The back cover calls this book 'A class of its era.'
If it's a 'classic,' then I'd be interested in knowing the definition of class. Frankly, I put the book right up there, or more correctly, down there, with some of the worst young adult books I have read.
I really disliked this book, so much so that I had to force myself to continue reading. The first thing I object to is the use of foul language. Maybe it's the way the people spoke in the area the book refers to, but I consider the amount of foul language used to actually be off-putting.
As far as learning about the Cherokee ways, there really isn't much of that going on at all. About the only thing that is covered is treating the earth correctly; virtually nothing else is covered. The section about Little Tree going to an Indian boarding school seems it would be a major part of the book, at least from the back cover description, but actually it doesn't really take up a whole lot of space.
There's also the part about what his grandfather is doing, and that's making illegal liquor. That's a crime, yet that part is not really considered at all.
Finally, there's Little Tree himself, who seems to be a sponge, soaking up whatever his grandparents tell him but rarely having a thought of his own. He's more like a parrot than a young Native American youth.
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