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My Name Is America
The Journal of Jesse Smoke: A Cherokee Boy, Trail of Tears, 1838
Jesse Smoke, a sixteen-year-old Cherokee, begins a journal in 1837 to record stories of his people and their difficulties as they face removal along the Trail of Tears.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2001
39 people are currently reading
877 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Bruchac
279 books599 followersJoseph 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
December 13, 2015
I'm a bit torn on this one. The story itself was very interesting and features plenty of historical details about the Trail of Tears. It does emphasize the fact that the Cherokee people were treated very unfairly and forced to endure great hardships. However, I think it downplays the bitterness and resentment that they must have felt after being forced off their homes, especially when the author is a teenage boy. I found the book interesting, informative and for the most part historically accurate, but I can't help but feel like the author tried to give the story a positive ending that isn't entirely in line with what an actual Cherokee boy at that age would have felt.
August 8, 2022
3.5
This is such a painful chapter in American History. How could European 'settlers' think it was okay to barge in and take people's homes? Yes, I can come up with possible explanations, but their actions were just plain wrong.
I know very little about the Cherokees, so this expanded my awareness. Editorially, I would have suggested that Bruchac cut back on the number of names, or at least provide a listing up front of the main characters we would be following throughout the story.
A map would have been appreciated.
This is such a painful chapter in American History. How could European 'settlers' think it was okay to barge in and take people's homes? Yes, I can come up with possible explanations, but their actions were just plain wrong.
I know very little about the Cherokees, so this expanded my awareness. Editorially, I would have suggested that Bruchac cut back on the number of names, or at least provide a listing up front of the main characters we would be following throughout the story.
A map would have been appreciated.
Read
September 9, 2016I like story in history and Indian but Jesse Smoke is a Cherokee Boy just write about past but about something he was work farm and Nation Indian for school in New England with language then this like dairy or something date.
April 27, 2015
This is the story of the “Trail of Tears,” the relocation of the last of the Cherokee nation from Georgia to the Indian territories west of the Mississippi though the eyes of sixteen-year-old Jesse Smoke. Most of the Cherokees at the time were settled farmers. As pressure from the whites to move west impinged against the Indians, it was decided that they must go. A treaty was signed between the whites and some Indians, who had no authority to sign the treaty, whereby the Indians would be required to sell their farms at prices determined by the whites and move to the Indian territories. Many were driven from their homes by soldiers to holding forts in preparation for the journey. They were forced to pay exorbitant prices for teams, wagons, supplies, etc. all along the way. Many times they had to buy stock that was taken from them at prices far above what they were originally paid. Generally, the money spent amounted to more than they were paid for their farms.
They were dogged all the way by liquor salesmen who took much of their money for poor quality liquor. They left late in the year and suffered greatly, with many of their people dying along the way.
Jesse was taught to read and write in an Indian mission school before the move. His English is better than most kids in American schools today. Jesse is selected to be one of the Cherokee policemen along the way, allowing him to earn a little extra money. The people in the wagon train have to send hunters out each day to supplement their food stuffs, but the food they are able to find along the well-travelled trails doesn’t go far. They buy what they can from farmers along the way, but often the farmers don’t have much to sell.
Jesse and his family finally make it and are able to build new lives in the Indian territories.
This book is written for high school age children. It is written well for that age group and tells an important part of American history.
They were dogged all the way by liquor salesmen who took much of their money for poor quality liquor. They left late in the year and suffered greatly, with many of their people dying along the way.
Jesse was taught to read and write in an Indian mission school before the move. His English is better than most kids in American schools today. Jesse is selected to be one of the Cherokee policemen along the way, allowing him to earn a little extra money. The people in the wagon train have to send hunters out each day to supplement their food stuffs, but the food they are able to find along the well-travelled trails doesn’t go far. They buy what they can from farmers along the way, but often the farmers don’t have much to sell.
Jesse and his family finally make it and are able to build new lives in the Indian territories.
This book is written for high school age children. It is written well for that age group and tells an important part of American history.
