The Warriors

July 21, 2003
Opening with fast-paced sketches of a lacrosse game and punctuated by the reverent thoughts of a teenage Iroquois player, Bruchac's (Pocahontas, reviewed below) contemporary novel will draw in both sports enthusiasts and those with an interest in Native American culture. Jake Forrest, who has grown up on the "rez," leaves it to live with his widowed mother, a high-powered attorney. When he enters an exclusive boys' prep school, he learns that it has made room for him based on his lacrosse prowess; student life revolves around the game. Thanks to his gifts, Jake seems to gain acceptance easily. However, his teammates' and coach's well-meaning but ignorant remarks leave Jake isolated and increasingly aware of the enormous differences in their values. Only after the coach is seriously injured does Jake find a way to explain the spiritual dimensions of lacrosse and to embody the Iroquois ideal: "To be a true warrior meant you had to love peace and keep that love of peace in your heart." While the plot seems contrived to deliver the lesson, and while Jake, in all his perfection and purity, seems more paragon than a flesh-and-blood character, Bruchac offsets these drawbacks with the smoothness of the prose and the beauty of his evocation of Native American spirituality and wisdom traditions. Readers will want to believe in the story and in Jake. Ages 9-11.

13iamgroot - This is a very meaningful book, except I don't think it was written or designed in a way that would make kids pick it up and say, "I want to read this book." I only read this book because I had to and it was not a very interesting book that engaged me very well. Once I finally got to the end, however, I understood why the author chose to write it and realized that it had a pretty good message, but I still did not enjoy it and would never read it again. The book starts off with the main character, Jake, playing in a lacrosse game on his Indian reservation. The fact that the book was written around lacrosse might have been one of the reasons I didn't like it, so if you like lacrosse then this book might be a good read for you. Afterwards, Jake learns that his mom wants to spend more time with him, so he is moving to Maryland. The book follows Jakes journey to a new school where he doesn't seem to fit in because of his Indian ancestry. He joins the lacrosse team because he feels that it is the only thing he is good at. Jake doesn't realize until the end, when he initiates a very special lacrosse game with his school for someone in need, that he should share what he believes in, to help others. In order to really understand what the real meaning and message of this book was, you need to read it. I, personally, did not enjoy this book, but other elementary level readers who like short books about topics with good messages, might enjoy this book more than I did.