This Tender Land

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Moreover, I was moved by their adventures in their journey. They escaped the brutal Indian School, and met other dangers, but through it all they strengthened their bonds. This book had a lot of heart! Hawk Flies at Night: "The man materialized out of the dark, big and powerful, shoulders like those of a buffalo, with hair like a buffalo's winter hide flowing over them . . . He stood at the edge of the firelight, a burlap bag slung over his shoulder, his eyes unreadable." God is a tornado” is what Odie painted on the water tower before they left on their journey. Why did Odie do that? What does it mean? How does Odie’s relationship with God changes through the journey? The Great Alone: Join the Allbright family as they embark on a perilous journey to Alaska, seeking refuge from their troubled past. In the unforgiving wilderness, they discover the true meaning of survival, love, and the untamed spirit that resides within.

For your next book club gathering, plan to meet somewhere outdoors and go on an adventure whether by foot or canoe. Discuss with your group what you notice about the landscape around you. How is the Midwestern landscape a part of Odie’s story and what connections to This Tender Land can you make to your own life and the place that you live? Krueger gives the reader a relatable cast of characters who are humanly flawed, neither wholly good nor evil, and endows some with insightful observations and wise words: “Albert, who was four years older and a whole lot wiser, told me that people are most afraid of things they don’t understand, and if something frightened you, you should get closer to it. That didn’t mean it wouldn’t still be an awful thing, but the awful you knew was easier to handle than the awful you imagined.” Subtly filled with fascinating historical detail, this is a wonderfully uplifting read. Thus their journey begins—harsh, perilous, frightening. They are confronted along the way by a dissimilitude of good and evil. Having read Kueger’s Ordinary Grace (such a great book), I had high hopes going into This Tender Land. Discuss the idea of home for each of the characters—Mose, Albert, Odie, and Emmy. In the end why do you think they chose the homes they did? What made each place home for each character? Do you hold a similar definition of home or not?The character of Sister Eve draws heavy inspiration for her complicated motivations from Sharon Falconer, the itinerant companion of Elmer in Sinclair Lewis's novel Elmer Gantry. Lewis's character in turn is inspired by the real-life Aimee Semple McPherson, whom Sid refers to (in text) as a role model for Sister Eve and the entire Gideon Crusade. [6]

This is the moving, heart-wrenching journey of four Native American children, narrated by Odie O’Banion who was just 12 years old but mature enough to take this long journey and a talented story-teller. Other children were Albert, Mose who can only communicate by singing and another gifted, lovely character (Indeed after Odie, she became my favorite, it was impossible to adore her attributes)Emmy. FOUR YEARS HAD passed between that first night and the one I’d just spent in the quiet room. I’d grown some, changed some.The old, frightened Odie O’Banion was, like my mother and father, long dead. The Odie I was now had a penchant for rebellion. This Tender Land is a moving portrait of a time and place receding from the collective memory, but leaving its mark on the heart of what the nation has become.” All four characters begin their journey at a brutal reformatory-like institution called the Lincoln Indian Training School. All four characters are orphans longing for family. This Tender Land Chapter 61 – Scrambled eggs, ham, toast and raspberry jam, grits, and fried green tomatoes—breakfast at Aunt Julia’s the morning after Odie arrives

If you loved books like Where the Crawdads Sing or Peace Like a River, you’ll love This Tender Land. Below, I’ve provided book club questions and a recipe for This Tender Land, so if you are looking for food ideas and more, keep reading! If you liked Where the Crawdads Sing, you’ll love This Tender Land by best-selling author William Kent Krueger. The story is as big-hearted as they come”

Tent revivals—places where Christians would gather to hear religious leaders speak—were common in the Great Depression, often traveling across the country from town to town. They offered hope to people in desperate times, as Sister Eve does to Odie, Albert, Emmy, and Mose. However, Albert is skeptical of Sister Eve’s healings, calling her a con. What do you believe about Sister Eve’s ability to heal? What is the con that Albert is warning Odie about? The story follows the group as they make a narrow escape from the school after an accidental crime is committed and set out for a new home, making their journey down the Mississippi river. Along the way they encounter drifters, struggling farmers, and faith healers. When the vagabonds encounter the skeleton of a Native American boy, Albert says there’s nothing they can do, but Mose reacts very differently. Later, he wanders off from the group to learn about the Dakota Conflict of 1862, which resulted in the execution of thirty-eight Sioux and the deaths of hundreds more. How does knowledge of this history change how Mose perceives himself? What impact does hearing this story have on Odie? On you? The unforgettable story of four orphans who travel the Mississippi River on a life-changing odyssey during the Great Depression.She put her hands on her desk, one atop the other, and spread her fingers wide so that they formed a kind of web over the polished wood. She smiled at me as if she were a spider who’d just snagged a fly. “Good,” she said. “Good.” She nodded toward Albert. “You should be more like your brother.” My favorite thing about reading books is when I connect to the characters. We don't have to be anything alike but I have to care about them or sometimes, hate them, so much that the people seem real and I want to know what happens next in the story and with the characters. I cared about Odie, Albert, Mose and Emmy but also, I cared about so many other characters in this book. In the book, Krueger shows how children like Odie, Albert, Mose, and Emmy are vulnerable to physical and emotional abuse at the hands of adults who should be protecting them. He also highlights the injustices faced by ethnic groups, such as the Sioux people who are forced to attend the Lincoln School and have their culture and language erased. After committing a terrible crime, Odie and Albert are forced to flee for their lives along with their best friend, Mose, a mute young man of Sioux heritage. Out of pity, they also take with them a brokenhearted little girl named Emmy. Together, they steal away in a canoe, heading for the mighty Mississippi in search of a place to call home. Over the course of one unforgettable summer, these four orphan vagabonds journey into the unknown, crossing paths with others who are adrift, from struggling farmers and traveling faith healers to displaced families and lost souls of all kinds.

As Albert and Odie set out on their journey, they rely on each other for support and guidance. However, as the journey progresses, Odie begins to feel that Albert is becoming distant and uninterested in their friendship. This tension comes to a head when Albert decides to stay in St. Paul to work on boats, leaving Odie to continue on alone. I also enjoyed the twist that was thrown in at the end. That twist made me all fuzzy inside and left me with a light heart. This reading group guide for This Tender Land includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book. Mose is a physically imposing and kind-hearted member of the traveling group who has suffered greatly in his life due to his Native American heritage. As the group journeys across the western wilderness, Mose becomes increasingly bitter and resentful of the numerous injustices he has faced in the past. However, he is able to find a sense of purpose and empowerment by standing up for the rights of Native Americans, and becoming an effective political advocate.You shouldn’t skip the author’s note in the end which describes his research process, not just reading books but by traveling to places where the characters traveled. In a letter to readers at the beginning of the book, Kruger writes, “In asking you to read This Tender Land, I am, in a way, offering you my heart.” What can I say to that except, thanks to you for touching mine.