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Beyond the Sand Creek Bridge
1882. Northern Pacific Railroad Camp, Idaho Territory.The body of Sheriff Roger Langston is found beneath the Sand Creek Bridge. Chinese railroad worker Wong Hok-Ling is charged with murder days after the unexpected arrival of his fiancée, Mei-Yin, who has escaped her unscrupulous father and stowed away aboard a ship bound for America. Jason McQuade, the territory's newest lawyer, must defend the accused, but after encountering the beautiful Mei-Yin, how far is he willing to go--what sacrifices will he make--to save his client's life?
435 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2012
18 people are currently reading
592 people want to read
About the author
Scott Wyatt
7 books15 followersI was born in Portland, Oregon in 1951 and grew up in Sandpoint, Idaho. I’ve earned degrees from Stanford University and the University of Washington, and have worked—full– or, as currently, part–time—as a lawyer since 1976.
My interest in creative writing predates the start of my first novel, Beyond the Sand Creek Bridge (2012), which was thirty years in the making. At present, I’m pleased to be riding a robust wave of creative energy. It has been a long time coming, but it’s here now, and I feel blessed to have the time and capacity to make the most of it.
As passionate as I am about writing, I am even more passionate about an idea that came to me out of the blue in 1985, following a trip to the former Soviet Union. This is the notion that the moral dimension in human interactions and behaviors—how we treat one another—is shaped as much by “the content of our awareness of other” as by those rules, mores, symbolical thoughts, religious tenets, prescriptions, and what not, that we call our own, or that we embrace throughout our lives. Yes, I know that’s a mouthful! At its core, though, is this idea: that human beings—all of us—are both different and the same (we are made up of both human differences and human “samenesses”); that, when we encounter one another, we are (for very natural reasons) drawn to and mesmerized by the human differences we see in “other” (including some that we share); and that, for a whole host of reasons, we formulate our moral commitments to “other” based exclusively on “difference awareness”: my family, my tribe, my ethnic group, my nation. The content of our awareness of other, in other words, which gives rise to the moral impulse, is difference awareness alone, not a combination of difference awareness and “sameness awareness.” The compassionate impulse, which is the fruit of sameness awareness, is lost.
This is more than can be conveyed adequately in a paragraph. You’ll find this theme developed in Jason McQuade’s closing argument in Beyond the Sand Creek Bridge, and again in “The Sanori Flag Debate,” the appendix to my second novel, Dimension M (2013). It is a dominant theme in my own life, as well. In 1999, I founded the Companion Flag Project to elevate and sustain public awareness of all that human beings have in common, their differences notwithstanding. I have traveled throughout the world introducing the companion flag idea, and the companion flag, a symbol of all that human beings have in common flown below the other flags of the world, has been adopted at schools and universities in over fifteen countries.
I have four children and five grandchildren. My wife, Rochelle Wyatt, is a talented Seattle-area actress. Since 2009, we have lived in a beautiful cabin-like home overlooking Lake Sammamish, fifteen miles east of Seattle in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.
My interest in creative writing predates the start of my first novel, Beyond the Sand Creek Bridge (2012), which was thirty years in the making. At present, I’m pleased to be riding a robust wave of creative energy. It has been a long time coming, but it’s here now, and I feel blessed to have the time and capacity to make the most of it.
As passionate as I am about writing, I am even more passionate about an idea that came to me out of the blue in 1985, following a trip to the former Soviet Union. This is the notion that the moral dimension in human interactions and behaviors—how we treat one another—is shaped as much by “the content of our awareness of other” as by those rules, mores, symbolical thoughts, religious tenets, prescriptions, and what not, that we call our own, or that we embrace throughout our lives. Yes, I know that’s a mouthful! At its core, though, is this idea: that human beings—all of us—are both different and the same (we are made up of both human differences and human “samenesses”); that, when we encounter one another, we are (for very natural reasons) drawn to and mesmerized by the human differences we see in “other” (including some that we share); and that, for a whole host of reasons, we formulate our moral commitments to “other” based exclusively on “difference awareness”: my family, my tribe, my ethnic group, my nation. The content of our awareness of other, in other words, which gives rise to the moral impulse, is difference awareness alone, not a combination of difference awareness and “sameness awareness.” The compassionate impulse, which is the fruit of sameness awareness, is lost.
