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No Resting Place: A Novel
A Scottish-Cherokee boy accompanies his grandparents on the Trail of Tears in this “superb” novel by the New York Times–bestselling author of The Ordways (Time).
Twelve-year-old Amos Ferguson is a blond, blue-eyed boy of mixed Cherokee and Scottish heritage, the son of a physician and the grandson of a gentleman farmer. Despite wealth and education, however, the family has no recourse when a drifter forges a bill of sale to their plantation: Georgia state law forbids anyone with Native American blood from testifying in court.
Amos and his grandparents are relocated to a squalid internment camp and forced to join their tribe on a long and brutal march to the Indian Territory west of the Mississippi. Along the way, the doctor’s son tends to the sick as thousands perish from disease, starvation, and exhaustion. In the Republic of Texas, he bears witness to the doomed last stand of Chief Bowles and his band of Cherokee, who refuse to sacrifice the lands promised them by Sam Houston.
More than a century later, Amos’s great-great-grandson narrates the story of his ancestor’s harrowing journey and heroic survival, in “a novel every American should be required to read” that brings a shameful chapter of US history to life (Los Angeles Times). From the National Book Award–nominated author of Home from the Hill and Farther Off from Heaven, No Resting Place “is more than one boy's story; it is the story of a nation dispossessed and brought to its knees by the greed and power of another” (Library Journal).
This ebook features an illustrated biography of William Humphrey including rare photos form the author’s estate.
Twelve-year-old Amos Ferguson is a blond, blue-eyed boy of mixed Cherokee and Scottish heritage, the son of a physician and the grandson of a gentleman farmer. Despite wealth and education, however, the family has no recourse when a drifter forges a bill of sale to their plantation: Georgia state law forbids anyone with Native American blood from testifying in court.
Amos and his grandparents are relocated to a squalid internment camp and forced to join their tribe on a long and brutal march to the Indian Territory west of the Mississippi. Along the way, the doctor’s son tends to the sick as thousands perish from disease, starvation, and exhaustion. In the Republic of Texas, he bears witness to the doomed last stand of Chief Bowles and his band of Cherokee, who refuse to sacrifice the lands promised them by Sam Houston.
More than a century later, Amos’s great-great-grandson narrates the story of his ancestor’s harrowing journey and heroic survival, in “a novel every American should be required to read” that brings a shameful chapter of US history to life (Los Angeles Times). From the National Book Award–nominated author of Home from the Hill and Farther Off from Heaven, No Resting Place “is more than one boy's story; it is the story of a nation dispossessed and brought to its knees by the greed and power of another” (Library Journal).
This ebook features an illustrated biography of William Humphrey including rare photos form the author’s estate.
267 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 1989
121 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
William Humphrey
73 books17 followersWilliam Humphrey was an American novelist, memoirist, short story writer, and author of literary sporting and nature stories. His published works, while still available in French translation, largely have been out of print until recently. Home from the Hill and The Ordways are available from LSU Press. In 2015, Open Road Media published the complete works of William Humphrey in digital form.
Of significant interest to readers of Humphrey are Wakeful Anguish, A Literary Biography of William Humphrey by Ashby Bland Crowder as well as Far From Home, Selected Letters of William Humphrey edited by Crowder, both available from Louisiana State University Press.
Of significant interest to readers of Humphrey are Wakeful Anguish, A Literary Biography of William Humphrey by Ashby Bland Crowder as well as Far From Home, Selected Letters of William Humphrey edited by Crowder, both available from Louisiana State University Press.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 25, 2017
I was drawn to this story because I had read William Humphrey’s Home from the Hill, brilliant Southern fiction that was a contender for the National Book Award, and I couldn’t imagine letting anything written by this author pass me by. Thanks go to Net Galley and Open Road Media for the DRC, which I received free in exchange for this honest review. The book will be re-released digitally February 17, 2017.
Humphrey tells this story like no one else. The Trail of Tears is one of the most heinous crimes any government has wrought upon its aboriginal peoples, a shameless land grab that stole all of the lands belonging to Cherokees and several other tribes of the Southeastern USA. It’s a story that has to be told by someone; those that have American Indian roots may have access to oral history, but for Anglos like me, if it isn’t written down, future generations may not know about it. And by telling it as if it were historical fiction, Humphrey is able to add dialogue and make it more accessible. That said, the reader will need to bring strong literacy skills to this novel. Humphrey’s fiction is always hyper-literate, all the more so in this case because he meticulously researched it. It is the last thing he wrote, a genuine labor of love, and it shows.
