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A historical novel which takes place in late 1800's to mid 1900's.
Twelve-year-old Lena-tu-ha and her two sisters escape from the cattle car on the train carrying the Native American Apaches from their homes in Arizona to the Boarding Schools in New Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The three pubescent maidens trek across the desert with nothing but the clothes on their backs, to try to find any remnants of their tribe at the old rendezvous points that Geronimo had set up years before. They utilize every survival skill they were taught in their native culture to make their way across the desert terrain. Before they reach their destination, they are captured by Mexican Federales and sold into slavery to the wealthy Mexican Ranchers.
This saga takes Lena-tu-ha from a life of slavery and poverty to a life of assumed identity and wealth. She encounters rape, love, and death in her travels from Mexico to Denver, Colorado. She endures whatever the spirits bestow upon her with the dignity and strength befitting a Native American woman of her era. This is a rags-to-riches love story that includes all the joys and hardships of her Apache people trying to survive in the White-Man’s world.
Isherbomb
Lena-tu-ha, An Apache Maiden
2024 NYC Big Book Award
Distinguished Favorite
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