Wandering Stars, Tommy Orange, author; Shaun Taylor-Corbett, MacLeod Andrews, Alma Cuervo, Curtis Michael Holland, Calivn Joyal, Phil Ava, Emmanuel Chumaceiro, Christian Young, Charley Flyte, narrators
The gift of this author is his ability to make the reader think, regardless of whether or not you agree with his political views. Although sometimes it is hard to follow the threads, they are knitted together and clearer in the end.
In 1864, when the Indians were brutally murdered in the Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado, life changed for Jude Star. He was a wandering star, broken off from his universe and condemned to search for and adjust to his new home. Alone, he is sent to a prison where he is forced to learn about Christianity and encouraged to give up his Indian ways which are believed to be savage, although in his previous life, the entire boundary-free frontier had been available to him to explore and enjoy. It was a peaceful and happy life as they traveled according to need and lived in harmony, according to their customs. After the massacre in Colorado, generations followed that were unable to achieve success and contentment, and instead, they descended into lives of crime, addiction and failure. Can this trend be stopped? Can the trajectory for these Indians turn in a positive direction?
This book explored the generations of a family that survived the brutality our country is guilty of, regarding the population of Indians that were here long before we were. It is a book that highlights the horrible consequences of the heinous behavior of one human being toward another, sometimes using false excuses and accusations to justify their actions.
The frustration and rage that hopelessness and powerlessness cause is universal and not only in the Indian population. Anyone who feels they have no options can become self-destructive. Until the injustice can be reversed, it will continue, but perhaps, we will begin to go in the right direction. The one codicil is that we should not over correct and throw the baby out with the bath water.
Addiction, crime, homelessness, hunger, poverty and even suicide, are evidence of the abuse of an entire population of Indians that once flourished in America. As we took over the land and forced them to move to smaller and smaller areas of habitation, their means of survival and their economy changed. We killed the innocent buffalo to try to eliminate them. We used our knowledge and skills to defeat an innocent population that did not deserve the treatment they received. This is not to say that they never warred amongst themselves, for they did. There were tribal wars, but the playing field was more equal before we arrived. They roamed more freely and enjoyed a simpler way of life. Our advanced society did not advance their lives, but rather shortened them. We brought disease, imprisonment, captivity, hunger, drugs and alcohol to an innocent population unable to handle our lifestyle because of a population unwilling to absorb them.
We witness the devastation caused by the misuse of authority and power everywhere today. Racism and antisemitism are resurging because of divisive politics and rhetoric. Each side blames the other, but the one in control is guiltier, since they make the policies and enforce them. Unless we wake up and face reality, and not the political picture we are forced to envision, even in this book, we are not going to survive as a free country that is the envy of the world.