This is more than can be conveyed adequately in a paragraph. You’ll find this theme developed in Jason McQuade’s closing argument in Beyond the Sand Creek Bridge, and again in “The Sanori Flag Debate,” the appendix to my second novel, Dimension M (2013). It is a dominant theme in my own life, as well. In 1999, I founded the Companion Flag Project to elevate and sustain public awareness of all that human beings have in common, their differences notwithstanding. I have traveled throughout the world introducing the companion flag idea, and the companion flag, a symbol of all that human beings have in common flown below the other flags of the world, has been adopted at schools and universities in over fifteen countries.
I have four children and five grandchildren. My wife, Rochelle Wyatt, is a talented Seattle-area actress. Since 2009, we have lived in a beautiful cabin-like home overlooking Lake Sammamish, fifteen miles east of Seattle in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 30, 2013
Chinese immigrants fighting for love and equality in the Old West
Kudos to Scott Wyatt for opening a passage of history that needs to be examined if we are to ever understand completely the degree of prejudice that our forefathers acted out in this country we treasure as a haven for understanding and acceptance. He takes us all the way back to 1882 and the importation of cheap Chinese labor to construct to the Northern Pacific Railroad.
But as sensitive as Wyatt is to his own cause of elevating and sustaining public awareness of all that human beings have in common, their differences notwithstanding that has resulted in his creation of the Companion Flag Project, he begins his book in Kwangchow, China where we meet the beautiful Mei-Yin whose father had promised her hand in marriage to one Hok-Ling who has been shipped to the US to work the railroads, creating a dowry to bring back to China to claim his bride. But time has passed and it is through the kindness of a woman who has recently lost her son - a son who had booked passage to America - that she allows Mei-Lin to take the passage booking: Mei-Lin is off to America to be with her promised husband. Her attempt to reunite is thwarted: she has to pass as a man in order to enter the country and when she locates Hok-Ling she discovers that he is accused of the murder of Roger Langston, the town sheriff, who was found murdered under the local Sand Creek Bridge. Devastated Mei-Yin hears that recent Harvard graduate and attorney-in-training Jason McQuade will represent Hok-Ling in his trial. McQuade believes in equality for all men, and wants to make sure that Hok-Ling will receive a fair trial, despite McQuade's envious attraction to Mei-Lin.
Wyatt's writing is terse an eloquent and some of the most moving portions of the book are contained in the trial scene where McQuade offers his summary to the jury: `You see, human beings are not just different - they're different and the same. And just as the freedom to hate attaches to the sphere of differences, which we always have in view, the presumption of innocence and the requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt attach to the sphere of human sameness, the one we oftentimes don't see at all. You see, the presumption of innocence and the requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt have nothing to do with the color of your skin, your nationality, what language you speak, or what you believe. It is rooted in one thing, all that human beings have in common. It is rooted here in the sphere of our common humanity.' This is a book that offers a solid story, a bit of history, and some food for thought.
Grady Harp
Kudos to Scott Wyatt for opening a passage of history that needs to be examined if we are to ever understand completely the degree of prejudice that our forefathers acted out in this country we treasure as a haven for understanding and acceptance. He takes us all the way back to 1882 and the importation of cheap Chinese labor to construct to the Northern Pacific Railroad.
But as sensitive as Wyatt is to his own cause of elevating and sustaining public awareness of all that human beings have in common, their differences notwithstanding that has resulted in his creation of the Companion Flag Project, he begins his book in Kwangchow, China where we meet the beautiful Mei-Yin whose father had promised her hand in marriage to one Hok-Ling who has been shipped to the US to work the railroads, creating a dowry to bring back to China to claim his bride. But time has passed and it is through the kindness of a woman who has recently lost her son - a son who had booked passage to America - that she allows Mei-Lin to take the passage booking: Mei-Lin is off to America to be with her promised husband. Her attempt to reunite is thwarted: she has to pass as a man in order to enter the country and when she locates Hok-Ling she discovers that he is accused of the murder of Roger Langston, the town sheriff, who was found murdered under the local Sand Creek Bridge. Devastated Mei-Yin hears that recent Harvard graduate and attorney-in-training Jason McQuade will represent Hok-Ling in his trial. McQuade believes in equality for all men, and wants to make sure that Hok-Ling will receive a fair trial, despite McQuade's envious attraction to Mei-Lin.
