a bird had scratched the leaves off the ground, we stopped to speculate on the time it was done.” Eastman’s uncle trained him to go without food and to wake from a deep sleep ready to fight, but he never goes to war. Instead, his father returns, they move to the city, and the boy enters school. Teachers devoting time to Native American study and readers who yearn to know more about Native American life will find much to learn—and much to mourn. Ages 4–8. (June)■

April 15, 2016
This rare firsthand memoir of late-19th-century Santee Dakota life offers a valuable counterpoint to inaccurate and biased accounts of Native American civilizations told by outsiders.Ohiyesa (1858-1939), also known as Charles Alexander Eastman, wrote 11 books, the first of which was the 1902 account of his youth until age 15, Indian Boyhood. Greatly condensed and simplified for younger readers, this version includes memories of daily life--childhood games, traditional skills and lore learned from elders, times of feast and famine--as well as foreboding signs of changes to come, including expulsion from their land at gunpoint, the capture by the U.S. Army of Ohiyesa's father and brothers, the incursion of the railroads. Ohiyesa's original prose was majestic and lyrical, with rich cultural details brought vividly to life over the course of a novel-length work. This 34-page offering is bland by comparison, though intriguing details of a tame grizzly bear and grueling practice for becoming a warrior may inspire curious readers to pick up Ohiyesa's classic. Detailed notes show the care that was taken to achieve historical accuracy in the illustrations, which unfortunately suffer from inconsistent and awkward proportions.Notable for its content more than its execution, this book nevertheless deserves recognition given the relative scarcity of historical works that give voice to Native writers. (Picture book/biography. 6-9)

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June 1, 2016
Grades 2-4 Adapted from Charles Eastman's (Ohiyesa's) 1902 autobiography Indian Boyhood, this story for young readers recounts his childhood and experiences as a Native American. Ohiyesa was born and raised in a traditional Sioux culture and spent his teen and adult life in the colonial world, attending college and becoming a writer and lobbyist for the Sioux and other indigenous peoples. As a boy, Ohiyesa learned to work, hunt, and study the traditions of the Sioux through stories and role play. Small paragraphs of text are surrounded by Rasch's illustrations, which feature brightly painted landscapes, members of Ohiyesa's family, and borders that incorporate traditional motifs. The subject and length of the text make it suitable for social studies classrooms; mindful teachers should draw attention to the autobiographical element of the book, noting these are but one Sioux boy's experiences. The preface and endnotes provide additional information about the illustrations and a more extensive account of Charles Eastman's life. Pair with S. D. Nelson's Sitting Bull (2015) for a look at another important figure in Sioux history.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)