That said, nobody can make this real-life event a happy one, and nobody should. It’s brutal. I was about a quarter of the way in, reading in tiny bites in order to make the reading more bearable, when I began to regret having committed to reading and reviewing it. In the end, however, I am glad I did read it, because I learned a lot of new things about the various tribes and although Humphrey’s narrative isn’t enjoyable to read because of the subject matter, he does it more eloquently and in more conscientious detail than anyone else that I’ve read. I say this having taught a unit on the Trail of Tears for a number of years; I am not an expert on this part of American history, but I also didn’t come to it without prior knowledge.
It’s a story that will break your heart—and if you already know the basics, it will do so all over again—but it’s also a story everyone should know. Like the Holocaust, it’s a part of history whose recounting must not be permitted to pass from our knowledge. As for me, I read more than one book at a time, and I found this was less likely to leave me feeling depressed if I alternated it with lighter material. It is likely to be of special interest to those of Cherokee descent and also to Texans, whose forefather Sam Houston is featured here.
The writing style may seem peculiar to younger readers because it is written in a formal style not often used anymore, but there is no denying the word-smithery that makes this cruel event come alive on the page. Highly recommended to those with the literary skills and stamina required to pursue it.
Humphrey tells this story like no one else. The Trail of Tears is one of the most heinous crimes any government has wrought upon its aboriginal peoples, a shameless land grab that stole all of the lands belonging to Cherokees and several other tribes of the Southeastern USA. It’s a story that has to be told by someone; those that have American Indian roots may have access to oral history, but for Anglos like me, if it isn’t written down, future generations may not know about it. And by telling it as if it were historical fiction, Humphrey is able to add dialogue and make it more accessible. That said, the reader will need to bring strong literacy skills to this novel. Humphrey’s fiction is always hyper-literate, all the more so in this case because he meticulously researched it. It is the last thing he wrote, a genuine labor of love, and it shows.
That said, nobody can make this real-life event a happy one, and nobody should. It’s brutal. I was about a quarter of the way in, reading in tiny bites in order to make the reading more bearable, when I began to regret having committed to reading and reviewing it. In the end, however, I am glad I did read it, because I learned a lot of new things about the various tribes and although Humphrey’s narrative isn’t enjoyable to read because of the subject matter, he does it more eloquently and in more conscientious detail than anyone else that I’ve read. I say this having taught a unit on the Trail of Tears for a number of years; I am not an expert on this part of American history, but I also didn’t come to it without prior knowledge.
It’s a story that will break your heart—and if you already know the basics, it will do so all over again—but it’s also a story everyone should know. Like the Holocaust, it’s a part of history whose recounting must not be permitted to pass from our knowledge. As for me, I read more than one book at a time, and I found this was less likely to leave me feeling depressed if I alternated it with lighter material. It is likely to be of special interest to those of Cherokee descent and also to Texans, whose forefather Sam Houston is featured here.
The writing style may seem peculiar to younger readers because it is written in a formal style not often used anymore, but there is no denying the word-smithery that makes this cruel event come alive on the page. Highly recommended to those with the literary skills and stamina required to pursue it.
July 30, 2017
GNAB I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel from Netgalley, the late William Humphrey, and Open Road Media. Thank you, for sharing your work with me. Originally published in 1989. Thank you, Open Road, for bringing this back to life.
This deeply researched novel based on the inclusion of 12 year old Amos Ferguson in the Trail of Tears as narrated by his great-great-grandson, Amos Smith IV, over a hundred years later is astonishing. We travel the trail with a 12 - 15 year old Amos Ferguson and the (non-Cherokee) Reverend Mackenzie who travelled with them, as the months pass and their numbers dwindle to almost half in the wake of cholera, typhus, whooping cough, and smallpox, and plague, through the death of the only doctor and the guiding light of 0f Reverend Mackenzie, his lady wife, we watch these strong hearted people advance in baby steps to meet their fate in Indian Territory. The Ferguson's join other family in Texas, across the Red River, only to have to make the pilgrimage back to Oklahoma 20 years later after betrayal by the Republic of Texas.