June 21, 2023
The Journal of Jesse Smoke: A Cherokee Boy is a historical fiction novel for young readers set during the 1830s when thousands of Cherokees were forcibly removed from the Cherokee Nation. It’s written from the perspective of teenage Jesse Smoke and is formatted to read like a journal. The story opens on the impending removal of the Cherokee people from their homes. As the day draws nearer, they hear stories of the turmoil other Cherokees endured on the journey West. Jesse and his family find out they will be leaving earlier than promised when soldiers appear on their farm and make them leave. The soldier allows Jesse’s mother a few minutes to gather clothing before they’re ushered out of their home forever.
The rest of the novel is Jesse’s account of the traumas inflicted on the Cherokee people. Some of his entries seem to only note the death toll. But throughout Jesse’s story, there is an undercurrent of resilience and hope. In true Bruchac fashion, the author weaves Indigenous storytelling and culture into the narrative. These glimpses into Cherokee life act as a touchstone for Jesse and other characters who struggle to hold onto their identity though seemingly endless trials.
The journal framing device, aside from making the book part of a collection of other historical novels in the Dear America series, does two things. It brings the reader close to Jesse by being first person. While we can witness his experiences through his eyes, it also places some distance between us. It is simultaneously giving a window to view the past as well as acting as a reminder that while we can garner strong emotions for the Cherokee people and what they went through on the Trail of Tears, we are unable to fully grasp this lived experience.
The rest of the novel is Jesse’s account of the traumas inflicted on the Cherokee people. Some of his entries seem to only note the death toll. But throughout Jesse’s story, there is an undercurrent of resilience and hope. In true Bruchac fashion, the author weaves Indigenous storytelling and culture into the narrative. These glimpses into Cherokee life act as a touchstone for Jesse and other characters who struggle to hold onto their identity though seemingly endless trials.
The journal framing device, aside from making the book part of a collection of other historical novels in the Dear America series, does two things. It brings the reader close to Jesse by being first person. While we can witness his experiences through his eyes, it also places some distance between us. It is simultaneously giving a window to view the past as well as acting as a reminder that while we can garner strong emotions for the Cherokee people and what they went through on the Trail of Tears, we are unable to fully grasp this lived experience.
March 14, 2009
"The Journal of Jesse Smoke" IS written by Joseph Bruchac.It takes place in Georgia in the time of the Indian Removal Act.The main character is a Cherokee named Jesse Smoke.He went through many hardships during this time.He faced racist white men driving him and his family from his home to the west.
The purpose of this book was to entertain,yet it was also to inform readers about the life of native americans on the trail of tears.This story was a good story,but it is a little too short.It also does not go in depth that much.I did not get into the story at all.Even though it was ok,I would not recommend it to anyone unless they want to get an easy read.
The purpose of this book was to entertain,yet it was also to inform readers about the life of native americans on the trail of tears.This story was a good story,but it is a little too short.It also does not go in depth that much.I did not get into the story at all.Even though it was ok,I would not recommend it to anyone unless they want to get an easy read.
August 24, 2015
This book is part of the Dear America Series for young adults. It is written by Joseph Bruchac and is painstakingly researched and developed as it follows the Cherokee Removal and The Trail of Tears. Although geared to young adults, it is substantial enough for adult readers who want to know about this sorrowful time in American history. This is one I believe all young people should read. We need our youth to know about this horrifying time in history, lest we ever are faced with those who want to participate in ethnic cleansing again. We are even beginning to hear shades of it in today's current political rhetoric and it is shocking and frightening. Bruchac is an amazing writer. I have read more of his work previously. Also included in the library edition of this book is a fold out map of the Trail of Tears which is easy to read and discern and will be a great help in the education of my children. (Pre-read for teaching Georgia History, required reading for HH)
December 3, 2022
Joseph Bruchac is a native American children's book writer. He fictionalizes a time period when there is conflict between the true Americans and the European invaders (white settlers.) This book is written in the form of a diary about a Cherokee teenager who is being forced to move from his beloved land and go to a new territory in Oklahoma. He gives the history of that time period in his journal. I could not find any historical errors.
The diarist records how the army came at dawn and pushed the Cherokees off their property. He describes the conditions of the concentration camps the Indians were forced to live in for months and then the harrowing trip to Oklahoma. He records the number of deaths each day. I am sure the conditions were actually worse than described since the book is written for the middle grade student.
It will be one of the books assigned for my course on the Native America's view of American history.
The diarist records how the army came at dawn and pushed the Cherokees off their property. He describes the conditions of the concentration camps the Indians were forced to live in for months and then the harrowing trip to Oklahoma. He records the number of deaths each day. I am sure the conditions were actually worse than described since the book is written for the middle grade student.
It will be one of the books assigned for my course on the Native America's view of American history.
March 21, 2020
60% Interesting
Written by Joseph Bruchac, a Cherokee boy who lived during the Indian Removal, this diary is the true account of what happened during the Trail of Tears and should be read when studying this part of American History.
-------------
Author: Joseph Bruchac
Pages:203
Ages: 12+, given the average age for learning this part of American History.
Written by Joseph Bruchac, a Cherokee boy who lived during the Indian Removal, this diary is the true account of what happened during the Trail of Tears and should be read when studying this part of American History.
-------------
Author: Joseph Bruchac
Pages:203
Ages: 12+, given the average age for learning this part of American History.
May 11, 2022
Decent read with some historical perspective and colour.
November 3, 2016
I put Jesse's journal on my favorite shelf because the story is compelling and I liked the journal format. Jesse will show middle school readers how you can persevere through anything if you just never give up. Readers will also see a side of American history that is often swept over or ignored completely and from the point of view of the "losing" side. Reader's will be running along side Jesse through the entire book.
Even though this book is gauged for middle school readers I think this book is also appropriate for 5th grade also. I have used this book in a social studies unit but could use this is a reading class for showing not only historical fiction but the journal entry format. This also could be used as a fluency lesson as a readers theater where everyone does their own interpretation of Jesse.
Even though this book is gauged for middle school readers I think this book is also appropriate for 5th grade also. I have used this book in a social studies unit but could use this is a reading class for showing not only historical fiction but the journal entry format. This also could be used as a fluency lesson as a readers theater where everyone does their own interpretation of Jesse.
November 22, 2014
When I was a kid, I never realized how completely dark these books got (there is latent sexual assault, even if it isn't named directly). It makes reading them as an adult that much more eye opening.
I love how Bruchac so naturally and effortlessly weaves in Cherokee legend, history and culture. He summed up all that happened before the story opened succulently and well. In that good summary, he also manages to been the powerful message of how deeply unfair it was, a theme that would continue through the book. The rest of the book shows how completely dehumanizing the Cherokee were treated. Jesse is such a great, well written character. On top of that, for all they were supporting characters, the women were extremely well written. Also, the mule was hilarious.
I love how Bruchac so naturally and effortlessly weaves in Cherokee legend, history and culture. He summed up all that happened before the story opened succulently and well. In that good summary, he also manages to been the powerful message of how deeply unfair it was, a theme that would continue through the book. The rest of the book shows how completely dehumanizing the Cherokee were treated. Jesse is such a great, well written character. On top of that, for all they were supporting characters, the women were extremely well written. Also, the mule was hilarious.
May 15, 2013
I'm not sure how a book on the trail of tears could be as boring as this one turned out to be. Jesse Smoke doesn't engage with the reader nor the people around him and his diary entries are dry and completely without feeling. He writes about death the same way he discusses the weather. In the author's defense, I've read some real diaries from men during the 1800s this dry aspect of this book may be historically accurate but unfortunately doesn't make this book a interesting read. Also none of the characters have any depth to them and are introduced pages before they either leave the story or die.
October 31, 2014
Jesse Smoke is a Cherokee boy. One day, white soldiers come to his house and force him, his mother, and his sisters to walk west, away from their home and everything they know.
This was a great book. It shows you what it was like on the Trail of Tears, and you really get to know the characters.
This was a good passage from the epilogue:
Napoleyan, Jesse's cussed stubborn mule, lived to the age of twenty-eight. Napoleyan's last act was to kick the veterinarian who was trying to tend him, breaking two of the man's ribs. The old red mule then expired with what Jesse swore was a smile on his face.
This was a great book. It shows you what it was like on the Trail of Tears, and you really get to know the characters.
This was a good passage from the epilogue:
Napoleyan, Jesse's cussed stubborn mule, lived to the age of twenty-eight. Napoleyan's last act was to kick the veterinarian who was trying to tend him, breaking two of the man's ribs. The old red mule then expired with what Jesse swore was a smile on his face.
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November 10, 2014The journal of Jesse smoke is a great book about Cherokee people moving north because their land was being taken by white people. This book is about the adventure of him, his family, and his friends. With plague and a lack of resources, will he make it to his new home?
I liked when he talked about a game he played in his village, he talked about how it was dangerous but fun. He said that he won, but he broke two fingers,
I would recommend this book to anyone in middle school or people who like history books. I would also recommend this book to people who like adventure books too.
I liked when he talked about a game he played in his village, he talked about how it was dangerous but fun. He said that he won, but he broke two fingers,
I would recommend this book to anyone in middle school or people who like history books. I would also recommend this book to people who like adventure books too.
March 9, 2017
"This who do not know us may wonder why it is that we Cherokees have been called a "civilized" tribe. I believe, as Revered Samuel Worcester told me, that civilization is in the spirit of a nation and not worldly goods. Also, according to the Feeler, we Cherokees were civilized before we ever met a white man." Pp. 38-39
"Though he had not known that to give a friend a knife is to cut their friendship unless something is quickly returned in payment, he had clearly remembered one thing I had taught him: We Cherokee have no word for good-bye." Pg. 125
"Though he had not known that to give a friend a knife is to cut their friendship unless something is quickly returned in payment, he had clearly remembered one thing I had taught him: We Cherokee have no word for good-bye." Pg. 125
May 9, 2017
Taken from his journal, this book contains day-to-day life of a Native American on the Trail of Tears. History as well as life, at times, is not very pretty; Jesse Smoke paints a picture for us, the reader, of the ugly side of humanity.
Because of the nature of the subject, I only recommend this book to readers over the age of 13.
Because of the nature of the subject, I only recommend this book to readers over the age of 13.
August 21, 2015
This was an awesome book. Cover to cover I loved it.
It brings to life exactly what the Indians went through, the unfairness and that by then. most Indians were, besides skin color, honestly indistiguishable from the white men who claimed supiriority.
Loved Napoleyan. ^_^
It brings to life exactly what the Indians went through, the unfairness and that by then. most Indians were, besides skin color, honestly indistiguishable from the white men who claimed supiriority.
Loved Napoleyan. ^_^
August 10, 2011
Like all books in the Dear America Series, it was excellent. I've never read an account of the Trail of Tears but these parts of American history are heartbreaking to read about. It is uplifting to learn about all those people who fought for the Native Americans.
June 4, 2017
I can't handle the whole, "Often their masters treated them much like family members..." As if that makes owning a human being ok? Is the author trying to excuse the fact that Cherokees owned slaves? Also, the hopeful Disney ending feels very inappropriate for a story of extermination.
November 2, 2009
Not the most horrific telling of this story I have ever read. An interesting view of events.
February 11, 2011
I had to read this for school.
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July 9, 2011Such a heart wrenching tale.
September 13, 2011
Read this book with Alex...It's a YA fictionalized account of the Cherokee removal and the "Trail of Tears" journey.
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August 20, 2012hey people i will soon write a review on this book, thankx!
November 15, 2013
Had a hard time investing in this one. It seemed a little slow.
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May 22, 2014X2
February 10, 2015
Very tough to read in places as it is a tough story.
July 6, 2015
Excellent book that I read to my fifth graders. It's the journal of a Cherokee boy who lived during the Trail of Tears
October 23, 2015
A Quickie Review
A good historical drama...but it could have been better.
A good historical drama...but it could have been better.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews