Great glimpse into Cherokee culture

I usually enjoy Barbara Kingsolver's books. Her characters spring to life from her books' pages. This novel is no exception. I found myself quickly drawn into the lives of the characters. I could imagine the events in the novel happening the way they are described. What I didn't know when I picked up this book is that much of the action takes place in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, at the Tribal headquarters of the Western Cherokee Nation.

I went to college in Tahlequah, and had friends who were tribe members. The author's descriptions of the area and the Cherokee's are very accurate and match my own experiences. The central theme of the book revolves around the adoption of a Cherokee child by a white woman. Is it better for the child to be raised by this mother who loves her tremendously, or should she be raised by the tribe? It is illegal to adopt a Native American child without the consent of the tribe. This is a result of the forced separation of Indian families in the early 1900's in order to educate them in the white world.

The child was abandoned by its aunt and given to Taylor Geer, who adopts the child and names her Turtle (because of her habit of not letting go once she grabs hold of something). A tribal lawyer learns of the unusual adoption, and seeks to have the child returned to the tribe, in spite of the child thriving in her present family. The lawyer's twin brother was taken from her family and adopted into a white family when they were children, so her motives in this particular situation are not in any way pure.

Can a child only be raised by a family who matches its ethnic origins? This has been, and continues to be, an issue for potential adoptive parents and children. Can a family that is not black raise a black child to understand who he/she is and where she comes from? Will a child raised by a family from a different culture lose sight of himself/herself? As we see more families pursuing foreign adoptions, and more angencies allowing placements of children with parents of another race, our society will need to explore this issue more carefully.

This novel raises these issues in a positive and healing way, while giving the reader an intimate picture of Cherokee culture, family structure, and beliefs.