Talking Leaves

by Joseph Bruchac

A new work of historical fiction about Sequoyah and the creation of the Cherokee alphabet, from the acclaimed author of Code Talker 

Thirteen-year-old Uwohali has not seen his father, Sequoyah, for many years. So when Sequoyah returns to the village, Uwohali is eager to reconnect. But Sequoyah’s new obsession with making strange markings causes friends and neighbors in their tribe to wonder whether he is crazy, or worse—practicing witchcraft. What they don’t know, and what Uwohali discovers, is that Sequoyah is a genius and his strange markings are actually an alphabet representing the sounds of the Cherokee language. 
The story of one of the most important figures in Native American history is brought to life for middle grade readers.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Native American, Young Adult, Indigenous, Audiobook, Childrens

256 pages, Hardcover

First published August 23, 2016

About the author

Joseph Bruchac lives with his wife, Carol, in the Adirondack mountain foothills town of Greenfield Center, New York, in the same house where his maternal grandparents raised him. Much of his writing draws on that land and his Abenaki ancestry. Although his American Indian heritage is only one part of an ethnic background that includes Slovak and English blood, those Native roots are the ones by which he has been most nourished. He, his younger sister Margaret, and his two grown sons, James and Jesse, continue to work extensively in projects involving the preservation of Abenaki culture, language and traditional Native skills, including performing traditional and contemporary Abenaki music with the Dawnland Singers.

He holds a B.A. from Cornell University, an M.A. in Literature and Creative Writing from Syracuse and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the Union Institute of Ohio. His work as a educator includes eight years of directing a college program for Skidmore College inside a maximum security prison. With his wife, Carol, he is the founder and Co-Director of the Greenfield Review Literary Center and The Greenfield Review Press. He has edited a number of highly praised anthologies of contemporary poetry and fiction, including Songs from this Earth on Turtle's Back, Breaking Silence (winner of an American Book Award) and Returning the Gift. His poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from American Poetry Review, Cricket and Aboriginal Voices to National Geographic, Parabola and Smithsonian Magazine. He has authored more than 70 books for adults and children, including The First Strawberries, Keepers of the Earth (co-authored with Michael Caduto), Tell Me a Tale, When the Chenoo Howls (co-authored with his son, James), his autobiography Bowman's Store and such novels as Dawn Land, The Waters Between, Arrow Over the Door and The Heart of a Chief. Forthcoming titles include Squanto's Journey (Harcourt), a picture book, Sacajawea (Harcourt), an historical novel, Crazy Horse's Vision (Lee & Low), a picture book, and Pushing Up The Sky (Dial), a collection of plays for children. His honors include a Rockefeller Humanities fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship for Poetry, the Cherokee Nation Prose Award, the Knickerbocker Award, the Hope S. Dean Award for Notable Achievement in Children's Literature and both the 1998 Writer of the Year Award and the 1998 Storyteller of the Year Award from the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas.

As a professional teller of the traditional tales of the Adirondacks and the Native peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Joe Bruchac has performed widely in Europe and throughout the United States from Florida to Hawaii and has been featured at such events as the British Storytelling Festival and the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee. He has been a storyteller-in-residence for Native American organizations and schools throughout the continent, including the Institute of Alaska Native Arts and the Onondaga Nation School. He discusses Native culture and his books and does storytelling programs at dozens of elementary and secondary schools each year as a visiting author.

