The Story Behind The Education of Little Tree - Book Report/Review Example

The Education of little Tree: A book Report The Education of little tree was published in 1976 as an autobiographical book by “Forrest Carter’. The book told the story of Forrest’s childhood from the age of 5 to 10 years old and his upbringing by his Cherokee grandparents, affectionately remembered as ‘grandpa’ and ‘granma’. The story had themes of environmentalism and the importance and strength of bonds which exist in family. Written in simplistic and poetic prose, the book presented detailed descriptions of the surroundings, the natural beauty of Forrest’s home in the Appalachian Mountains and nature in general. There is emphasis of the Cherokee lifestyle which places great value on living in harmony with and protecting the natural environment as well as adopting a peaceful attitude towards mankind. ‘Little Tree’ was the name given to Forrest by his grandpa as he grew up and observed the Cherokee way of life. The author stated that while the story was based on his own life he had taken certain creative liberties with the character design and narrative. The story is beautifully if simply told. The reader learns about the tragic accident that took away Forrest’s parents and the eventual relationship he forges with his grandparents. Trekking and hunting with his grandfather on the high trail and listening to his grandmother read out stories by Shakespeare at night in the light of the oil lamp were some of heartwarming moments of little tree’s life and many reader’s fell in love with the charmed life described. Some of the serious topics the book touched upon within the positive story of the warm relationship shared by Little tree and his grandparents were racial discriminations that the Indian community faced, the unfair power of the authorities such as the government over the lives of these people and the rampant destruction of natural environment which was taking in place in America. It introduced people to a different culture which existed in their own country and created sympathy for the problems and challenges these people had to face. The book received national acclaim by a population which was ready to embrace the idea of Indian spirituality and naturalist themes woven in the story (Berry). In 1991 the book was awarded its first ABBY award from the American Booksellers Association for its great contribution towards creating interest and shedding some light on the Cherokee culture. However, some discoveries about the author’s real life were made soon afterwards which created a heated controversy and debate about the origins of the book. As it turned out, Forrest Carter’s real name was Asa Earl Carter, a white supremacist who had been a member of the Klu Klux Klan and had been involved in pro-segregation politics for much his life. Furthermore, it was stated that Asa Carter had no American Indian family members and the book was a work of fiction. The book quickly became a highly criticized piece of work as the literary world began to apply the knowledge of Carter’s life experiences and real sentiments to interpreting the Education of Little Tree. The delight the book provides changes when it is read with the knowledge that not only had Carter no real experiences to base the story on but given his racial prejudice his agenda behind writing story might have been quite different. Upon a closer look the story presents stereotypical characters such as that of the ‘noble savage’ and negative social ideas of self-imposed segregation. There are also the strong anti-government sentiments which run throughout the story and reflect back on KKK ideologies about tight knit groups which don’t appreciate government interference (Carter, pg3). More upsetting is the representation of Cherokee customs and lifestyle which was completely fabricated by Carter to serve the storyline and is contradictory to the information provided by reliable Cherokee sources. It would seem that the book which was most appreciated for its appealing introduction to the Cherokee people was just another way of exploitation by the “White man”- Carter conveniently declared the Cherokee traditions and culture as his own when he sensed the opportunity for fame and fortune provided by America’s changing perceptions. The question that is now being asked is whether the book should still be considered a worthy piece of literature; even though it has already been republished under the ‘fiction’ category the main deceit is within the writing itself. The Education of Little tree, taken within the context of just the story and writing is something that can be enjoyed by the majority of the population, its artistic style refreshes the mind and even with the literary and factual inaccuracies it presents some good ideas. The point is that the while the background of the author provides an entirely different way of analyzing the narrative, the book’s positive impact at the time of publishing and later the debate it sparked cannot be ignored. Whether to be enjoyed as the simple description of the upbringing of a young boy and his love for nature or taken as the work of a man who was a racist hypocrite; the book remains an important part of American literature and should be treated as such. Works Cited Carter, Dan T. The Transformation of a Klansman. The New York Times, published Oct 04, 1991. Web. 28 Jun 2012. Berry, Christina. The Story Behind The Education of Little Tree. All things Cherokee. Web. 28 Jun 2012.  Read More