Review by michaelesther -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
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Review by michaelesther -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
3 out of 4 stars
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“Strong Heart” by Charlie Sheldon
Charlie Sheldon begins his book “Strong Heart” with the story of an orphan Sarah, who embarks on a backpacking trip with her grandfather Tom Olsen, to the bear valley of the Olympic Peninsula. When Sarah Cooley 13, first arrive at the doorstep of her grandfather and announces she was his granddaughter, Tom was not happy because he will be responsible for her and also he was about to visit his grandfather grave. Tom was convinced by his friend William and his daughter Myra to take Sarah along for the trip.
While in the valley, Sarah saw a short face bear draw it in her sketchpad and when she has return to the camp, she showed it them. But her grandfather did not believe she actually saw that bear. At the valley where Bob-B ob was buried, 10yards west of their camp, as they stood around the pile of stone, Tom tried joking with Sarah: “those crevices you explored, none of them were big enough to hide a big bear, were they? Sarah stiffened. You mean, like the bear I thought I saw but didn’t see? That one? Sarah got angry and disappeared in the trees. As she was going away, she went along with Tom’s atlatl (the artifact he wants to keep close to Bob-Bob’s grave). She did that to punish him for not believing her.
When they were done packing stones around Bob-Bob grave, they search for Sarah but couldn’t find her. Tom regretted coming with Sarah. In chapter 14, page 74 Sarah was seen lying before them (Tom and William) just beyond the overhang, face down motionless, covered in mud, her face scratch and torn, the metal stud from her nose missing, her nose bloody. Dark shadow rimmed her eyes and her pale cheeks were sunken…. She was even thinner than before. Tom and his friends cleaned her up and tend to her wounds.
When Sarah started to speak she told them how she met with the skin boat people and the razor stone people. She also told them about her great adventure with the razor stone people and how she became one of the survival. The spear thrower that was missing Tom was not able to mention it because of Sarah state of mind at that moment. Back home, when William went to see his friend Alec to have his silver dated, he was told to get the atlatl to enable them date it properly. This lead to their going back to the valley. However, after retrieving the atlatl, the Buckhorn’s survey crew destroy it alongside their phones and cameras because they do not want their mining operation to be stop.
As I was reading this book, I found the following aspect to be very interesting. First, Sarah whom they regretted taking along the first time they went for this trip, was now the one leading them. It happen when they were trapped by two fires. One at the Lilian River Crossing and the other from the Dodger Point Ridge. Also the history that surrounds the atlatl. How the spear thrower were use against the Spanish when they fought the Aztecs in 1500s. The spear thrower was estimated to be 2500 years old. Then, the talk about the ice age. The writer made us to know that the earth has many ice age ( the ice age is the period of long term reduction in the temperature of the Earth surface and atmosphere). We are still in the latest ice age period and that this began two millions years ago. There has been an ice advance and retreat about every 100 thousand years during those two million years. Then for about ten thousand years, sometime longer the earth would warm, much of the ice would melt and the ocean would rise. I found this to be scientific and very educative. In addition, the test carried out on the silver. When Alec and his son Sergei tried to date the silver, they were unable. They did confirm that the born was mammoth. They even tried genetic testing. This is scientific and also educative.
I would like to appreciate the author for the organization, style and clarity of this book. The book was professionally edited and contain minor errors such as “if the authorities find out where young, er, Sarah is, will we be arrested?” page 157 of chapter 28 instead of “young Sarah”. Also “You mean, like the bear I thought I saw but didn’t see? That one?” (Page 62 of chapter 11) here “that one?” I consider to be reversing. I was expecting the author to tell us what later happen to Sarah after the incidence that took place at the valley between them and the Buckhorn survey crew (chapter 35 and 36), and how the case between Sarah and her stepfather Fletcher Lynch was settled. I enjoy the story of this book but I will rate it 3 out of 4 stars due to the incomplete story. I recommend this book to people that love adventure, science and history.