Reviews

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. This was a sweet little book! Written very simply with a to-the-point plot, it's a little introduction type book on the Cherokee legend Sequoyah and his creation of his Cherokee syllabary. Narrated by his semi-fictitious son throughout, it was fast paced and a very easy read. Quite repetitive at times and over explanatory though (I'm learning that YA novels are like that). Despite the writing style it certainly didn't disinterest me at any point.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic and moving portrait of a son's acceptance of his father's vision. Seeing Sequoyah through the eyes of his estranged son, experiencing the Tsalagi's dawning understanding of what the visionary man's strange symbols can do...I got goosebumps. Great book for middle-grade readers and anyone else interested in Native American (in this case Cherokee/Tsalagi) culture, history, language, and lore.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something about the tone, tempo, or pacing of the writing took me instantly to another place and time. The author expertly weaves in elements of the culture, like folklore, games, and food, so that when you’ve finished, you almost feel you’ve read a nonfiction. Very candid depiction of historical events and issues that still face us today like relations with First Nations communities, PTSD, and divorce. There is a fairly vivid description of a battlefield scene, so I would be weary for some readers, but the story is a wonderful one and the cultural information is beautifully presented.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glad to see the story of Sequoyah is available in another form and features his syllabary. At times this book got a bit too caught up for me in explaining various cultural facets and practices instead of telling stories, but this amazing invention is such an important thing for students to read about.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a fan of any book that discusses indigenous language, and this book, with its use of the Cherokee language and focus on Cherokee syllabary checked all my boxes. Historical fiction with an indigenous focus? Native language use? I'm all in!

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting story of Sequoyah and his development of the Cherokee written language. Told from the point of view of his son who hasn't seen him since he was young, it allows the father to tell his story to the boy, so we learn of his quest & the historical events that moved him along his path. It also shows how prejudice & misunderstanding can turn to violence & how understanding can defuse it. I found it to be a very interesting listen.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting snippet of history of which I had no prior knowledge. It was a little slow and the writing is definitely better suited for younger readers in the sense that it was a bit repetitive or his jealousy towards his sister is a bit over-explained. Nonetheless, it was very informative and emotional.

[Shaeley Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told from the perspective of Uwohali, son of Sequoyah, this is a story about language. Sequoyah created a system of writing to record the Tsalagi (Cherokee) language, but Sequoyah was thought to be crazy as the Cherokee did not understand the significance of his syllabary. This book tells how they came to accept it as Uwohali comes to a similar conclusion.

While it is a coming of age story as we follow Uwohali, it has broader implications about history, literacy, and the value of a written language, too. The book is set in a time when the Cherokee were struggling to maintain some of their long-held lands while living near an increasing number of white settlers. Traditional Cherokee stories are woven into the narrative about Uwohali and Sequoyah. "Most stories have much to teach us. Stories can help us understand much" p. 132.

As Uwohali begins to learn to read his own language, we are reminded of the power of the written word. "'Through writing," the missionary said, "words spoken long ago, when written down, will never be forgotten. We use our writing every day. We use it to make agreements with one another, to form alliances, to build great nations. Knowledge, like that in the sacred Bible can be passed from generation to generation. Such knowledge is power'" p. 133. When Uwohali begins to teach his friend, Yugi, to read Tsalagi , we catch a glimpse of the joy of understanding. "Yugi studies the symbols. A look has come over his face. It is like that of someone seeing the full light of dawn for the first time" p. 185. Once Uwohali has convinced him of the value for the Cherokee in learning to read and write Tsalagi and not just English, Yugi is even more excited. "If the light I saw in his eyes before was like the first rays of dawn, what is shining from his face now is as bright as noon on a cloudless summer day!" p. 187.