This is an excellent and informative read. All history buffs and Texans should read it!
pub date Feb 17, 2015
This deeply researched novel based on the inclusion of 12 year old Amos Ferguson in the Trail of Tears as narrated by his great-great-grandson, Amos Smith IV, over a hundred years later is astonishing. We travel the trail with a 12 - 15 year old Amos Ferguson and the (non-Cherokee) Reverend Mackenzie who travelled with them, as the months pass and their numbers dwindle to almost half in the wake of cholera, typhus, whooping cough, and smallpox, and plague, through the death of the only doctor and the guiding light of 0f Reverend Mackenzie, his lady wife, we watch these strong hearted people advance in baby steps to meet their fate in Indian Territory. The Ferguson's join other family in Texas, across the Red River, only to have to make the pilgrimage back to Oklahoma 20 years later after betrayal by the Republic of Texas.
This is an excellent and informative read. All history buffs and Texans should read it!
pub date Feb 17, 2015
December 4, 2016
When I was asked to review No Resting Place I was pretty excited. Like me, Mr. Humphrey's ancestors went through the Trail of Tears and with the story being passed down from generation to generation Mr. Humphrey was able to put pen to paper and tell the story that has been lost in our American history.
From the beginning I could tell that this book was going to be a challenge. The author has a very unique writing style and one that I am not accustomed to reading. I'll be honest, I almost gave up on this book but I wanted so bad to see what my ancestors saw and feel what they felt that I pressed on and I'm so glad that I did.
It is a hard story to read and another sad note in American history. Much like the holocaust, Native Americans were forced off their land by the "white man" and moved first to concentration camps and then west. Depending on the compassion of the officer that came knocking on your door, some families were able to take some of their belongings with them while others left with only the clothes on their back. I cannot even begin to imagine what that trek must've been like.
If you are into Native American history or history in general I highly recommend it! While painful to hear, it's a story everyone should know.
From the beginning I could tell that this book was going to be a challenge. The author has a very unique writing style and one that I am not accustomed to reading. I'll be honest, I almost gave up on this book but I wanted so bad to see what my ancestors saw and feel what they felt that I pressed on and I'm so glad that I did.
It is a hard story to read and another sad note in American history. Much like the holocaust, Native Americans were forced off their land by the "white man" and moved first to concentration camps and then west. Depending on the compassion of the officer that came knocking on your door, some families were able to take some of their belongings with them while others left with only the clothes on their back. I cannot even begin to imagine what that trek must've been like.
If you are into Native American history or history in general I highly recommend it! While painful to hear, it's a story everyone should know.
February 4, 2017
Story of the trail of tears. Although this is a novel I did learn quite a bit about the background before the trek began. I have always had great sympathy for the American Indians and their lifestyle and lands that were stolen for them. Was kinda slow reading for me because it reads more like nonfiction but worth the time and effort
February 10, 2017
No Resting Place is a story about Texas, Indians and the Trail of Tears. Humphrey tells the story with nothing glossed over or romanticized. In fact, quite the opposite. It’s hard to believe that such cruel events took place.
Having deep roots in Texas and an ancestor who fought in the Battle of San Jacinto, I was especially interested in what Humphrey had to say about the battle and what happened afterwards. Humphrey manages to link both the Battle of San Jacinto and the Trail of Tears by the men who were involved in both. Sam Houston, who was sympathetic to the Indians, was not in office at the time it took place.
The story begins in Texas during the centennial year of 1936 and preparations were under way for the San Jacinto Day celebration. The 8th grade schoolboys were to reenact the battle. One boy, who just happened to draw the part of playing Mirabeau B. Lamar, decided to trade with another boy who was playing a Mexican. Upon hearing this, his father realizes it is time to share their family story. It’s much more than a story--it’s their legacy, their family history, meant to be passed to each generation and never forgotten.
Told by his great great grandson, Amos Ferguson’s journey to Texas is brought to life. Amos, the son of a prosperous Georgia family whose father was a doctor, was also of mixed blood. In 1838, all Indians, even those with a drop of Indian blood, were required to relocate to specified Indian Territory.
Amos, with pale skin and blue eyes, was one of the thousands who walked the Trail of Tears. Along the way, his mother and his grandparents were some of the many who died.
This was not an easy read, mostly due to the writing style and the tough subject matter, but once I got deeper into the story, it became more interesting and I didn’t notice the writing style quite so much.
Many thanks to Net-Galley and Open Road Integrated Media for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Having deep roots in Texas and an ancestor who fought in the Battle of San Jacinto, I was especially interested in what Humphrey had to say about the battle and what happened afterwards. Humphrey manages to link both the Battle of San Jacinto and the Trail of Tears by the men who were involved in both. Sam Houston, who was sympathetic to the Indians, was not in office at the time it took place.
