Cherokee Dragon

Acclaimed novelist Robert J. Conley once again mines the history of his people, the Cherokee. In a fascinating and compelling novel, he explores the life of Dragging Canoe, the last great war chief of the united Cherokee tribe. In the late eighteenth century, as the English settlers begin steadily encroaching upon the Cherokee lands, the Nation -- split up amongst several towns and many chiefs -- unites in a series of battles under the war chief Dragging Canoe. But the united front is not one that lasts: Dragging Canoe's belief that they must fight the settlers to preserve their lands and their culture is far from universal. As strife wracks the Cherokee nation and the settlers begin to rebel against the English government, Dragging Canoe's fight -- and the fight of his followers -- becomes the last armed struggle of the Red People against the government of the (then new) United States, a final, united struggle against the tide of history.Conley's engaging new novel continues his exploration of Cherokee history...His detailed descriptions of Cherokee ceremonies and rich use of myth make the novel a worthy addition to his body of work.
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Jacket illustration by Alan Dingman