Customer Reviews

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Unlike the reader from LA, I fail to see why the University of Mexico Press should feel obligated to "alert" the reader of Forrest Carter's ugly past. I think that removing the "True Story" subtitle was all that had to be done. After finding out about Carter's hideous background, I read the book backwards and was relieved to find no hidden racist manifestos or prayers to Satan. When reading the book frontwards what I discovered was a potentially life-changing, hilarious, sad and ultimately uplifting tale that left me convinced of the universal beauty of the human spirit. As far as racial and cultural issues go, this book - if anything - made me even more understanding of different cultures and more sensitive to the background of Native Americans. In fact, I was so inspired after I turned over the last page, that I hastily filled up all of the blank pages at the end with my own reflections. I remember exclaiming to a friend who walked by that I had just finished one of the best books I had ever read. Of course I felt somewhat betrayed when I first learned the truth behind the book's author (this morning). I was also very disappointed - and still am - that such a wonderfully inspiring plot and cast of characters never actually graced the often-uninspiring "real world" in which we live. But then I looked back at the notes I had written upon completing the book. My first thought had been "As a society we need to understand and tolerate our differences." The irony here - that a former KKK leader had inspired these notes - did not escape me. Rather, I discovered that I was still learning from "Little Tree." If even the most ugly and evil people can harbor inside them a potential to inspire strangers to understand and even "kin" each other despite our differences, then isn't there hope for the human race? Society today is sick with racism and disrespect for each other and for nature. We need to change that, and reading "Little Tree" is as good a first step as any. Many famous writers - while troubled or despicable as individuals - have still managed to pass down priceless bits of beauty or wisdom that have touched and will continue to touch the lives of millions of readers in generations to come. The University of Mexico Press could always change the publisher's note on the back cover to: "Former KKK leader lies about his past." Heck, they could even insert an author's picture of old Forest in a white hood burning a cross. They could. But all that would happen is less people would read "Little Tree" and, unfortunately, miss out on a great lesson in tolerance, love and understanding. "The Education of Little Tree" is masterpiece; you will laugh a lot, cry some, and leave it feeling like you have gained more wisdom than many people will gain in a lifetime.

My grandmother gave me this book years ago as a birthday present, and my copy shows definite signs have having been read and reread many times over. I never grow tired of reading it, and it makes me feel good every time I open it up.

I'll accept what other reviewers of Cherokee descent have stated here that this is not an accurate depiction of their way of life. Here's the kicker though...I did not read this book to learn about the Cherokee, so the fact that it is not a true portrayal is not a concern to me. The family could just as easily have been German, Chinese, Russian, or Arab, it wouldn't have made any difference.

I'll also accept that Forrest (Asa) Carter was a racist, segregationist, KKK member. Mr. Carter is gone, and I don't know, nor will anyone else ever know, what his true motivation behind writing this story was.

What is more important is the overall message that this book portrays, and it is NOT one of racism. It is an endearing account of a little boy's relationship with his grandparents and their lives together in the mountains during the Depression. The wonderful thing is that it is told from the viewpoint of a 5 year old. He is too young to understand much about the adult world around him, and it is interesting to see his interpretations of the various things he experiences. He has a child's innocence, and is still able to view even the simplest things with wonder and can derive enjoyment from them. Five year olds today need an explosive video game to be so entertained.

The characters are well developed, a bit oversimplified, but intensly human. The writing is incredibly descriptive, and provides the reader with a vivid mental picture of what is happening. It teaches the pleasure of slowing down and paying attention to the little things that are happening in the world, like watching a spider trying to build its web across a creek. It demonstrates the comfort and closeness derived when being separated from loved ones by looking at the same star or lighting a candle at the same time.

As for stereotypes, I didn't find it here. Some people have stated that the fact that Little Tree and his grandparents are uneducated reflects a negative Native American stereotype. I don't believe this to be the case in this book. They are uneducated, yes; but in that place and time in history, so were many people, of many races.

Overall, this is a rich story about the strength of love and family, hardships and overcoming them, and slowing down and finding wonder wherever you can. About looking at the world through the innocent eyes of a child.

If you are looking for a fast paced action thriller, do not read this book. If you are looking to read a book that is a true and accurate portrayal of Native American life, this is not the book for you. But if you are looking for a nice, feel-good story, then don't pass this book up!

For those who are bent on picking apart and finding fault in this book, well I suppose one could find fault in anything if you look hard enough for it. There are some people who just spend their lives looking for the worst in everything, and as a result, miss out on life's simple pleasures, one of which is this book.

Yes, yes, yes, we all know that the author was a former racist, that his romantic childhood in the Appies was cooked-up, and that it isn't exactly an accurate portrayal of the Cherokee culture. The real question is, what do I, as a reader get out of this book? What do I feel is the message? If Forrest Carter's main objective was to assimilate Indian stereotypes and white supremist ideals into our minds, then he has failed. Judging by the vast array of reviews I have read, many people get a message of love, tolerance, and respect for nature, irregardless of certain errors in the book. If Forrest Carter's objective was to teach these morals, then he certainly succeeded.

Even Dee Brown, author of Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee saw the importance of the story. "It's the book that counts, not the author...what does it matter who the author is? Most nonfiction books are part fiction."

Regardless of the authors motives this novel remains an enduring piece of beauty, on the highest echelon that books can reach.

I have read this book 5 times. It calls to me every year or so, and, wondering why, since it always leaves me in tears, I have decided that the simple, clear integrity of the lives of the characters in this book appeals to something deep inside of me. Raised a cultural christian, with all of the bible "training" and Sunday school attendance pins that go along with that background, I was always mildly troubled by the guilt and shame for just being human that orthodox Christianity attempted to cast over me. I realized, as an adult and after much study and soul searching, that we are a simple part of a complex universe, and, deserve to live in it fully, with all of the joys and sorrows encountered along the way, and, be able to question every single fascinating bauble that comes our way. I am also comfortable in the knowledge that my soul is part of something finite and larger than this life. I do not have to pay dues to a church or judgemental diety. Little tree was not raised to feel guilt or shame unless he did something to deserve it. Little Tree's simple life, religion and expectations, with a heritage of love, allowed him to live his life with crystal clear vision and peace. This book is written in a style that lets one's soul soar with expectation, if only for the short time that it takes to read it. God, please grant me the grace to raise my children like Little Tree.

For years, I've used Little Tree in my developmental reading classes with mostly black and hispanic men and women. Before I had heard of the controversy, I was impressed by the beauty of the book. I loved the way my slow, insecure readers could feel smarter than the narrator, as they realized they knew more than the small boy did. It was the most universally appreciated book I'd ever come across; people from all over the world, ages from 17 to 70 respond deeply to it. So what happened when I found out that Carter's a fake? I took a few years off, and then returned to it. What fascinating discussions we have about human nature, about deception, about what literature is and is not, when my students, totally entranced by the book, find out that it was written by a member of the KKK. Wow! Opportunities for this kind of deeply challenging discussion are too rare to pass up. Finally,is it possible Carter was a closet liberal who made money by writing stupid, silly speeches for stupid politicians, while his heart was in his novels? I don't know, but I love the karmic irony that his book makes my students of all backgrounds re-consider their prejudices, their materialism, their government's abuse of power, their treatment of animals and the environment. Sure, I'm troubled and confused by it all, but ultimately, I smile.

It's a strange, strange world. And while I'm stunned, and a little saddened, to learn of the background of the book and its author, my opinion of the book is changed, not one iota. It remains, to my mind, one of the most beautiful, beautifully written and meaningful stories I have ever read. So, how do I reconcile the apparent contradiction between author and story? I can't and don't really care. To me the book, and my experience of it, stands on its own, untainted by its background and associations. If I felt compelled to, I could rationalize the author's actions by depicting him as a man of a certain time and place as, say, George Washington or Thomas Jefferson, both of whom owned human beings as slaves, and yet did some good in their lives. As it is, I try to stand in judgement, especially of people I don't even know, as little as possible. I don't know if (Asa Earl) Forrest Carter was a good man or a bad man or how you even make a judgement like that from this place and time. But I do know that art, even while standing distinct and separate from the artist responsible for it, is almost always a reflection of some vital part of that artist. It may be only the tiniest facet of his self, it may not be the sum total, it may not even be understood by the artist himself, but it arises from within. So, I believe this: some facet of the author's spirit was inspired with a love and respect of truth and a deep understanding of human nature, and that that inspiration was responsible for a book of overwhelming beauty and humanity. I would still recommended it to my best friends as a rare, spirit-nourishing book. I view the contraversy surrounding its author as one of life's more bizarre lessons in self honesty, critical judgement and prejudice. To indict the book because of the sins of its author would be hypocritical, irrational and another form of prejudice - a case of judging something on other than its own merit. Ironic that. Read the book.

In the years since this book was published, controversy has erupted surrounding Forrest Carter's writing career. Some have accused him of not being a Cherokee, or of renouncing his Native American heritage when it suited him, then exploiting it later in life. There is also evidence that he was a speech writer for the Ku Klux Klan early in his career, before having a change of heart and writing the works for which he is better known. Does this affect one's reading of this book? That's a harder question. I can say for sure, though, that this book is the real deal. It is a deeply felt, honest (if occasionally idealized) account of what it meant to be raised Cherokee in the 1930's. It describes beautifully the Great Smoky Mountains of eastern North Carolina, and it is a powerful argument for a return to some of the old ways of the indigenous people of the American Southeast. Deeply moving, extremely humorous, and carefully told, this is one of America's greatest stories. Treasure it, and read it again and again.

When I read this book, I was touched. I laughed out loud at the description of slimy politicians. The chapter called "The Way" gave such a convincing portrayal of Cherokee religion, I used it for a comparative paper in my Zen class at university. The love shown between grandparents and grandson and the uncluttered life in the Blue Ridge mountains made me truly love this book.
Then my professor told me the book was a hoax. Forrest Carter didn't grow up with his grandparents in the mountains. Forrest Carter was a racist bigot. His given name was actually Asa Earl Carter and he did start a Klu Klux Klan branch and possibly wrote speeches for George Wallace. In doing a bit of research, these facts seem to be true--for the beginning of his life. Nothing can tell us what he was thinking now that he is dead, but it appears that he had a change of heart in his later years. His racist views seemed to disappear.
But whatever the truth, separate the author from the work. Take the book as fiction. Enjoy this entertaining and thoughtful work for the art that it is.

In THE EDUCATION OF LITTLE TREE, Forrest Carter spins a semi-autographical story of a child who "lived a lifetime" in a matter of few years. The story deals with values held close to the hearts of Native American, India Indian families, as well as those of any culture who would read it with an open heart. Carter, using all the emotions universally known (such as joy, love, sadness, compassion, to mention a few), manages to make the reader sympathize and, at times, empathize with the main characters. Using a young boy's Point of View, Carter makes the reader laugh, cry, and experience prejudice brought about by well-meaning people, who are ignorant of others' ways. I, being from India, was able to understand the story because of its universal qualities.

Little Tree's is the perfect voice to use to speak of values taught him, of ancient cultures and of the history of his people; he is also the one to account, in a realistic manner, for modern practices, which are incomprehensible to him, to his grandparents and to Little John. He narrates each of their reactions to the various happenings around them, without rancor or hatred toward anyone.

The story ends on an upbeat note that we must LIVE life to the fullest, no matter what happens. As all the adults in the book, Little John, the Grandfather, and the Grandmother said at some time or another, "Next time it will be better..." The grandmother lovingly added, "We will wait for you, Little Tree..."

The story is worth reading more than once. This is one that should be in every library. Peter Coyote does a good reading of the story in Audio Books.

Although Carter is criticised by many for his alleged activities in adulthood, he did write books that had meaning for our times. His story of Geronimo, WATCH FOR ME ON THE MOUNTAIN, is said to be as historically correct as a novel can be, by none other than Angie DeBois.

Thank you for your time. You will not regret buying any of his books, but THE EDUCATION...should be a must in your personal library.

Nirmala Varmha

Okay, first let's get the ugliness out of the way. The recent boom in memoirs has produced a really fascinating phenomena, the true life tale which any intelligent reader knows to be fiction. The most celebrated recent examples are books like Angela's Ashes, wherein Frank McCourt reconstructs his entire childhood and verbatim dialogue in such loving detail that we realize that his memoir is ultimately a fictional take on his own autobiography (see Orrin's review). But in The Education of Little Tree we have an even more audacious author. Forrest Carter's supposed memoir of being raised by his Cherokee grandparents after being orphaned at age 5, likewise recreates his youth in a level of detail that makes the story hard to credit, but in addition the characters he creates and episodes he relates defy belief. The simple old Cherokee couple living at one with nature in a marriage of equals seems to be a purely mythic creation, but then when the five year old joins them and helps them outwit government bureaucrats, Christian missionaries, big city mobsters, etc., in between trips to the library to get the classics of Western Literature which Grandma reads aloud each night, you can really feel the text leaving any claim to a basis in reality behind. Finally, as the story ends with Little Tree, now age 9, and his two loyal dogs, working their way across Depression America to get to the Cherokee Reservation, we've entered Cloud Cuckoo Land.

So I mentioned all of this to my Mom, who along with my brother urged this book upon me, and she said that she'd seen a People Magazine article about Carter a dozen years ago and it, naturally, turned out that the book is fiction. A little quick research on the Web turns up the fact that it's not just fiction, it's virtually a hoax. Carter was actually named Asa Carter. He was a rabid segregationist who adopted the pseudonym Bedford Forrest, in honor of the Confederate general who founded the Klan. He may or may not have been a speech writer for George Wallace, but he did claim to have written the infamous "Segregation Forever!" speech.

Now having said all that, there's one more thing that needs to be said about the book; it's terrific. In many ways it reminded me of The Power of One, both are books of such surpassing beauty and heartwarming humanity, who cares if they are completely unrealistic? Isn't one of the chief values of fiction the capacity to transcend reality? The Education of Little Tree teaches timeless lessons about the value of family, education and place and it preaches an abiding mistrust of government. If it also managed to snooker most of the touchy feely, do-gooder, Left, which desperately wishes that these were all Native American values, and not essentially Western ones, this merely allows us to enjoy it on a second level. After all, it's not hard to make Oprah & company look stupid, but it is fun.

GRADE: A