Wyatt's writing is terse an eloquent and some of the most moving portions of the book are contained in the trial scene where McQuade offers his summary to the jury: `You see, human beings are not just different - they're different and the same. And just as the freedom to hate attaches to the sphere of differences, which we always have in view, the presumption of innocence and the requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt attach to the sphere of human sameness, the one we oftentimes don't see at all. You see, the presumption of innocence and the requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt have nothing to do with the color of your skin, your nationality, what language you speak, or what you believe. It is rooted in one thing, all that human beings have in common. It is rooted here in the sphere of our common humanity.' This is a book that offers a solid story, a bit of history, and some food for thought.
Grady Harp
August 11, 2013
I'm never comfortable reviewing fiction. Tastes in fiction are in the "to each his own" category. My wife bought this book in an office supply/bookstore in Sandpoint, Idaho, based on a recommendation of an employee who had not read the book. Her suggestion was based on "Chinese were once in the area." My wife finished reading the book before we returned on vacation and spent any time we had to drive somewhere with her nose poked in this book.
Mine and my wife's tastes in literature don't often overlap. When I finished "Grapes of Wrath" while on vacation, she suggested I start reading this book. I scrunched up my nose while looking at the cover and said, "I doubt that's my taste." I was wrong and, once again, re-learned the eternal truth of the adage "Don't judge a book by its cover." In the case of "Beyond the Sand Creek Bridge," I do not like the cover simply because the graphics force a face upon one of the characters. I hate that. I want to form my own image and appearance of charcters. That's really my only complaint about this book.
"Beyond the Sand Creek Bridge" is a historical novel set in the 1880s during the expansion of the Northern Pacific Railroad through the panhandle of Idaho, which was a territory.
I'll write more about this book later - distracted.
Mine and my wife's tastes in literature don't often overlap. When I finished "Grapes of Wrath" while on vacation, she suggested I start reading this book. I scrunched up my nose while looking at the cover and said, "I doubt that's my taste." I was wrong and, once again, re-learned the eternal truth of the adage "Don't judge a book by its cover." In the case of "Beyond the Sand Creek Bridge," I do not like the cover simply because the graphics force a face upon one of the characters. I hate that. I want to form my own image and appearance of charcters. That's really my only complaint about this book.
"Beyond the Sand Creek Bridge" is a historical novel set in the 1880s during the expansion of the Northern Pacific Railroad through the panhandle of Idaho, which was a territory.
I'll write more about this book later - distracted.
May 7, 2013
This was a good story, but I was disappointed in the ending. Too many loose strings left untied.
Also, too many gaps in the action throughout, where the reader is left to guess what really happened. It could have been more developed, more detail. For example, Mei-Yin travels from China to the U.S. by boat disguised as a man. So many scenes, conflicts and adventures could have been added, but the entire trip was glossed over. So much missed potential.
Also, too many gaps in the action throughout, where the reader is left to guess what really happened. It could have been more developed, more detail. For example, Mei-Yin travels from China to the U.S. by boat disguised as a man. So many scenes, conflicts and adventures could have been added, but the entire trip was glossed over. So much missed potential.
October 6, 2013
I'm a sucker for historical fiction, & haven't seen many novels about this era in American history. Beyond the Sand Creek Bridge was descriptive & historically accurate. It sheds light on how our railroads were built, & how the settlers of the old west (so poorly) treated those men who gave up everything of their lives in China for the hope of a better life upon return. The story of love & murder was engaging.
Bravo, Scott Wyatt! Can't wait for your next book!
Bravo, Scott Wyatt! Can't wait for your next book!
May 1, 2018
Since I lived in that area for 26 years, I thought I’d really enjoy learning some history about the Chinese laborers who helped build the railroad that made that region grow so quickly. I had a hard time keeping interest. Not certain exactly why, because so many things were going on in my life that it was just too easy to lay down and promise to come back to. I don’t think it was the writing. Just my life was too intense for a long time. I was glad to finally finish it, which I saw as an accomplishment since it took so long, and I am a person who is driven to completion! I would rate it 7 on a scale of 10. Interesting, enlightening, but not a page-turner.
