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112th out of 922 books
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The Education of Little Tree
"The Education of Little Tree" tells of a boy orphaned very young, who is adopted by his Cherokee grandmother and half-Cherokee grandfather in the Appalachian mountains of Tennessee during the Great Depression.
"Little Tree" as his grandparents call him is shown how to hunt and survive in the mountains, to respect nature in the Cherokee Way, taking only
...morePaperback, 228 pages
Published
August 31st 2001
by University of New Mexico Press
(first published 1976)
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The closest this book gets to touching nature is the sweet sappiness of the story. Though the author put the story forward as true, he was not actually a Native, but a racist con-man who fought against segregation and was a member of the KKK.
But this revelation shouldn't be that surprising, since the book is hardly insightful or sensitive in its views. Carter's characters are old, romanticized cliches of the colonial 'Noble Savage'--poor Indians beset by the white man's greed trying...more
But this revelation shouldn't be that surprising, since the book is hardly insightful or sensitive in its views. Carter's characters are old, romanticized cliches of the colonial 'Noble Savage'--poor Indians beset by the white man's greed trying...more
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This is one of my favorite books of all time. It's so much more than how you would describe it, so much more than words like story about a boy and his grandparents living in the South describe. The words have such power. They are so vivid; they recreate a world, a picture of a different time and place that is gone from us now. Because of their power, I can so perfectly imagine those hills, that place, and those people in my mind. Every time I read this book, I feel as I am there with them, ...more
wheels
added it
embarrassing. after caty informed me, i googled the author and learned that the original edition was published as an autobiography, though carter is not of native american heritage, was a leader in the klu klux klan, and active as a segregtionist. wow, huh? if you ever want a defintion of appropriation and cultural theft, here's an exemplary one. (my tattered copy was dubbed as an autobiography.)
Interesting book, especially in the fact that the writer was also a speech writer for George Wallace, infamous Southern biggot and racist. Maybe that shows Carter´s true talent then, the ability to switch between such different literary voices...the question is, which voice is his?
This is the story of Little Tree, a five-year-old boy who is brought up by his Cherokee grandparents after his mother dies. Although the introduction claims it's an autobiographical reminiscence, it is in fact fiction. Moreover, the author is not Cherokee; at one point he was apparently a member of extreme racist groups in the USA.
Nevertheless, it's a very well-written book. I gather that some of the details of Little Tree's life and Cherokee customs are not based on reality, bu...more
Nevertheless, it's a very well-written book. I gather that some of the details of Little Tree's life and Cherokee customs are not based on reality, bu...more
Leah Higginbotham
rated it
Recommends it for:
everyone!
Recommended to Leah by:
Michelle (mother in law)
*Note: there is a lot of controversy and here say about the author of this book. Forget about it and enjoy this book with an innocent mind!
The Education of Little Tree follows a young boy as he follows his Grandpa, learning and loving as he goes. From plowing to whiskey making, it divinely illustrates the power of self. Regardless of external influences, industry, growth, abundance, and love can be grown and cultivated.
This book was so deep and enriching on so many le...more
The Education of Little Tree follows a young boy as he follows his Grandpa, learning and loving as he goes. From plowing to whiskey making, it divinely illustrates the power of self. Regardless of external influences, industry, growth, abundance, and love can be grown and cultivated.
This book was so deep and enriching on so many le...more
I got out of college without reading a heck of a lot of classic literature, American or otherwise. Now I'm trying to make up for lost time. I picked up The Education of Little Tree because there happened to be a copy here at my sister's house. I vaguely remembered there being some controversy á la Rigoberta Menchú or Nick Frey. The reissue I have from 1999 has "AMERICAN INDIANS/FICTION" on the back cover, but the introduction calls it "[Forrest Carter's] autobiographical remembran...more
I finished this book last weekend. I'd put it up there with The Alchemist and To Kill a Mockingbird, it was that powerful. This is a work of fiction (despite the intro, it is not really an autobiography) about a 5 year old Cheerokee boy who is raised by his grandparents, Cheerokee hill people, after the death of his parents. It is set in depression-era Tennessee. The story is told in vignettes; the chapters in chronological order. It was a quick read, just over 200 pages, with some mild lang...more
Just finished this and I loved it. I will have to add this one to my list of Favorites. All told from the mouth of a 5 year old... Maybe that's why I was so entertained. I'm surrounded by kids all the time anyway.
