The Healing of Natalie Curtis by Jane Kirkpatrick

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This historical fiction opened up a whole new area of history for me that I was very unaware of. I knew of the Indian schools that the white people had established and how awful it was for the Indians, how they were to give up their own culture to embrace the white man's way of life, but what I didn't know was that there was someone who was taken in by their singing and who set about to preserve it for generations to come.

Enter Natalie Curtis. She hears one elderly Indian woman singing a song and she is transfixed and given a purpose that she pursues with intensity for the next couple of years. This purpose helps to restore the health and vigor that had been stolen from Natalie at the beginning of her music career.

While historical fiction, Jane tried to stay as true to the story as she could. There really is a book called "The Indians' Book" edited by Natalie Curtis and filled with songs, legends, stories and more that tell of numerous Indian tribes at the turn of the century. Being acquainted with the President of the United States also help to speed along Natalie's work as she was allowed to let the people sing for her without being punished.

This was an enjoyable story that taught me something new about our country, though the history of seeking to extinguish other cultures simply because they were different than ours is sad.

I received this book from Revell and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

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