February 29, 2020
I loved the story,but had a very hard time remembering the various name.i gave it the 5 stars,cause I couldn’t put it down.i will Reccomended this book to several of my friends.i like the period in time that this book talks about,as I said the only thing I didn’t like what the names of the protagonist.
I had never read anything by this author,but I really enjoyed it and will look for more of his books
I had never read anything by this author,but I really enjoyed it and will look for more of his books
January 16, 2019
Loved this book. It was based on my hometown. I was really able to put myself in the middle of the story.
April 10, 2020
Another view of the old west and some of the sadder parts of our past as well as the triumphs.
July 12, 2013
Incredible and one of a kind book that transports to the year 1882 - the time of Pacific northwest railroad development. The adverse conditions for Chinese immigrants and workers, the audacity of unjust employers, the ultimate triumph of thinking clearly, the art of persuasion, the power of one versus the power of masses - these are all what one gets to feel and visualize throughout the book. One encounters the good, bad and the ugly of humanity in various characters in the story.
Mei Lin, Hok Ling invite us into their lives, via the author's storytelling talent, to understand how a human being finds the bleakest flutter of hope in harsh circumstances only to be drawn endlessly into a vortex of unfamiliar aspects of society.
Jason McQuade reminds one of a young Atticus who still has to make his way into the bigger world, nevertheless has the foundation of being a great difference maker already.
Very few books have the audacity to capture the historical factoids in a non-fictional way. Scott Wyatt comes across as a keen, intelligent, well researched, fact based author.
I also read about the Companion Flag Project founded by Scott Wyatt. Its great to know, there is still hope for humankind on this planet. Scott - thank you! you are a difference maker in your story telling and also leading with example in real life.
Mei Lin, Hok Ling invite us into their lives, via the author's storytelling talent, to understand how a human being finds the bleakest flutter of hope in harsh circumstances only to be drawn endlessly into a vortex of unfamiliar aspects of society.
Jason McQuade reminds one of a young Atticus who still has to make his way into the bigger world, nevertheless has the foundation of being a great difference maker already.
Very few books have the audacity to capture the historical factoids in a non-fictional way. Scott Wyatt comes across as a keen, intelligent, well researched, fact based author.
I also read about the Companion Flag Project founded by Scott Wyatt. Its great to know, there is still hope for humankind on this planet. Scott - thank you! you are a difference maker in your story telling and also leading with example in real life.
May 13, 2014
I won this on Goodreads First Reads - thank you et al
Beyond the Sand Creek Bridge is a solidly written HF novel. Kudos to Mr. Wyatt on such an impressive first novel. I look forward to future writings by Mr. Wyatt. The novel was entertaining overall. I had trouble with the amorous undertones of the main protagonist and his lack of professional ethics (he conducted himself in such a manner he was the stereotypical sleazeball attorney). Jason is a narcissistic opportunist that has failed to understand his position and duties/proper conduct as the role of counselor. I just couldn't get into his willy nilly immature ways. Jason did somewhat redeem himself slightly in the last few chapters. I also wasn't sure of the ending, I would have preferred a more definitive conclusion. All in all it was a great read with the exception of the two dislikes I noted. Great effort Mr. Wyatt, I see a promising writing career.
GO Cardinals!
Beyond the Sand Creek Bridge is a solidly written HF novel. Kudos to Mr. Wyatt on such an impressive first novel. I look forward to future writings by Mr. Wyatt. The novel was entertaining overall. I had trouble with the amorous undertones of the main protagonist and his lack of professional ethics (he conducted himself in such a manner he was the stereotypical sleazeball attorney). Jason is a narcissistic opportunist that has failed to understand his position and duties/proper conduct as the role of counselor. I just couldn't get into his willy nilly immature ways. Jason did somewhat redeem himself slightly in the last few chapters. I also wasn't sure of the ending, I would have preferred a more definitive conclusion. All in all it was a great read with the exception of the two dislikes I noted. Great effort Mr. Wyatt, I see a promising writing career.
GO Cardinals!
January 26, 2013
A harrowing and suspenseful story of a Chinese man accused of murder when everyone around him hates him.
