Book Review: The Education of Little Tree (Forrest Carter)

by Jiayun  
      
The Education of Little Tree is a great story about a young, Indian-American boy. As a book of the Naturalism period, it gives readers a favorable view upon nature. It also questions of values of white American and Indians as well as showing people the way of the Indian.

Granpa and Granma raise Little Tree up from a very young age. They educate Little Tree by teaching him how to live comfortably within nature NOT by the way of the white men. With them, Little Tree comes to appreciate and essentially “joins” with nature. He also comes to realize and accept the fate of his life: death. One of Little Tree’s experiences occurs at the local store where he kindly gives a sharecropper’s daughter a pair of moccasins. Being a man with only pride to look up to, the sharecropper whips his daughter for accepting the moccasins and returns them to Little Tree. Unfortunately, Little Tree is torn away from his grandparents to live in an orphanage housing to learn the civilized way of living away from the “savages.”

This book examines themes and ideas that most of us already know; however, it is incredibly worthwhile to read because it brings those thoughts into an image. Along with these, the book also evokes many powerful emotions. It is not a difficult read by any means. Instead, readers catch a glimpse of the mind of a 5 year old (slowly maturing) by Carter’s syntax and word choice. Perhaps it will send one back to the nostalgia of the carefree, naïve, childhood years. Strongly recommended for anyone to read (unless it is banned from your town or library).