A Land Remembered - My Review So Far

I am only a few chapters into A Land Remembered by Patrick Smith, and so far I am really loving it. Chapter two introduces a few new characters. One being Tobias, his wife Emma and their son Zech. It seems that they are not very wealthy, and the chapter starts out with wild hogs coming and ruining their garden. Things take a turn when they get some unexpected visitors. While Tobias was cutting wood to repair the fence around their garden, three Seminole Indians came up behind him. He was startled at first, but soon realized the Indians did not mean any harm. They were extremely hungry and needed rest. Tobias offered to take them back to his home and give them some food to eat. They were very appreciative, but they were reluctant to go back because they were being followed. Apparently, they had killed a calf to eat, and they were unaware that it belonged to someone. These men were out for revenge, and they eventually caught up to Tobias and the Seminole Indians. They came on horseback with their dogs to hunt the Indians down. They started attacking the Indians with whips and “plugs of shattered cloth and skin to spray the air.” (Smith, 2011 p.20) The wording of this abuse really caught my attention. It highlights the level of cruelty these men were capable of. Tobias defended the Indians and even shot one of the men’s dogs when they refused to stop their vicious attack. Tobias did not have to do this, but he proved that he did not have any preconceptions about the Indians, and he recognized their humanity. He did end up taking them back to his home and feeding them. He offered to let them stay in his home for the night, but they were gone the next morning by breakfast. 

I can tell that I am going to thoroughly enjoy this book because it has a strong story line and is loosely based on real historical events and times. I would highly recommend this book to anyone based on the few chapters I have read. Even if you are not a history buff, I believe that there is a lot to learn from reflecting on our past as a society, and I think this book will prove that. 

This image sort of captures how I imagined the confrontation in my head. This picture shows the men fighting off a large bear, but in the book they were fighting innocent men. It shows how inhumanely the Indians were being treated. They were treating them as if they were some sort of dangerous animals with no rights to live. 

Credit: Alamy Stock Photo

References: 

Smith, P. D. (2011). A land remembered. Pineapple Press.