Walk Till You Disappear

August 15, 2019
A survival story about a wounded boy who is lost and injured in the Arizona desert in 1872. A twist on the usual captivity Western, the story of young Miguel Abrano begins with the usual Native American clichés. Raised on a horse ranch in Arizona, young Miguel is a devout Hispanic Catholic who dreams of becoming a priest. But when Miguel's father takes in a foreign traveler and asks him to translate an old family story written in a secret code, his well-laid plans fall apart. Shocked to learn that he and his family are secretly Sephardic Jews, Miguel rides angrily into the desert, where he is kidnapped by Apache warriors. Only after he escapes these men does he meet a kind Tohono O'odham boy named Rushing Cloud, who is escaping Indian boarding school and immediately agrees to help him. Per usual in the Western, the bad Natives are violent while the good Natives risk their own lives to educate the non-Native character and give him important spiritual lessons. The book's saving grace is the twist: Young Miguel amends his judgmental Christian attitude after being inspired by Rushing Cloud. Miguel not only learns how to survive in the harsh desert--hunting, cooking, and tracking like an expert--he also learns to accept his complicated cultural inheritance. The desert is brought to life in a scenic novel with an important lesson about humility. (afterword, glossary, bibliography) (Historical fiction. 8-14)

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2019

Gr 6-8-A religious story set in 1872 Arizona. Just before his 13th birthday, Miguel Abrano discovers his family's Jewish heritage, which immediately threatens the tenets of his Catholic upbringing. Angry and unsettled, Miguel wanders off into the night and is quickly captured by a group of Apache, or Indé. Miguel survives miles of walking through rough terrain and manages to escape his captors. However, the natural perils of the desert and a poisonous scorpion bite put him in danger. The narrative focuses heavily on Miguel's thoughts on faith and family dynamics but shifts toward an action-based plot after the first 50 pages. Readers will learn about Southwest culture and appreciate the main character's growth in empathy for others. Greene poses deep questions about the duality of one's culture and faith and how one chooses to align them. While this work of historical fiction includes an afterword on the Arizona Territory, mission schools, and groups such as the Tohono O'odham and Papago tribe, the story would have benefitted from additional information on the misconceptions of the Apache and their portrayal in mainstream media. The initial depiction of the Apache as raiders who mistreat Miguel and feed him his own horse reinforces a harmful stereotype of Indigenous North Americans as "savage." While Greene emphasizes Miguel's admiration of the Apache's survival in the desert's harsh climate and their cunning resourcefulness, little is done to contradict this violent portrayal. VERDICT A faith-based coming-of-age tale that does little to challenge Native American stereotypes.-Monica Cabarcas, Albemarle High School, Charlottesville, VA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.