What happened to American Indian children nearly a century ago is not just old history, but another gut-punching point in American history thats happening today on our southern borders, where migrant children are being held in prison-like cages. Let's take a closer look at each of these. perhaps the real magic lies in reading or re-reading it [a coming-of-age story] later, when it serves to remind us about the people we used to be. Odie characterizes himself as a storyteller, and justifies some of the fantastical elements of his tale by arguing: Our eyes perceive so dimly, and our brains are so easily confused. Read the Study Guide for This Tender Land. The four form a bond early on when they worked together at an apple orchard on a farm that had fallen on tough times, indicative of the hard hit Midwestern farmers during the Depression. Would love to read more by Krueger. The OBanion brothers also discover themselves on this quest. Odysseus: O'Banion . .". . C. C. Harrison's most recent novel of suspense isDeath by G-String: A Coyote Canyon Ladies Ukulele Club Mystery, the 2019 Colorado Humanities Book Award Mystery Winner, the Colorado Independent Publishers Association Book Awards Second Place winner, and a finalist in both the Arizona/New Mexico Book Awards and the American Fiction Awards. The result is This Tender Land, a book you won't own. Kevin is a sweet, frustrated kid. Krueger did a great job with the setting. Or, listen to the audio book for free with an Audible trial. I loved the other characters in the book too. In 1932 the U.S. was still in the throes of the Great Depression. To get a feel for the mood of the novel you may want to listen to Shenandoah, a melancholy folk ballad, Odies favorite song, he plays on his cant-live-without harmonica, his hobo harp. Music is one of the saving graces in a merciless place that has the audacity to be called a school. Here are some questions for discussion: 1. . While I enjoyed the spiritual discussions, I felt that maybe they could have been a little less heavy handed. used to having their heart broken?, Thats one of the many piercing questions gifted storyteller Odie OBanion asks in his eighties as he looks back on four soul-crushing years he endured at an Indian boarding school in Lincoln, Minnesota, along with his older protective brother, Albert, and two other orphans they befriended Mose, member of the Dakota Sioux tribal nation, and Emmy, an adorable little girl and what happens to themafterwards in one life-changing summer in 1932. Haying was the absolute worst: "You spent the whole day bucking those big bales, sweating bullets, covered in hay dust that made you itch like you were being chewed on a million fleas.". Throughout, the voice of the narrator breaks through not only to tell us the story of his experiences, but to emphasize the significance those events had in influencing the rest of his life. . Wish Id reflected on the title in my review, as I often do with other books. Over fifteen years ago, three friends and I formed a reading group. Discuss the differences between the Schofields and Gertie and her friends. Their best friend Mose, a Sioux Indian who had his tongue cut out as a child, wants to know who he is. What did you think? And, having a genuine spiritual nature, Sister Eve recognizes a kindred spirit in Emmy and takes her in. Lee Isaac Chung's moving immigrant drama Characters: 127. In the end why do you think they chose the homes they did? Talk about this transformation and why you think it came about for Odie but not for Albert. Our mystery group discussed Ordinary Grace and thought it was wonderful. His journey is a journey in terms of his relationship to his past and the past of his people, Krueger told MPR News host Tom Crann. children survive inhumane treatment at an Indian Boarding School during the In Mankato, Odie stumbled upon an encampment where he met a young girl, Maybeth Schofield, and her family. In This Tender Land William Kent Krueger weaves together several threads to create that kind of novel. While on the bank, they overheard an angelic voice. I was totally immersed from the first page and didnt want to put it down. The Landlady was originally published on the 28th of November 1959. Frost, who taught domestic skills to the girls. Odie's storytelling brims with heart and soul. They escaped the brutal Indian School, and met other dangers, but through it all they strengthened their bonds. Have any of you read this one yet? In the coming days, they join the crusade, feeling they have found a sense of family and home with Sister Eve and her troop. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Thelma and Julia, having once worked together got into a dramatic and violent argument that led to both falling out a window. Over a song-and-dance-filled two hours, Sebastian and Mia meet and fall in love. Bring the mix to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower and simmer for at least 30 minutes. THIS TENDER LAND is not quite the book that William Kent Krueger's fans expected, but it's hard to imagine a better one. What did you think of the ending? Required fields are marked *. Along the way, theyll encounter faith healers, displaced families, rowdy riverboat men, and lost souls as they struggle to define what family means and try to find a place to call home. Cant wait to check this one out! The characters take internal and external journeys. They're welcomed and given food, but later are again forced to flee, chased by police with dogs. . William Kent Krueger cites as his literary inspirers Forever sending Odie, eight when the novel opens, for detention to a quiet room, a euphemism for solitary confinement as the terrifying cell he spent so many days alone in was a prison cell as the school was formerly a military base, Fort Sibley. . . Ernest Hemingway, which may partly explain why This Tender Land has the The 10 members who participated in the discussion felt that THIS TENDER LAND was a book that kept their interest and was hard to put down. Krueger may be best known for writing the Cork OConnor mystery series. Your email address will not be published. However, after falling asleep they are woken to find that they are being kidnapped by a one-eyed man named Jack. The next place they landed was Mankato. Published by Atria Books, an imprint of . Make a gift of any amount today to support this resource for everyone. Dhruv Trivedi. Discussion Guide 1. This book had a lot of heart! And Ill keep your thoughts in mind. A few hundred miles away, Omeir, a gentle country boy, finds . . Summary. Good review, though it sounds like a book that would cause me to write things in the margins, and draw lines through egregious opinions. The character Odie compares God to a tornado early on, but that conception becomes more complex as the story progresses. All along their journey south Odie and company come across its signs: masses of people who have lost their homes and jobs traveling somewhereanywherelooking for work, and the Hoovervilles these nomads created, mostly in cities where they hoped to find work. The plot was interesting and detailed and Krueger created a richness in the characters that made me want to read more. In the summer of 1932, on the banks of Minnesota's Gilead River, Odie O'Banion is an orphan confined to the Lincoln Indian Training School, a pitiless place where his lively nature earns him the superintendent's wrath. Odies tales are spun . Prone to mischief, Odie finds himself the object of the superintendents wrath, time and again. However, Albert recovered. The brothers have been the only white children at the school since they were orphaned when their father was killed four years earlier. 2023 Enchanted Prose All Rights Reserved, a merciless place that has the audacity to be called a school, ruthless history toward the Dakota tribe in Minnesota, the President has referred to people of color and the less fortunate as infestations., Koala: A Natural History and an Uncertain Future, Objects of Love and Regret: A Brooklyn Story, Pow! I appreciate that there are many issues that arouse a passionate response in him, but I thought the inclusion of so many of them in one story diluted the impact of each on the reader. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or Peace Like a River). in gorgeous, lyrical, heart-wrenching, spiritual prose that seems destined to As such, they leave for their travels again, where they next stop off at Mankato and meet a young girl, Maybeth Schofield, and her family. The Tender Bar is a heartwarming coming-of-age story about a young boy's journey to adulthood, but The Tender Bar's ending has left many viewers with unanswered questions.Based on the memoir by the same name and directed by Batman and Robin actor George Clooney, The Tender Bar covers a lot of ground as it follows JR's growing up, spanning over . That is why I don't announce the cost of the project, as it will be done through an open tender," he explained. The teenage years are probably among the first where we are really aware of the people we are, and, later, the people we once were.. .". Please pm Audiobooklover for the link to that event. Odie also encounters a great deal of kindness on his journey, blurring his image of God. He arrived at the military/prison-like/forced labor camp school without a name, a family, and unable to speak. Orphan brothers Odie and Albert were the only whites at the school. Writing: An unforgettable and memorable story, Krueger's writing in This Tender Land is lyrical and a joy to read! Sixty-four chapters filled with such beautiful prose the pages fly. This short story has earned millions of reviews. His drinking did not help. However, the orphanage is cruel, and the brothers steal some money and escape, with their new friends Mose and Emmy Frost. Why do you think this particular incident draws out a darkness in Mose that the other things didnt? When he was four years old he was found unconscious in a roadside ditch next to his mother, who had been shot dead. I love Krueger but Im not a fan of give me all the themes/issues I plan to read this anyway. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. But they too were sentenced to hard labor cleaning cement, while the boys were treated like slaves by a heartless farmer, his farm on the school grounds. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of This Tender Land. I could have sworn I heard the cracking of every vertebra as his spine straightened. The Question and Answer section for This Tender Land is a great William Kent Krueger is an American author and crime writer, best known for the 13 novels of his Cork O'Connor series of books, ending with Tamarack County in 2013. Emmys depiction is in the image of Little Orphan Annie. Feeling alone, he continued on alone. Your email address will not be published. The book begins with 12-year-old Odie and his brother, Albert, being taken in by Thelma and Clyde Brickman, who work for the Lincoln Indian Training School. A form of isolation and trauma. Thanks for reading. Almost everyone the group meets along the road isnt quite what he/she seems on the surface. thissection. . The following version of this book was used to create the . 9. . Although Odie and Albert find themselves in a boarding school for Native American children, most of the Native children don't actually speak in the story. This study guide contains the following sections: This detailed literature summary also contains Quotes and a Free Quiz on At 444 pages, This Tender Land is 56 pages shy of qualifying as a Big Book. While sleeping on the bank of the river, the children were awoken by the startling appearance of a one-eyed man named Jack. I loved the other things didnt led to both falling out a window of little Annie! And Gertie and her friends closer look at each of these following version of this Tender,. School since they were orphaned when their father was killed four years old was. Spiritual discussions, I felt that maybe they could have been the only white children the! Reflected on the 28th of November 1959 Accept, you consent to the girls as the story progresses other,! 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