4 out of 4 stars
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I really enjoyed this book, Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon. It’s an adventure story firmly rooted in the Pacific Northwest. Indeed, you can get specific, this story is set in Olympic National Park in Western Washington State. The story starts with Tom, and his friends Walleye William and his daughter Myra. William and Myra are members of the local area’s native tribe. They plan to head out with Tom on a multi-day hike out in the back-country of the park. The trip is to visit the grave of Tom’s grandfather. Tom’s grandfather had a mining claim in the park and died on a camping trip out there with Tom many, years ago, when Tom was just a teenaged boy. What Tom doesn’t know, is that now he too is a grandfather. The story starts when Tom’s teenaged grand-daughter, named Sarah, arrives on his doorstep. Sarah is delivered to Tom and his camping companions, by Tom’s ex-wife the girl’s grandmother, Ruth. Ruth, because of an estrangement with her daughter many years ago, has also just learned of Sarah’s existence. Grandma Ruth, who cared for the girl for several days is tired of taking care of Sarah. She sees Sarah as “difficult”, so her plan is to pass Sarah on to Tom for a while.
Sarah, who has suffered plenty of difficulties in her past and proves to be the strong heart of the book’s title. Is added to the camping trip. The family drama of Sarah and her grandparents, serves this story initially as a backdrop to the camping adventure in the park. Later, though, it is Sarah, her needs, her difficulties, her gifts, and her family challenges that propels the story forward to more adventures.
But this book is not just a family drama, nor is it just an adventurous camping story. Although, it is both of those, that is just part of the story. In many ways it is this book’s exploration of the history and politics of the Olympic Peninsula that give it a unique and valuable perspective. Combining archeology with adventure is not new, and this is not an Indiana Jones style adventure. But, in this story archeology and the politics of ancient history give depth and context to the characters’ actions, motivate the characters, and help build excitement. Myra, William, and the other native people portrayed here are fully formed characters. They are natives involved in tribal politics and people with their own perspectives. The politics of their tribal community, as a mining company seeks to mine in the park, add to the drama but, in this story native history is not just recycled politics. The myths and legends of the tribe provide context for the drama. This native connection also provides a background for the possibility that Sarah experiences a vision which adds a second adventure to this story.
I live in Seattle, and have visited the park and know a bit about the area and its history and politics. That added to my enjoyment of this book. It may be the thing I enjoyed most about this story. But, knowing this area of the country is not necessary to enjoy this book. This book could be read for the adventure story alone as a satisfying bit of summer “beach”, or campsite, reading. Similarly, while I enjoy scientific technical books about archeology, ancient peoples, and the evolution of mankind, that only increased my interest in this book. No such background is necessary to follow the archeological twists and turns here. People who enjoyed those books set in “cave man” times that were popular some years back would also enjoy this story. It was this element of the book, the exploration of the daily lives of pre-historic peoples, that was perhaps my least favorite part of the book. That said, I expect others might like this element best.
As I said at the start, I really enjoyed this book. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It has a bit of something for nearly everyone, who likes adventure, family drama, and natural history.
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Strong Heart
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