The wisdom and utter innocence of Little tree was so refreshing I felt like I was being schooled by a 5 year old. I loved learning about all the Indian traditions.
Toward the end when he had to leave, I was so sad I ached for Little tree and his Grandparents. I fell in...more
The wisdom and utter innocence of Little tree was so refreshing I felt like I was being schooled by a 5 year old. I loved learning about all the Indian traditions.
Toward the end when he had to leave, I was so sad I ached for Little tree and his Grandparents. I fell in...more
It's a joy to read with great life lessons. I recommend it. I've read and re-read it to my kids when they were under 8 and they love the story.
If you have read about Forrest Carter and will not read the book because he was a racist and this does not accurately depict the Native Americans, read on to be convinced:
1.What is more important is the overall message that this book portrays, and it is NOT one of racism. It is an endearing account of a little boy's relationship with h...more
If you have read about Forrest Carter and will not read the book because he was a racist and this does not accurately depict the Native Americans, read on to be convinced:
1.What is more important is the overall message that this book portrays, and it is NOT one of racism. It is an endearing account of a little boy's relationship with h...more
Chibineko
rated it
This is one of the better books I've ever had to read for school, although I'll admit that it's not really up my alley. I think I can lay part of the blame on my pre-research of the book, since it's hard reading this without taking the author controversey into consideration. (It does make it fascinating on a separate level, though.)
The book's story unwinds in a very gentle fashion for much of the novel, although I can't help but feel that the later parts of the book (the orphanage, e...more
The book's story unwinds in a very gentle fashion for much of the novel, although I can't help but feel that the later parts of the book (the orphanage, e...more
I first heard of this book on an Oprah show probably in the mid 1990's; she said such high praise of it. (I understand later she "took it off" her book shelf due to the controversy around the author's racism). I am not in any way supportive of racism; but this book appears to be something very good that the author did and that Oprah had recognized. That is why I first read it and I have passed it on to many people cause I liked it so much. It did seem to start a bit slow for me ...more
A dear new soul recommended me this novel, and am I so GLAD.
It's like Huckleberry Finn meets Laura Ingalls Wilder with Native American culture and folklore thrown in.
Written from the perspective of a little boy (similar to Huck Finn) who's orphaned when his parents die, he's adopted by his grandparents. You learn the Cherokee way of looking at the land, the environment and nature. The intersting thing, is that most novels of this sort take place during the "Wild West"...more
It's like Huckleberry Finn meets Laura Ingalls Wilder with Native American culture and folklore thrown in.
Written from the perspective of a little boy (similar to Huck Finn) who's orphaned when his parents die, he's adopted by his grandparents. You learn the Cherokee way of looking at the land, the environment and nature. The intersting thing, is that most novels of this sort take place during the "Wild West"...more
I thought that it may be interesting to get the opinions of two of the middle school readers. Here is what they thought of The Education of Little Tree.
Little Tree was an orphaned child. His grandpa and grandma took him in after his paretns died. They lived in the mountains. Grandpa got bit by a rattlesnake. Little Tree gets sent to a boarding school where he gets starved treated cruely. His grandfather breaks him out. There was an old man by the name of WIllow John that dies a...more
Little Tree was an orphaned child. His grandpa and grandma took him in after his paretns died. They lived in the mountains. Grandpa got bit by a rattlesnake. Little Tree gets sent to a boarding school where he gets starved treated cruely. His grandfather breaks him out. There was an old man by the name of WIllow John that dies a...more
I don't give many five stars but this one definitely earned it. The librarian here at school loaned this one to me last week with the promise that it would be one of my all time favorite books. I started it half-heartedly because I already had so many books to read but could not say no without seeming ungrateful. I am SO glad I took it. This book brought memories rushing back of my own grandparents. While my own family did not grow up on an isolated mountain with little education, they were...more
Much controversy surrounds the author, Forrest Carter, purported to have been active in White supremacist organizations, and his claim that the book is based on childhood memories of his Cherokee uncle; when in fact his brother says there are no American Indian members in his family. The controversy includes racism and the author's intentions, stereotyping of characters in the book, as well as inaccuracies of the Cherokee language and culture.
