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‘Tho I Be Mute, as the blurb suggests, is a story that shows how everyone belongs somewhere, and it doesn’t matter whether or not you can speak to those around you, as long as you take the time to stop and listen. I was a little worried that I may not understand this book, for I do not know much about the Cherokee nation and, in my experience, some books demand that you are already an expert on the subject if you want to keep up with the storyline. My concerns were completely unwarranted. This is not the kind of book to cast you adrift in a foreign sea, instead, it draws you closer, sits you down, and explain things to you.
This novel follows three different storylines, and they all tie into each other perfectly. Two of those are the storylines of John Ridge and Sarah Northrup, a Cherokee and a white woman who fall in love, despite the concerns of their families and the criticisms of the general public. The third storyline is that of Clarinda Ridge, over thirty years after John and Sarah’s story starts. Clarinda is a healer, living in the woods with her dog, and she has the knowledge to give the backstory and to explain the eventual outcome of things that Sarah and John would not have known was to happen. Clarinda’s chapters clarified certain aspects of the history that I would have been utterly clueless about without her.
This story is not a fast-paced action that you can get through in an evening, but a book that you have to read slowly and savour. The amount of detailing that has gone into this book makes you slow down, to stop and smell the roses, one might say. This is not a book that you should rush, for it deserves every word to be read and appreciated.
‘Tho I Be Mute is an utterly enthralling novel, and I will be recommending it to everyone!
Home. Heritage. Legacy. Legend.
In
1818, Cherokee John Ridge seeks a young man’s education at the Foreign Mission
School in Cornwall, Connecticut. While there, he is overcome with sickness yet
finds solace and love with Sarah, the steward’s quiet daughter. Despite a
two-year separation, family disapproval, defamatory editorials, and angry mobs,
the couple marries in 1824.
Sarah reconciles her new family’s spirituality
and her foundational Christianity. Although, Sarah’s nature defies her new
family’s indifference to slavery. She befriends Honey, half-Cherokee and
half-African, who becomes Sarah’s voice during John’s extended absences.
Once arriving on Cherokee land, John argues to
hold the land of the Cherokees and that of his Creek neighbors from encroaching
Georgian settlers. His success hinges upon his ability to temper his Cherokee
pride with his knowledge of American law. Justice is not guaranteed.
Rich with allusions to Cherokee legends, ‘Tho I
Be Mute speaks aloud; some voices are heard, some are ignored, some do not
speak at all, compelling readers to listen to the story of a couple who heard
the pleas of the Cherokee.
Heather Miller
As an English educator, Heather Miller has spent twenty-three years teaching her students the author’s craft. Now, she is writing it herself, hearing voices from the past.
Miller’s foundation began in the theatre, through performance storytelling. She can tap dance, stage-slap someone, and sing every note from Les Misérables. Her favorite role is that of a fireman’s wife and mom to three: a trumpet player, a future civil engineer, and a future RN. There is only one English major in her house.
While researching, writing, and teaching, she is also working towards her M FA in Creative Writing. Heather’s corndog-shaped dachshund, Sadie, deserves an honorary degree.
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