The story begins in Texas during the centennial year of 1936 and preparations were under way for the San Jacinto Day celebration. The 8th grade schoolboys were to reenact the battle. One boy, who just happened to draw the part of playing Mirabeau B. Lamar, decided to trade with another boy who was playing a Mexican. Upon hearing this, his father realizes it is time to share their family story. It’s much more than a story--it’s their legacy, their family history, meant to be passed to each generation and never forgotten.
Told by his great great grandson, Amos Ferguson’s journey to Texas is brought to life. Amos, the son of a prosperous Georgia family whose father was a doctor, was also of mixed blood. In 1838, all Indians, even those with a drop of Indian blood, were required to relocate to specified Indian Territory.
Amos, with pale skin and blue eyes, was one of the thousands who walked the Trail of Tears. Along the way, his mother and his grandparents were some of the many who died.
This was not an easy read, mostly due to the writing style and the tough subject matter, but once I got deeper into the story, it became more interesting and I didn’t notice the writing style quite so much.
Many thanks to Net-Galley and Open Road Integrated Media for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 15, 2016
This is one of those books that you think everyone should read, but you know most people would not make it past the first chapter or two. Why? It's dated; too much flowery language and too much time spent on description. Today's readers are looking for a spoon-fed story that requires no real concentration or thought.
Still, it's a great book for history buffs or anyone interested in native American history.
Still, it's a great book for history buffs or anyone interested in native American history.
October 14, 2023
Whew! Hard to read, as it’s both heartbreaking and infuriating. This is a novelized first person account of the Trail of Tears.
November 4, 2024
The book describes Cherokee tribe removal from Georgia. Amos Ferguson/Noquisi, a Scottish Cherokee boy is left behind with his grandparents while his father goes west to prepare a place for their relocation. However Georgia militia and US Army removes the family from their property prior they can hear from their father. The three of them join other Cherokees in a detention camp and then they embark on a treacherous journey called Trail of Tears towards Texas subsequently. Amos serves as an interpreter for the captain Donovan and as an assistant to the doctor Warren while on the march. Many people died along the trail due to exhaustion, cold, infections - typhus, cholera and smallpox and they are buried in a shallow graves with crosses bearing their names along the trail. Thus Amos discovered his mother’s name - Anne written on one of the crosses. He asked captain Donovan to mark the spot on the map so he could return there one day. After the death of doctor Ferguson Amos became a doctor for the remaining 700 travelers. Amos is reunited in Texas with his father, but the peace is not found even there. Couple of years later Indians are fought by Texan rangers and as Amos flees, his father is shot and Amos is adopted by his killer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2024
I am glad I persevered through this difficult but vital to know story. The biggest difficulty I found in sticking with it was the author's style of writing. It is NOT a quick read! I am accustomed to reading through a novel fairly quickly. I had to take this one in bite-sized chunks. Still, I am glad to know the story of the Trail of Tears in much more depth than I had known it before. A sad era for the Cherokee people!
June 6, 2024
This is a very difficult book to digest, especially if you were born in Georgia. Between 1830 and 1850, 60,000 of the five civilized Indian tribes were forced to leave their homes and walk the "Trail of Tears" to their "new home" in Oklahoma.
I read this book in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. Should be required reading for all students attending schools in the USA.
I read this book in one sitting. I couldn't put it down. Should be required reading for all students attending schools in the USA.
December 11, 2018
This was one of those books I almost stopped after the first chapter. Thank goodness I kept going. What a good read. Although it's a novel, I suspect Humphrey's description of the Trail of Tears had a lot of truth to it.
August 17, 2025
A sad chapter in American history told in a manner that at times makes the narrator hard to follow.
November 23, 2016
William Humphrey’s account of the forced removal of the Cherokee nation along the Trail of Tears in 1838-9 certainly doesn't shy away from depicting the true horror, yet somehow I never felt fully emotionally engaged with the novel. A mix of fact and fiction, with many real life characters such as Sam Houston, as well as many fictional ones, it’s an informative and well-researched book, and by using fiction attempts to make the shameful episode particularly accessible to the reader. But there’s some clumsy construction here, with the occasionally awkward flashback, frequent exposition which would have been more effective as part of the narrative, and overall I felt there were in fact just too much jumping around and too many characters. A pruned back story would have been easier to get involved with. For me it was a worthy book than a compelling one and disappointingly I found myself skipping chunks of it.
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November 20, 2008AI FHum
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews