By Judi Marcin
Tim Tingle’s How I Became a Ghost: A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story
Exploring Big Ideas With Young Readers
Middle grade is my home. I would rather write and read middle grade than anything else. It is that beautiful age that accepts everything and anything as possible. Middle grade stories from marginalized authors are especially important because of the open-mindedness this age of readers embodies. Reading these authors’ stories during this critical developmental time is a powerful way to expose kids to inclusive experiences and to incorporate empathy into their existence.
Exploring Big Ideas With Young Readers
Middle grade is my home. I would rather write and read middle grade than anything else. It is that beautiful age that accepts everything and anything as possible. Middle grade stories from marginalized authors are especially important because of the open-mindedness this age of readers embodies. Reading these authors’ stories during this critical developmental time is a powerful way to expose kids to inclusive experiences and to incorporate empathy into their existence.
One of my favorite podcasts, Narrative Breakdown featured a discussion by Joseph Bruchac, an Abenaki storyteller, and Eric Gansworth, a writer and visual artist and member of the Onondaga nation. (As a side note, I highly recommend the Narrative Breakdown podcast collection. It is hosted by Cheryl Klein, children’s/YA editor, and James Monohan, screenwriter. The podcast addresses topics on the craft of creative writing and screen writing with a heavy focus on writing for children and young adults)
[Episode 45 “Authors Eric Gansworth and Joseph Bruchac and their editors, Cheryl Klein and Stacy Whitman, discuss the particular pleasures and challenges of writing, editing, and publishing Native American young adult literature.”]
Image of From One Dance Creation used under Creative Commons all rights owned by Eric Gainsworth.
In listening to the podcast, I realized I was completely ignorant about current Native American writers. My previous exposure had been from two works by a single author, Sherman Alexie, Flight and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I had no one to blame but myself for my lack of depth. As a writer, it is just as important for me to read as it is for me to write. Clearly, I was not doing my job. Wanting to find middle grade stories, I was thrilled to discover Tim Tingle’s How I Became A Ghost and share it here. |
Tingle identifies as an Oklahoma Choctaw and storyteller and used a horrific historical event as the backdrop to this first book in a series of three. In 1835 Tingle’s great-great grandfather, John Carnes, was forced to walk the Trail of Tears. Tingle took inspiration from tribal elders, gathered their stories and traced the Choctaw journey from Mississippi to Oklahoma. This story may be a ghost story but it is also much more than that. It is ultimately a story about the best parts of humanity coexisting when the worst parts are in control.
The author uses historical events to address universal conflicts. What happens when evil has power? What happens when those in power show no dignity or decency towards other human beings? How does the human spirit survive and go on to flourish under such conditions?
This book is also full of great craft elements. In literature we often talk about great openings to books. For me, Tingle’s opening in, How I Became a Ghost, is one of the best:
This book is also full of great craft elements. In literature we often talk about great openings to books. For me, Tingle’s opening in, How I Became a Ghost, is one of the best:
Maybe you have never read a book written by a ghost before. I am a ghost. I am not a ghost when this book begins, so you have to pay very close attention. I should tell you something else. I see things before they happen. You are probably thinking, ‘I wish I could see things before they happen.’ WHAM! Talk about drawing the reader in. Talk about making me want to read more. Talk about making me a little scared but not too completely freaked out. As a reader, I am perfectly set up to hear a story. But I know I am also going to experience a story, first person, from a ten-year-old voice who survives, at least for a little while, one of the greatest tragedies of all humanity. |
But now comes the important part. It is no longer my job to tell you about this book. The details and the unfolding of the story are critical to the essence of the story itself. It is now your job to read it. We should always be challenged to read beyond our experience. If you have not read this book—go do it. While you find this book, add some other Native American writers and storytellers to your list as well. For more ideas check out the blog by Debbie Reese American Indians in Children’s Literature Best Books
By buying and reading and requesting these stories we are allies supporting other writers, creating space for everyone.
By buying and reading and requesting these stories we are allies supporting other writers, creating space for everyone.