My Thoughts
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My Thoughts
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Julianne
rated it
Recommends it for:
Kristin
Recommended to Julianne by:
Ruthann Wambold, lo these many years ago
Shelves:
fiction
If I could give this book 4 1/2 stars, I would. Set in the mountains of Appalachia during the Great Depression, it relates the experiences of Little Tree, a young boy of both Chippewa and white ancestry, between the ages of 5 and 7. A kind of cross between Little House in the Big Woods and The River Why, it's easy enough for young minds to read and interesting enough for old minds to enjoy. There's some material in here that your average middle-schooler might not grasp and some that your average...more
So let's get out of the way first that this is fiction, not an autobiography as stated on the cover, and that the author was a founder of the KKK and was active in segregationist policies.
That said, I really enjoyed this book. There are those that say that this is a caricature of what it means to be a Native American, that it's just as insulting as a blackface show is to African-Americans because the characters are portrayed as Noble Savages. I don't know about that. I felt that...more
That said, I really enjoyed this book. There are those that say that this is a caricature of what it means to be a Native American, that it's just as insulting as a blackface show is to African-Americans because the characters are portrayed as Noble Savages. I don't know about that. I felt that...more
I have to admit that I liked this book a whole lot better the first time I read it and thought it was a memoir...but it still was good, and recalls an absolutely beautiful part of the country to mind.
I also have to admit my opinion of it is now tempered by the knowledge that it is a fake -- or that the author was not who/what he claimed to be. So, like the more recent debacle with A Million Little Pieces, I became somewhat jaded. I loved it as a tender memoir of an orphaned boy ra...more
I also have to admit my opinion of it is now tempered by the knowledge that it is a fake -- or that the author was not who/what he claimed to be. So, like the more recent debacle with A Million Little Pieces, I became somewhat jaded. I loved it as a tender memoir of an orphaned boy ra...more
I don't know how this has slipped under my radar for so long. Little Tree has captured my heart. This was a beautiful and poignant memoir of a Cherokee boy raised by his grandparents in the Depression. The narrator's voice as a young child was so sweet and completely believable and captivating.
I feel like saying too much would be inappropriate for a book like this, since as Little Tree says, "Granpa said if there was less words, there wouldn't be as much trouble in the world."...more
I feel like saying too much would be inappropriate for a book like this, since as Little Tree says, "Granpa said if there was less words, there wouldn't be as much trouble in the world."...more
A colleague recommended this book to me and let me borrow his copy. If he had not done this, then I probably wouldn't have read this book, and I'm very glad I did read it.
"The Education of Little Tree" is a memoir, told through the eyes of 5-year-old "Little Tree," who lives with his Native American grandparents after his parents die. Little Tree is very sweet and tells the story of his life with Granma and Granpa in a very sweet way. What I most took away from th...more
"The Education of Little Tree" is a memoir, told through the eyes of 5-year-old "Little Tree," who lives with his Native American grandparents after his parents die. Little Tree is very sweet and tells the story of his life with Granma and Granpa in a very sweet way. What I most took away from th...more
Andrea
added it
Incapable of determining a certain number of stars for this book. Shocking discovery: Asa Earl Carter (aka Forrest) was no orphan and no Indian. a white supremacist!!! worked for Alabama governor George Wallace and public proponent of segregation. later ran for governor against Wallace on the white supremacist ticket.
