The Education of Little Tree

I saw the film of this some years ago and had no idea it was a book, let alone a "classic American novel". It's by Forrest Carter, and it's about a Cherokee boy raised by his grandparents during the thirties. I can't quite tell whether it's meant for children or not; there's a lot of mention of "fornicatin'", but seeing his grandfather has no problem telling this to Little Tree, perhaps the implication is that children should be given uncensored tales. Anyway, apart from those occasional stories, it would be a good book to read aloud, because there's beautiful descriptions of the mountains, animals and plants of that part of the world.

Little Tree gets the education he needs; knowing what berries are fine to pick, how to trap an animal, and how to take only what he needs. He learns about the Cherokee Way, which is pretty much about being aware of being part of the life cycle and his part in it. It reads very much like a seventies book, which is what it is. I can understand why at the time it would have been taken to heart.

There's some interesting historical parts about what happened to the Cherokee people, for example the "trail of tears", and then it's mirrored in what happens to Little Tree; he's taken away from his grandparents because the authorities don't believe he's getting a good education. It's a clever piece of irony, especially as the "education" he gets in the orphanage ends up being administered with a cane. His grandparents do retrieve him, however, and he ends up living with them until they both pass away and he has to step out on his own.

It's an interesting story, even though the years haven't been kind to it; the lectures about the circle of life are too well known now to be particularly powerful. It's a well-executed novel and a good starting point for thinking about that particular place and time.