Forever Island and Allapattah

by Patrick D. Smith

Forever Island is widely recognized as the classic novel of the Everglades.Allapattah is the story of a young Seminole in despair in the white man's world.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

386 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Patrick Smith is a 1999 inductee into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, the highest and most prestigious cultural honor that can be bestowed upon an individual by the State of Florida.
In May 2002 Smith was the recipient of the Florida Historical Society’s Fay Schweim Award as the “Greatest Living Floridian.” The one-time-only award was established to honor the one individual who has contributed the most to Florida in recent history. Smith was cited for the impact his novels have made on Floridians, both natives and newcomers to the state, and for the worldwide acclaim he has received.

Smith has been nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize, in 1973 for Forever Island, which was a 1974 selection of the Reader’s Digest Condensed Book Club and has been published in 46 countries; in 1978 for Angel City, which was produced as a “Movie of the Week” for the CBS television network and has aired worldwide; and in 1984 for A Land Remembered, which was an Editors’ Choice selection of the New York Times Book Review. In the 2001 The Best of Florida statewide poll taken by Florida Monthly magazine, A Land Remembered was ranked #1 Best Florida Book. The novel also ranked #1 in all the polls since then. Smith’s lifetime work was nominated for the 1985 Nobel Prize for Literature, and since then he has received five additional nominations.

In 2008 he was honored with a Literary Heritage Award at the 1st Annual Heritage Book Festival in St Augustine. FLorida's Secretary of State Kurt Browning presented the award.

In 1995 Patrick Smith was elected by The Southern Academy of Letters, Arts and Science for its highest literary award, The Order of the South. Previous recipients include Eudora Welty, James Dickey, and Reynolds Price. In 1996 he was named a Florida Ambassador of the Arts, an honor given each year by the state of Florida to someone who has made significant contributions to Florida's cultural growth. In 1999 Smith was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, which is the highest and most prestigious cultural honor the state bestows upon an individual artist. Prior inductees include writers Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ernest Hemingway.

In October 1990 he received the University of Mississippi’s Distinguished Alumni Award and was inducted into the University’s Alumni Hall of Fame. In 1997, the Florida Historical Society created a new annual award, the Patrick D. Smith Florida Literature Award, in his honor.

Thousands of people of all ages have enjoyed his books and his talks. With his new DVD, A Sense of Place, you can spend an intimate hour with this soft-spoken author and gain an insight into the creative processes that resulted in his beloved books.

Patrick lives in Merritt Island, Florida with his wife Iris and his beloved cats.

Reviews

[Cathy Wacksman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I knew how to write glowing summaries of what I read but that's not my gift. However, I have been emotionally changed after reading Patrick D Smith's tales of real Florida people. Forever Island and Allapattah are about how the white man took over land where Nattive Americans had lived for generations. The book is only about 200 pages but I wish it had been much longer. The writing is fairly simple but well worth reading.

[Marita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some might feel five stars is too much to give this book. The story is simple and the writing is not elegant or on the same level as many other writers of classics or best sellers. What made me give this five stars is the feeling this simple story evoked in me. Feelings of sadness and nostalgia that old ways of living must come to and end. Feelings of frustration and indignation at mistreatment of the Land and a lack of respect for people who choose to live a simpler way of life. Feelings of fear about the ultimate end for all of us if our culture continues down this path of destruction. But also feelings of hope and desire to push back, to raise awareness and to rebel against it in the ways that I can- through love, kindness, determination to seek for alternative ways to handle progress and land development, of ways to show honor and right treatment to those people and animals who are displaced by it. My heart aches for Charlie Jumper and even Little George and Gumbo in this story- people and animals living quietly and peacefully but in the wrong place at the wrong time, sacrificed in the name of progress.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hi-hum story about Seminoles losing their land to developers in Florida. Recommended by Patty in book club. Well written but the topic didn’t really appeal to me.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, along Smith's A Land Remembered, should be required reading for all residents of and visitors to Florida. It tells of an old Seminole man Charlie Jumper, who lives with his wife in a remote section of the Everglades. Although he has lived his entire 86+ years there, he did not "own" his small plot of land. A developer bought a huge tract and immediately started clearing the cypress, draining the swamp, and causing death and destruction to the environment. Read it and realize how precious our natural environment is and how important is the Circle of Life. Will you weep? I did.

[E Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forever Island gets 5 stars. It's the first book in a long time that made me cry.
Charlie Jumper is an old Mikasuki Seminole who has lived in and loved the Everglades his
whole life. Unfortunately, he does not own the land he lives on. His son, Billie Joe, and his
family live nearby. He doesn't own the land, however, he does pay rent. Seth, his neighbor, is
a white man who actually owns the 10 acres his fish camp is on. When a real-estate developer buys thousand of acres encompassing Charlie, Billie Joe, and Seth's properties to make a housing development , their way of life isdoomed. Billie Joe is young enough to adapt to the situation and decides to move into town. Hewants Charlie to go with him, but Charlie will not leave the swamp. Even though Seth owns hisproperty, when the developer starts to cut trees and drain the swamp, his property will be irretrievably damaged. Charlie's love for his pet raccoon and his pet alligator is heart warming.The devastation to him and all the animals was tragic..
Allapattah brings this down to four stars. It follows the same storyline, but is more depressing than heartwarming.
Tony Tiger is a young Seminole but he's lived his whole life in the old traditional way. Instead of a housing development Tony's area has been changed by the building of what was to be a huge international airport for Miami. It is never completed but functions as a training area. There's also the dwindling water in the swamps because of dams and drainage canals, and fires set by hog hunters. Tony engages in some stupid, meaningless and illegal stunts. He is hot headed and
drinks too much. The book goes from one horrible situation to the next. Maybe a realistic picture, but still depressing.