Although Tsalagi syllabary is a change for the Cherokee people, it means they are able to preserve more of their own history and culture rather than having any record translated into English. As the Afterword in the book points out, the written form of Tsalagi that Sequoyah invented was so closely linked to the phonetics of the language that many were able to learn it in just months. It is still used by Cherokee people today.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the notion of considering books and reading and writing as "talking leaves" as described in this book about Sequoyah, the man responsible for single-handedly devising an alphabet or a syllabary for his people. Told from the point of view of Uwohali, the thirteen-year-old son he hasn't seen in years, this story both humanizes the great man and provides even more reasons for readers to admire him. Uwohali wants to learn some of his father's talents as a craftsman, but he also doesn't know much about his father since he's been living in another part of the country and has a new family and even a young daughter while Uwohali lives with his mother, Sequoyah's first wife. The boy worries about his father's sanity and his habits of scratching symbols on the ground, practices that seem to be evidence of witchcraft and make others suspicious. After a hesitant start, the father shares what he has created with his son. Thanks to the open-mindedness of some friends and family members, a test is arranged to see whether Sequoyah's markings truly represent the utterance of others. Because the author has woven in stories that might have been handed down from one generation to the next within the central narrative, readers are given a taste of what it might have been like to sit by the fireside as a father and son got to know one another. This book should also appeal to youngsters who are spreading their wings and looking for acceptance from their own parents. Author Joseph Bruchac tells the story gently but poetically, almost hypnotizing readers with his words, even when he describes moments of betrayal of the Cherokee or the massacre at Tohopeka or Horseshoe Bend. Sharp Knife Jackson who would later become president of the United States comes in for his own share of criticism for breaking his promises to the Cherokees. Some other reviewers felt the book was too slow or contained too many asides, but those were the parts of this book that particularly appealed to me and made the story and the man come alive. The pain suffered by Sequoyah and others like him is an undercurrent that beats steadily throughout the story, evidence of a trauma that cannot be easily dismissed. It's also worth noting that women were quite influential and made the decision as to whether a relationship or marriage was going to continue or cease. This one is an excellent addition for inclusion in a middle grades social studies classroom because we know so little about its subject and because his accomplishments in putting the sounds of his people's language into written form is so impressive.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll admit it: before reading this story, I knew little to nothing of Sequoyah, the man who, in the early 19th century, created the Cherokee alphabet. Now that I know this incredible story, I can't recommend Talking Leaves enough. If the notes and acknowledgments at the end of the book are anything to go by, he did his due diligence in his research, and all that aside, this is a powerful tale of how the written language can give a people power.

My one gripe about this book is the style in which it's written. I get that this is middle grade, but it still felt really choppy. I also feel like the story might have been better served to have been told in someone else's POV, if not Sequoyah himself then Uwohali's sister Ahyokah (who is the absolute most adorable thing in the world and I am highly suspicious of anyone who dislikes this child, she is too precious for this world). Overall, I had a difficult time connecting to Uwohali, although I loved so many of the supporting cast.

This is one of the more important books that one can read, although I would say that it is probably best suited for its intended audience of advanced elementary school readers, all middle school readers, and maybe even high schoolers too, if they aren't turning their noses up at middle grade books. Adults, we're better off looking for more advanced versions of this story: this version isn't meant for us, but that's okay.

[Irina Su · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uwohali is the son of Sequoyah, the man who made letters to represent the syllables of the Cherokee language. After being separated from his father for many years, Sequoyah returns with his new wife and daughter, the delightful, Ahyokah. The reunion is causing anxiety for Uwohali, because he is jealous of having to share his father with another child. He is also confused about why the Tsalagi community is so suspicious of Sequoyah. There are rumors that he is an evil sorcerer and uses magic symbols to put curses on people in the village. Uwohali wants to ask his dad why he is so preoccupied with these symbols. Sequoyah explains to him that having a system of writing can help keep Cherokee traditions and stories alive. Uwohali begins to see his father is working for the benefit of the Tsalagi community. The problem is convincing his friends and their parents that his father is working for the benefit of the Cherokee speaking people. However, they believe that the symbols are evil and some members of the village feel so threatened they want to burn his Sequoyah's work shed along with him and his two children. Uwohali will need to ask some influential adults in his life to intervene in this dangerous situation and smooth over the misunderstandings that exist in the community.

[Maya Gutierrez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the history of the Cherokee people through the eyes of a teenage boy, Uwohali. Uwohali was raised by his mother and other family members in the Cherokee tribe, when his estranged father, Sequoyah, returns from the West, Uwohali wants to rekindle their relationship. Uwohali and his father are able to connect over creating syllabary, a type of alphabet for the Tsalagi language. Sequoyah has been working on as he worked closely with Cherokee and US people in hopes of making his people more competitive with the US and growing world. With the help of Uwohali, they are able to convince the Cherokee people of creating an alphabet for their language. I think this would be a great book to have and incorporate into a classroom because it teaches the reader so much. Talking Leaves contains so much detail about the mistreatment of indigenous people, and the Cherokee customs, culture and their language. I really like the unique view point and narrator this book took of the little boy growing up through this. I would defiantly recommend this book to anyone due to its great story as well as the incorporation of facts and history without making it feel like a textbook.

[Kassidy Wandke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The beginning of the book was a bit slow but once Uwohali and his father began to develop their relationship it was a really interesting book. The feelings that Uwohali has regarding his father were captivating to see; he put so much hope and also suspicion into one man and it was fascinating to see that play out. I really don't know much about native life, and their history apart from traditional school lessons, but this book really gave me an insight into the Cherokee history and how they interacted with the "white man". I also thought the rumors that were occurring towards the beginning of the book was really interesting, I didn’t realize that black magic was a common accusation of people, but the more I learn about the past the more I understand that many cultures held these ideas. The relationship between the Uwohali and his mother was also really interesting; she always seemed to be so understanding of him and his want to pursue his father.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book. I love that it is based on a real person, that the author has done extensive research, and that the book feels authentic. The characters internal thoughts seem very relatable as well. In this story, society is set up as a matriarchy. Women make the decisions, women are respected, listened to, and obeyed; women are important. I think its really good for kids to read books like this because when we study history it's so often from a white person's perspective and women also play a secondary or lesser role. This book is neither of these things. It also doesn't shy away from or put down other cultures to explain its own. It shows an indigenous people as rich, full of culture, and with their own traditions and how they are trying to preserve them as the white man encroaches and takes over their lands. It was also fascinating to see how a written language was created and really shows the intelligence of one man.

[Rebecca Leedham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was about a boy, Uwohali, who doesn’t know much about his father other than the fact that his mother asked him to leave years ago. Now everyone in town is convinced that he is taking part in witchcraft. His father has a new wife and a stepdaughter. The boy is still intrigued by the idea of meeting his father but nervous at the same time. The book takes a complete turn around from the beginning to the end when Uwohali doesn’t even know his father in the beginning and is standing up for his father and following in his footsteps at the end. This book also made learning about the background of a language interesting to me, which is something that doesn’t usually strike my interest. Also, I didn’t know much about the Cherokee tribe before reading this and this books helps to immerse the reader into their lifestyle.

[Dixie Keyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know when I began this books that "talking leaves" were pages of a book. This book depicts the narrative of the genius Sequoyah, a famous Cherokee man who developed Cherokee sound alphabet. The story is told by the character who is Sequoyah's son who reunites with his father in Alabama in 1821. Sequoyah had been living in Arkansas and had a new wife and daughter and was hoping to share the news of communicating with the alphabet he developed; instead, some in the community think of his work as witchcraft, and the story goes on from there. The parts I loved the most are where Sequoyah shares stories, myths, and legends with his son as they get to know one another again. The Cherokee alphabet is included in the back with historical and notes and references. There are numerous other novels ideal for middle grade readers by Joseph Bruchac about contributions from Native Americans.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listening to Joseph Bruchac read TALKING LEAVES, about Sequoyah and the inestimable value of being able to write in their own Cherokee language, not magic but surely magical, was a powerful  and moving experience. Bruchac’s careful presentation of the story felt like listening to a tale told by an elder, which it is.

Synchronicity — the theme of preserving culture was echoed in a Jane Yolen poem, and that of communicating problems in two books read around the same time.

The detail of pointing with lips or chin, not finger (impolite and perhaps unwise?) tied to . . .
The father in Diane Chamberlain’s PRETENDING TO DANCE cannot use hands, all gestures confined to face and head, and in both DANCE and Jacqueline Winspear’s IN THIS GRAVE HOUR, so much loss through lack of communication, so much gained by opening the doors between people, and family, and adoption.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always loved books about Native Americans. My favorite being Sees Behind Trees. Which is a thin, clear, concise story.

But I saw that the story was on the high school reading list. I can see why. It goes in so many different directions. One to many different directions.