******
Strong Heart
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3 out of 4 stars
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“Strong Heart” by Charlie Sheldon
Charlie Sheldon begins his book “Strong Heart” with the story of an orphan Sarah, who embarks on a backpacking trip with her grandfather Tom Olsen, to the bear valley of the Olympic Peninsula. When Sarah Cooley 13, first arrive at the doorstep of her grandfather and announces she was his granddaughter, Tom was not happy because he will be responsible for her and also he was about to visit his grandfather grave. Tom was convinced by his friend William and his daughter Myra to take Sarah along for the trip.
While in the valley, Sarah saw a short face bear draw it in her sketchpad and when she has return to the camp, she showed it them. But her grandfather did not believe she actually saw that bear. At the valley where Bob-B ob was buried, 10yards west of their camp, as they stood around the pile of stone, Tom tried joking with Sarah: “those crevices you explored, none of them were big enough to hide a big bear, were they? Sarah stiffened. You mean, like the bear I thought I saw but didn’t see? That one? Sarah got angry and disappeared in the trees. As she was going away, she went along with Tom’s atlatl (the artifact he wants to keep close to Bob-Bob’s grave). She did that to punish him for not believing her.
When they were done packing stones around Bob-Bob grave, they search for Sarah but couldn’t find her. Tom regretted coming with Sarah. In chapter 14, page 74 Sarah was seen lying before them (Tom and William) just beyond the overhang, face down motionless, covered in mud, her face scratch and torn, the metal stud from her nose missing, her nose bloody. Dark shadow rimmed her eyes and her pale cheeks were sunken…. She was even thinner than before. Tom and his friends cleaned her up and tend to her wounds.
When Sarah started to speak she told them how she met with the skin boat people and the razor stone people. She also told them about her great adventure with the razor stone people and how she became one of the survival. The spear thrower that was missing Tom was not able to mention it because of Sarah state of mind at that moment. Back home, when William went to see his friend Alec to have his silver dated, he was told to get the atlatl to enable them date it properly. This lead to their going back to the valley. However, after retrieving the atlatl, the Buckhorn’s survey crew destroy it alongside their phones and cameras because they do not want their mining operation to be stop.
As I was reading this book, I found the following aspect to be very interesting. First, Sarah whom they regretted taking along the first time they went for this trip, was now the one leading them. It happen when they were trapped by two fires. One at the Lilian River Crossing and the other from the Dodger Point Ridge. Also the history that surrounds the atlatl. How the spear thrower were use against the Spanish when they fought the Aztecs in 1500s. The spear thrower was estimated to be 2500 years old. Then, the talk about the ice age. The writer made us to know that the earth has many ice age ( the ice age is the period of long term reduction in the temperature of the Earth surface and atmosphere). We are still in the latest ice age period and that this began two millions years ago. There has been an ice advance and retreat about every 100 thousand years during those two million years. Then for about ten thousand years, sometime longer the earth would warm, much of the ice would melt and the ocean would rise. I found this to be scientific and very educative. In addition, the test carried out on the silver. When Alec and his son Sergei tried to date the silver, they were unable. They did confirm that the born was mammoth. They even tried genetic testing. This is scientific and also educative.
I would like to appreciate the author for the organization, style and clarity of this book. The book was professionally edited and contain minor errors such as “if the authorities find out where young, er, Sarah is, will we be arrested?” page 157 of chapter 28 instead of “young Sarah”. Also “You mean, like the bear I thought I saw but didn’t see? That one?” (Page 62 of chapter 11) here “that one?” I consider to be reversing. I was expecting the author to tell us what later happen to Sarah after the incidence that took place at the valley between them and the Buckhorn survey crew (chapter 35 and 36), and how the case between Sarah and her stepfather Fletcher Lynch was settled. I enjoy the story of this book but I will rate it 3 out of 4 stars due to the incomplete story. I recommend this book to people that love adventure, science and history.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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Latest Review: Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