"The Way" - a belief of the supposed Cherokees - seemed to me to justify and explain segregation in a palatable manner. "The Way" of nature is th...more
"The Way" - a belief of the supposed Cherokees - seemed to me to justify and explain segregation in a palatable manner. "The Way" of nature is th...more
The book will make you laugh, cry, think - its themes of tolerance and acceptance really moved me. It's about an orphaned 5 year old boy who goes to live with his Cherokee grandparents (in the year 1930). He is taught the "Cherokee Ways," and Little Tree learns how important it is to understand someone before you judge them. From the introduction, it appeared that the book was autobiographical. After finishing the book, I immediately went online to find out more the author. I was...more
Zigforas
rated it
Recommended to Zigforas by:
University City Library book sale (50-cents)
Shelves:
fiction,
american-south
"Granma said everybody has two minds...Granma said if you used the body-living mind to think greedy or mean; if you was always cuttin' at folks with it and figuring how to material profit off'n them... then you would shrink up your spirit mind to a size no bigger'n a hickor'nut. Granma said that when your body died, the body-living mind died with it, and if that's the way you had thought all your life there you was, stuck wit a hickor'nut spirit, as the spirit mind was all that lived when ...more
This book reminded me of what is good about spending as much time as possible outside and appreciating what is natural or good or healthy and why it is not natural, good or healthy to be away from nature or the out of doors or physical labor for too long.
I remembered my first love who was raised in awareness of (and opened my eyes to) native american spirituality and thanked God for letting me know and love some of the people whose lives have crossed my own, if only for a season.
I w...more
I remembered my first love who was raised in awareness of (and opened my eyes to) native american spirituality and thanked God for letting me know and love some of the people whose lives have crossed my own, if only for a season.
I w...more
This is a sweet read...as a novel. It was originally published as an autobiography, but later revealed as a total fiction. But despite the controversy over Forrest Carter's past, this book is a wonderful story. It will make you laugh, cry, and reflect upon your own childhood. Although the narration is deceptively simple, it is not simplistic, and the book addresses themes from liberal arts education, multi-culturalism and pride to dealing with death, the environment, and the importance and j...more
I think the best part of this book is the narration -- Carter captures the language of the Tennessee mountains and conveys it clearly, without too much onomatopoeia or morphological nonsense. I'd say Twain's orthography for dialect is the rare one that bests Carter's, but even there you have to read Twain out loud sometimes to get it.
I'm not sure how I feel about Carter's duplicity as an author. I found the story itself to be lovely, with a cadence that matches the language and the pla...more
I'm not sure how I feel about Carter's duplicity as an author. I found the story itself to be lovely, with a cadence that matches the language and the pla...more
I loved this book when I thought it was based on the author's childhood. I felt cheated when I found out the author was a one-time KKK member and speechwriter for George Wallace. It is hard to believe that type of person could have written this story of a 5 year old Cherokee boy growing up with his grandparents on a mountain in Tennessee during the Depression. It captures this Cherokee family's symbiotic relationship with all of nature on their mountain in a way that certainly seems authentic....more
I loved this book and have spent a lot of time since finishing it thinking about the little lessons that were shared and the tender relationships between Little Tree and his grandparents. I have always struggled with how the American Indians were treated and my first thought when I finished this book was that I felt embarassed to be a "white man." I think we lost so much that could have been learned about the planet we live on and the way the Indians treated the blessings the earth pro...more
Jonathan
rated it
This is an excellent story, and I highly recommend it if only for the humor (but there is a lot more to recommend than that). But oh, the questions it raises. The author, Forrest Carter, is widely presumed to be Asa Earl Carter, a Klansman and leader of the Alabama White Citizen Council and the speechwriter for George Wallace who wrote the “segregation now, segregation forever” speech. So how does that reflect on this book that is, if perhaps naive and romantic, certainly not racist? Can we acce...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| summercamp in chennai | 1 | 1 | Feb 08, 2012 11:18pm | |
| Meadows 7th: Began reading | 1 | 1 | Oct 02, 2011 08:58am | |
| The Education of Little Tree | 3 | 45 | Sep 01, 2009 09:17pm |
Asa Earl "Forrest" Carter was an American political speechwriter and author. He was most notable for publishing novels and a best-selling, award-winning memoir under the name Forrest Carter, an identity as a Native American Cherokee. In 1976, following the publication success of his western The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales, The New York Times revealed Forrest Carter to be Southerner Asa Ear...more
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“You cannot know where your people are going if you don't know where your people have been.”
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“Grandma said [...] when you come on something that is good, first thing to do is share it with whoever you can find; that way, the good spreads out to where no telling it will go.”
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