Title: Indian Annie: A Grandmother’s Story
Author: Sally Avery Bermanzohn
Publisher: Epigraph Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-948796-86-6
Pages: 159
Genre: Historical Fiction / Memoir
Reviewed by: Margie Przybylski
Pacific Book Review
Indian Annie: A Grandmother’s Story is a historical fiction which opens with the birth of Willow, Indian Annie’s first granddaughter. While she does everything she can for her daughter Spring before Willow is born, she is ushered away from the house as she is very emotional and crying.
I cannot imagine what it must be like to watch my daughter give birth, but I remember when my first son was born and my mother was there. What a stark contrast to give birth in a hospital among nurses and doctors, rather than immediately surrounded by a village. So many American mothers (and their partners) have realized recently that the pandemic truly stripped parents of the “village.” And what was stripped may have been futile and fragile to begin with. So many parents rely on schools and daycares to support them – in the Chickasaw Nation’s village Annie is from, children are raised together and they spend their time growing up and developing together. They are looked over by their mothers, grandmothers and the other women. As they grow older they are taught many skills by men and women in the village.
Child rearing is not the only societal aspect mastered by Native American Indians described in “Indian Annie.” Men and women work together in providing for all – women tend to the farming and men hunt. Several times a year they work together in the fields to plant and harvest.
There is much to be learned from the stories told by Sally Avery Bermanzohn in her book – what I described above only scratches the surface. She describes many typical aspects of life in the Native America Indian culture. Unfortunately – one of these typical aspects is persecution by the rest of the country. She discusses the Indian Removal Act passed by Andrew Jackson. I believe this book is an important eye opener to American readers. This book would be an excellent item on the syllabus of any classroom of young adults and older. Bermanzohn’s writing makes the book an insightful read, it never gets slow or boring. Students could learn a great deal not only about Cherokee Indian life and customs but also the political climate of our country and how Native Americans are taken into account.
While the life described in “Indian Annie” is vastly different form my own, I found so many aspects relatable. This book is important political work on behalf of the Native American Indians living in this country today. Their lives and their land matters and it should be respected and protected.