Wong Hok-Ling left China to work in the United States on the Railroad. He was to work there for three years and then return home. After the three years, he does not return home because the company employing them will not release his papers. His fiancee, Mei-Yin, decides to pose as a male, and jump aboard the boat to go find her beloved. After her arrival, her fiancee is accused of murdering the sheriff. Would you really be able to have a fair trial in a court room full of people who hate you from the beginning?
This book was captivating. The author did a great job helping the reader build a relationship with the characters. You could feel their pain when being subjected to the pain and torture, the humiliation, and the discrimination that Hok-Ling, Mei-Yin, and the other railroad workers endure.
I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Wong Hok-Ling left China to work in the United States on the Railroad. He was to work there for three years and then return home. After the three years, he does not return home because the company employing them will not release his papers. His fiancee, Mei-Yin, decides to pose as a male, and jump aboard the boat to go find her beloved. After her arrival, her fiancee is accused of murdering the sheriff. Would you really be able to have a fair trial in a court room full of people who hate you from the beginning?
This book was captivating. The author did a great job helping the reader build a relationship with the characters. You could feel their pain when being subjected to the pain and torture, the humiliation, and the discrimination that Hok-Ling, Mei-Yin, and the other railroad workers endure.
I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
February 4, 2013
Wow!
I loved the historical setting. the various paths of Life that brought each person to this town.
The bad people: terrible sheriff mean and drunk - since the death of his wife. the terrible father of Mei-Yin to gambol her away, steal her money, etc. Mr Keating of the Railroad who would not give the travel pass. and the foreman who abuses his own countrymen.
the good people: Jason's landlady, wise and kind. Lee Chi-Man the interpreter, also wise, in what he does NOT say. Jason, new lawyer, came to escape, but finds the moral courage to "Do the Right Thing".
I loved his closing arguments of the case.
I cannot say more, without spoiling the plot, main character Wong Hok-Ling is a great disappointment in the end.
I loved the historical setting. the various paths of Life that brought each person to this town.
The bad people: terrible sheriff mean and drunk - since the death of his wife. the terrible father of Mei-Yin to gambol her away, steal her money, etc. Mr Keating of the Railroad who would not give the travel pass. and the foreman who abuses his own countrymen.
the good people: Jason's landlady, wise and kind. Lee Chi-Man the interpreter, also wise, in what he does NOT say. Jason, new lawyer, came to escape, but finds the moral courage to "Do the Right Thing".
I loved his closing arguments of the case.
I cannot say more, without spoiling the plot, main character Wong Hok-Ling is a great disappointment in the end.
February 16, 2013
Excellent Fiction book (434 pages) by Scott Wyatt. Really well written. I felt as if I was right there with these characters. The way Scott describes what is going on as well as the emotions of the characters is as good as it gets.
Never a dull moment and always something interesting going on in every chapter. I believe this was as close to Historical Fiction as it could get.
Thanks Scott for a top notch book to read. This was my first book that I received as a 'First Read' from Goodreads.
Never a dull moment and always something interesting going on in every chapter. I believe this was as close to Historical Fiction as it could get.
Thanks Scott for a top notch book to read. This was my first book that I received as a 'First Read' from Goodreads.
May 16, 2013
Interesting read. Didn't know much of the history of the Chinese and the railroad. Pretty appalling. I'm familiar with the area, so that was a nice bonus. Felt like some of the characters and plot were sort of two dimensional and unrealistic, but I'm giving it 4 stars anyway.
May 30, 2013
The plot was developed well in the beginning, but the story and it's narration started declining rapidly after 50% into the book. It took a nosedive towards the end.
Interesting to know about Chinese workers and their involvement in building the railroad though.
Interesting to know about Chinese workers and their involvement in building the railroad though.
December 3, 2012
Wyatt is a great storyteller. A fascinating look into the lives, the intrigues and the challenges of Chinese railroad builders. Loved it.
August 11, 2014
Looking into the lives of the Chinese who built the railroads going west. This is a fictional story of a young Chinese woman and how she follows her love to America (the Gold Mountain).
July 30, 2015
The story is engrossing and the author appears to have done his research. Unfortunately, the writing is weak.
December 24, 2013
Loved it, can't wait to discuss at book club.
Want to read
February 25, 2016kindle 443
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews