First Dawn

Judith Miller's First Dawn is based upon the settlement of two western Kansas towns in the post civil war era.  Nicodemus was predominately settled by African American sharecroppers from Kentucky while Hill City was being settled by Caucasians. Although the story is fictional, the author notes that she made every attempt to accurately portray the harsh circumstances of the frontier settlers.

The story revolves around a small group of first settlers led by Ezekiel Harban and his three daughters, Thomas Grayson, a young man with a secret past, and Miss Hattie, the group's matriarch. The group was sold parcels of land near a town called Nicodemus; however,  when they arrive at an open prairie, they find no buildings and limited supplies. The settlers that stay and fight for the dream of landownership and freedom struggle to survive their first winter on the prairie.

Coinciding with the settlement of Nicodemus is the settlement of Hill City where Dr. Samuel Boyle moves his family. The doctor soon develops a relationship with the people of Nicodemus that bonds his family and the two frontier settlements together.

Seminole Song

Seminole Song by Vella Munn is a story about the struggle of Seminole Indians and runaway slaves living in the Everglades during the 1830s. Growing up near the Everglades and a Seminole Indian reservation, I'm always drawn to books about both topics.

 The story focuses on Panther, the war chief of the Egret clan of Seminoles, Winter Rain, half Seminole and half runaway slave, Gaitor, a runaway slave who is Panther's closet confident, and Calida, a runaway house slave who escapes a cruel plantation owner and former army officer. Army generals, angered by the Seminoles who help runaway slaves, refuse to live on reservations, and conceal themselves in the swamps, offer a false treaty to the tribal chiefs. Meanwhile, the cruel plantation owner rejoins the army under the false pretense of helping the army round up the Seminole clans so he can pursue capturing Calida.

One of the unique aspects of this book is the little-known alliance between the Florida Seminole Indians and runaway slaves just prior to the Civil War. It also examines the prejudice and injustice white plantation owners and army soldiers inflicted upon both the Seminoles and the slaves struggling for freedom. From the very beginning, I was struck by the cruelty, hate,and inhumane treatment white men dispensed while they referred to the Seminoles as savages and the slaves as animals.

"Fireflies in December" Book Review

This historical novel addresses the issue of prejudice and the widespread influence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1930s. While reading the book, I thought about how far we've come as a society,how far we still have to go, and how God will always be there to see us through it.

It transported me back in time and melded with stories my grandma used to tell me about growing up in south Georgia. I don't know if she witnessed burning crosses or white-robbed men, but I'm sure she knew about them. She talked some about the 'colored' family that lived near them and about being dirt poor ... the house she grew up in had dirt floors. This leads me to believe the Ku Klux Klan most likely visited the area, but it is only speculation.

When she talked about the 'colored' family, she never talked about them with disrespect or prejudice. Perhaps her family's lack of social status had something to do with it, perhaps a lack of white supremacy indoctrination, or maybe just blissful ignorance in her case. I'll never know. I do know, however, there was still a separation of color even at the lowest level of social class and prejudice would eventually rear its ugly head even in her family.

Thank you, Jennifer, for a great read, a reminder of America's imperfect past, and a look at what can be accomplished through faith, friendship,and Christian love.