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River Rising: A Cherokee Odyssey
Follow an unforgettable cast of characters through an incredible saga exposing one of America's darkest hours. Share the pain of the Cherokees driven from their beloved forests, winding rivers and mountain cabins. Endure with them the hardships in the concentration camps and on the Trail of Tears as they are forced to march halfway across a frozen continent in the harshest winter in years. Woven throughout this irrepressible tale of tragedy & tribulation you will discover the humor & the passion, the love & the hatred, the strengths & the weaknesses of a noble people.
798 pages, Hardcover
First published August 28, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 1, 2013
Amazing book!! A lot of research went into this book! I love how fictional and non-fictional is mixed! Was definitely a book I couldn't put down once I got started. I have read it at least 3 times. Now we know where all the talent in the family went!!
March 2, 2022
Very thorough and tragic story of the Cherokee displacement in the 19th century. It was quite well written and the story was interesting, but I found it too long, probably because I was reading it late at night and in one sitting. I’m familiar with the broad picture of the Cherokee exodus, and I was interested in learning more of the specifics. I should have given myself more time to read it…
May 16, 2026
Best book I have ever read. I read it over two decades ago and it still sticks with me.
January 16, 2015
We Americans too often take a self-righteous stand in regard to our treatment of others.
Many prefer to forget the long period in which we held others in bondage or the wars of aggression waged to steal land from weaker neighbors. Most often we find it convenient to ignore the genocide against the people our ancestors met when first coming to these shores.
River Rising is a harsh reminder of our lack of tolerance and compassion in dealing with those we piously refer to now as Native Americans rather than the more derogatory terms employed in the past. Though fiction, this novel is solidly based on fact, including some not very glamorous fact, in describing the removal of the Cherokee and other tribes from their homeland in a greedy plot sanctioned at the highest levels by Presidents Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren and engineered with the assistance of Congress and the Senate.
Stewart’s sympathetic portrayal of the victims and those few who attempted to ease their plight is commendable. Despite the large number of characters and the extended time period of the novel, his sure characterization and pacing make it a page-turner and a rewarding read.
Many prefer to forget the long period in which we held others in bondage or the wars of aggression waged to steal land from weaker neighbors. Most often we find it convenient to ignore the genocide against the people our ancestors met when first coming to these shores.
River Rising is a harsh reminder of our lack of tolerance and compassion in dealing with those we piously refer to now as Native Americans rather than the more derogatory terms employed in the past. Though fiction, this novel is solidly based on fact, including some not very glamorous fact, in describing the removal of the Cherokee and other tribes from their homeland in a greedy plot sanctioned at the highest levels by Presidents Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren and engineered with the assistance of Congress and the Senate.
Stewart’s sympathetic portrayal of the victims and those few who attempted to ease their plight is commendable. Despite the large number of characters and the extended time period of the novel, his sure characterization and pacing make it a page-turner and a rewarding read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews