Touches The Sky

by James Calvin Schaap

Dutch settlers in the 1890s Dakotah Territory confront a God as vast as the prairie, struggling to abide in a physically and spiritually changing landscape.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Native American

253 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2003

Reviews

[Barb Lavery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story had a beautiful eloquence to the descriptions and the differences between the Indians' beliefs and the protestant beliefs. The connections to Wounded Knee and the distrust between the settlers and the Indians was clearly portrayed. The story line kept me wondering what would happen next.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical fictional account of the Wounded Knee Massacre in the Dakotas back in 1890. It is an also interesting story of faith lost and found; and clash and meshing of the immigrants of Holland and the Native American culture, religion and values.

[Sue Mellgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fictional account of Wounded Knee. Thought provoking and beautifully written.

Favorite Quotes:

"It does not haunt me, but to say I have not thought about it would be a lie, because it returns, every December, in the touch of winter's first wind. My memory retells it each time I see a leaden sky over a grey and parched land. A certain frightened pitch in the song of the meadowlark brings back whole chapters, and in the driving snow, images still appear in my memory like rigid, frozen ghosts."

"But today I'm older, and one of the comforts of age is that, unlike the young, we begin to live more humbly with unanswered questions. That may be what my people call 'sanctification."

[Sharee Johnson]

powerful story set in the Dakotas. Showing an understanding of two cultures that claim the same land, the Lakota and the Dutch. Interaction of culture, religion and spirituality, and personal relationships.
powerful exploration of ways to understand god.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

struggles with faith on the multi-ethnic prairie

[maura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot even though it had a lot of preaching in it. It was a really good telling of the Ghost Dance and Wound Knee.

[Karen Hagerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I probably should have liked this more than I did because the writing is beautiful and the subject is interesting. Just wasn't in the mood for it, I guess.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The narrator tells this story with heartbreaking honesty and a deep yearning for understanding. I was in from the beginning and transfixed til the end. Will be reading more by this author.