[Joseph R. Goodall · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy-to-read character study set in midcentury south Florida, Forever Island tells the tale of Charlie Jumper, an aged Seminole man whose quiet, attentive existence in the dynamic and evergreen swamp is threatened by accelerating land development. Though living remotely, Charlie’s connections are vast, from the alligators and raccoons near his camp to the fisherman, forest ranger and real estate agent who travel the same waters. Some characters are less developed, and the plot is somewhat predictable, but the author’s obvious respect for the native people of Florida and his empathetic angle on the inevitable and continuous clash of cultures make for an important and illuminating story.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book because I really loved A Land Remembered. It is story of the rape of the everglades. I'm not a huge environmentalist (tree hugger), but I love the everglades and wish we (developers) had been less money hungry and more cognizant of the damage we were doing. It is also the story of a man who loved his home and the creatures who inhabited it.

[Daniele · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a book this short, it must be rare to give 5 stars. However this book was so good I could not put it down. It takes place in the Everglades and the main character is Charlie Jumper, a seminole Indian .
It is fantastic in its simplicity, few characters, so much to take from it. The love of the land, the love of family, the love of animals.

[Susan Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark, sad, poignant, but an important witness to the drastic changes that Florida's ecology, and her people, have undergone in a few generations. Important reading, compelling, but not a happy-go-lucky summer vacation read.

[James P · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although the plot and message of this book is good and relevant for our time, there are a lot of research and details missing in the narrative. It appears to have been written hurriedly towards a juvenile audience. Smith's other book, "A Land Remembered" is a much better read.

[Lara Reading Wild · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking for an example of efficient storytelling, this is it. In under 200 pages, the author managed to rip my heart out and shred it to pieces. The story, the characters, the setting; I was totally invested. More of this, please.

[Michael Shayeson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two sad stories of the treatment of the Seminole Indians and the indifference and greed of those that exploited and ruined the ecosystem known as the Everglades.

[Nicole Northrup · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but “ A Land Remembered” was better. His style is great. I will probably read his other books!

[Vickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these stories. Forever Island a little more so than Allapattah. But both good stories and written as if I were actually with the characters.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allapattah was so sad, I'll never want to reread it. Novels of FL settlement, development, loss of land and wildlife...

[Ruby Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good!!

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Florida location for this sad book.

[Connie Schabowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed both stories.

[Lucie White · Rating 5 out of 5]

My edition did not include allapattah
But forever island is very good, the writing is simple but it holds very important messages.

[Cathy DuPont · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1987, this edition is actually two books, Forever Island, published in 1973, and Allapattah, published in 1987.

The book was recommended by a friend who is a lover of the outdoors and can relate even though his perspective is from 50 years ago and north Florida. North Florida has its own 'growth and progress' story but not as stunning as south Florida, although some would argue that point.

My bet is that it's a must read for budding environmentalists and those interested in Florida history.

Both books center on Seminoles families, the gradual loss of the Everglades where they used the land for their food, clothes and shelter. Their loss, of course, was due to the encroachment of land developers in south Florida. The main theme of the books can be summed up by Toby Tiger the main character from Allapattah who said "Soon it will all be ended, and there will be no more. The white men destroy all that they touch."

As a native of north Florida, I've haven't seen the dire results as close hand as native south Floridians, but if there is any question of the damage done, just Google Earth. There is picture proof of the harm done to this once pristine area; encroachment by civilization for the sake of progress. Now we know, too late, the "River of Grass" is an imporant part of much needed water for all of Florida. All for, in a word, greed.

Smith wrote in a very easy and simple manner to tell his point of view. He has lovely descriptions of the landscape and the bond the Seminoles had with Mother Earth and all its animals.

Well worth the time spent in reading these two books.

So sad, the results of encroachment and the books. Sad stories both.

Here's a link to the South Florida Water Management District with information on efforts to restore the Everglades:

http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/port...

[Jennifer H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, these are two good stories - but very sad. And frustrating. And infuriating (on hunters that would just shoot something because they can, and leave it to die; on officers who don't listen).

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I'm 50% done with Forever Island and : Just need to read the other story! The first one was great, but sad

[Enjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years after reading this book, I still remember Charlie Jumper. I got choked up when he put the gourd rattle in Gumbo's small coffin and left crawfish at Gumbo's grave deep in the swamp at the ancient burial ground of his tribe. I do not think I could have done what he did to Little George. I'd have searched for another way to save the old gator.

[Dylan R. Nix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both stories are heartbreaking in various ways and paint a beautifully tragic portrait of the often hideous nature of so-called ‘progress’ and breaking of sacred traditions and ways of life that can no longer survive in a modern world.

The level of detail of the Florida wilderness is unmatched.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a poignant story. Well worth the read.

[Jo West]

Old Florida was truly an experience. Native Americans are to be admired.