Little Brother of War

August 12, 2013
The tension between respecting Choctaw tradition and embracing change are at the heart of Robinson’s strong addition to the PathFinders series about Native American teens, written by Native authors. Randy is pressured to pursue high school sports, like his father and recently deceased war-hero brother before him. But the 16-year-old discovers that he loves—and has a talent for—Choctaw stickball or toli, an ancient game similar to lacrosse that isn’t a school sport and that his father thinks is a relic. Written at a fourth-grade reading level, the story captures the believable friction in Randy’s family and introduces a bit of American culture that will be new to many readers. Simultaneously available: Danny Blackgoat, Navajo Prisoner by Tim Tingle. Ages 12–16.

June 15, 2013
A traditional game provides a way for a Mississippi Choctaw teen to step out of the shadows of his sports-hero older brother and dad. It's been a year since the death of big brother Jack in Iraq, and Randy is entering Choctaw Central High under heavy pressure from his angry, grieving father to follow family tradition by signing up for football, baseball or some other "American" sport. But Randy has neither interest in nor aptitude for athletics...until he picks up a pair of playing sticks (kapoca) at a community center and discovers that he's such a natural at the lacrosselike Choctaw game of toli that soon he's invited by the coach to join an adult team playing in the World Series of Stickball at the upcoming Choctaw Fair. Tellingly, not only is that sport not played at Choctaw Central, but Randy's father rejects his son's choice, insisting that those outdated traditional pursuits have no place in the modern world. Though there is some feeling here for the game's rough play, Robinson, himself of Cherokee and Choctaw descent, focuses more on the clash of values than on-field sports action. Ultimately, the author injects his protagonist with jolts of self-confidence as well as real interest in his culture on the way to bringing both Randy's school and his father around to a more inclusive attitude. This worthy tale is definitely agenda-driven, but the cultural and historical information is laid onto the story with a light hand. (author's note) (Fiction. 10-13)

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September 1, 2013
Grades 6-9 Toli (aka stickball or lacrosse) is the backdrop for 16-year-old Randy's family drama. The title has a double meaning: Native American tribes would play toli to settle conflicts instead of all-out war, and Randy is the sibling of a fallen older brother, who died a high-school football star and war hero. Heritage and legacy come head-to-head when Randy embraces stickball and clashes with his father's desire to eschew traditional Choctaw ways. It's a bumpy ride to the conclusion, and there moments that feel formulaic, as when Randy's father gives his blessing and curbs his temper after a brain tumor is removed far in advance of the big game. However, there is strength in the depiction of a young man finding his way by looking to his roots, and Robinson powerfully captures the exhilaration of knowing exactly where one belongs. Those looking for similar fare might try Joseph Bruchac's The Warriors (2003), while the truly invested should seek out Thomas Vennum's American Indian Lacrosse: Little Brother of War (1994).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)