Where the Broken Heart Still Beats

December 1, 1992
Gr. 7-12. Little is actually known about the life of Cynthia Ann Parker, who was stolen by the Comanches as a child and lived with them for 24 years, first as a slave, then as a chief's wife and mother of famous Indian warrior Quanah Parker. But it is true that her family continued to look for her, and that she was eventually returned to them against her will. Meyer tells Parker's story through the eyes of Cynthia Ann and the journal of a fictional 12-year-old cousin, Lucy, who tries to be Cynthia Ann's friend. Although those who read the afterword may be surprised at how much of this book is fiction, they will certainly be caught up in Cynthia Ann's story and forced to assess, along with her, life with the People, as she calls the Comanches, versus life with her kin. Meyer had some difficult terrain to travel in this book. Given the Comanches' reputation as one of the fiercest tribes, she could hardly whitewash their behavior: slave keeping, scalping, indiscriminate killing. Yet she also has to show the hold that Cynthia Ann's former life had on her and why she struggled to return to the People. At this difficult task, Meyer is successful; however, whether this account is anywhere near the truth, no one will ever know. ((Reviewed Dec. 1, 1992))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1992, American Library Association.)