The author is trying to share as much as possible in one story. About a variety of topics while he has the readers. The story about the talking leaves is actually pretty good. But the repetitiveness of some points and the side stories about boastfulness just made the book long and off-topic

It was nice that the author narrated his own story..

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talking leaves is the Cherokee way of saying the written word. A 12-year-old boy's father is accused by his own tribe of being crazy and using witchcraft for his strange scratchings on paper. Much is misunderstood by the tribe, but the forward thinking Sequoia is trying to save the native people's language.

I learned much about the history of the written word, of the Cherokee tribe, and the history of the time period. Shame on Andrew Jackson.

I listened to this book audiobook format. It was a treat to have the author read it and lend his authenticity to the book.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

p.58 You do not have to talk to communicate with someone.

The story is both educational and fun. Within the story line, the reader will learn quite a bit about the genesis of a written language. There is also a healthy dose of information about the battles between Andrew Jackson and the American Indians. In addition, to the historical information about writing and battles there are many folktales. The lessons presented within the oral traditions delivers a wealth of information about Native American culture, society, and values.

[Jennifer (JenIsNotaBookSnob) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating middle-grade fiction book based on Sequoyah who created the Cherokee alphabet/syllabary.

It's a bit simplistic, but, not so much that you can't get immersed in it. The story is from the point of view of a fictional son of Sequoyah, loosely based on his real son but with a different name. I actually really enjoyed reading it, particularly because it breaks up the simplistic first person account with Cherokee stories.

Anyhow, definitely a fun bit of historical fiction for middle-grade youth. :)

[Melissa Helton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uwohali is the young son of Sequoyah. Everyone thinks Sequoyah is crazy and is doing witchcraft; what he's actually doing is creating the Cherokee syllabary so their language can be written. This is good YA read about finding your purpose and protecting your people. It shows us much about the Cherokee at the time, their language, lives, and worldview. The book also emphasizes the matriarchal structure to their culture, as well as the unfairness suffered at the hands of white men, especially Andrew Jackson.

[Scott McIlquham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have taught about Sequoyah's creation of the Cherokee writing system for a few years in my 4th grade classroom, but had never known the background regarding the difficulties he had convincing the Cherokee to accept and adopt his alphabet - very interesting, and I'm sure it will help to enliven our studies in future years! (teaching in Tennessee, I also appreciated the early Andrew Jackson references!)

[Margaret Nalen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The way Native Americans viewed European ways is fascinating. Talking leaves is such a poetic way to describe writing. I didn't know anything about this part of history, either. Creating letters to an entire language and being scorned is absolutely terrible, but the positive ending really made all the trouble worth it.

[Sue Doherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers will learn a lot about Sequoyah and the creation of the Cherokee alphabet from this book, as well as a good deal about Cherokee culture and the importance that this alphabet had in helping to preserve that culture for future generations. The author did a good job of weaving in everyday life and common issues that kids today face such as navigating friendships, gossip, and divorce.

[Abigael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rich, beautiful story. Thankful for the opportunity to read it in my country's Indigenous History month. I've read a few of Mr. Bruchac's chapter books & I always find them an incredible blessing, a true joy to read, even as an adult. There is so, so much we non-Indigenous people can learn from Mr. Bruchac. I would recommend this book for Grade 5-6 & up to age 122.😀

[Jesse Figuera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this- eye opening and well written. a friend who's Cherokee told me that many of the words are mispronounced on the audio book- which is a bummer. I listened to it, an not knowing any better thought it was lovely still. made me want to read more about the subject- very approachable.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Joseph Bruchac's Code talkers book, and was overjoyed when I discovered this one. It is a great tale about the Son of the man who created the written Cherokee alphabet. It is an amazing read that all should read.

[Jill Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joseph Bruchac knows how to tell a story. Even though the main character is fictionalized, I learned a lot about Sequoyah and the Cherokee. I'll definitely recommend it to students. It's not a page turner, but good, solid historical fiction.

[Karin Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome story about an Indian culture gaining a written language. It's written by an American Indian and narrated by the author. You learn a lot about the culture and customs and a little history as well.