Peacemaker

August 1, 2020
Bruchac takes readers to the dawn of the Iroquois Confederacy. Weary of continued war under the warrior chief Atatarho, Okwaho's family and a few others have made the decision to leave the big village of the Onontaka. But despite their decision to live peacefully apart, they cannot seem to escape the continued warfare among the five nations in the region: Okwaho's best friend, Tawis, is kidnapped by the Standing Stone warriors of the Oneida while the pair is fishing for trout. Hoping to return to the protection of the big village, Okwaho's community sends a delegation to negotiate with Atatarho, Okwaho sneaking after to watch and witnessing the chief's promise of more fighting and death. Then a man called Carries, from the Ganiekehgaono Nation, arrives in Okwaho's tiny village to tell them stories of a Peacemaker who will come to confront Atatarho. Basing his tale on the real-life story of the forming of the Iroquois Confederacy, as told to him by Haudenosaunee elders, Bruchac relates it through the eyes of Okwaho. This is a vital story to tell, but by positioning Okwaho primarily as an observer, he hobbles the development of a dynamic protagonist. Still, readers who persist to hear the nested stories told by Carries and Okwaho's clan elders will come away with a new understanding of this moment in history. An important story told too remotely to connect. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 9-12)

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September 1, 2020
Grades 5-8 Frustrated with the constant warring initiated by their chief, Atatarho, Okwaho's family joins a group leaving their home in Onontaka to start a smaller, peaceful village. One day while fishing, Okwaho's best friend, Tawis, is kidnapped by Oneida warriors in retribution for an Onontakan raid. Okwaho is devastated, but as time passes without Tawis' return, he eases his guilt and anger by listening to stories, among them the legends of Skennerahowi, the Peacemaker. Eventually Okwaho meets the Peacemaker himself and composes a celebratory song for the occasion. While the story contains some fictionalized characters, the framework is based on oral histories recounting the founding of the League of the Iroquois sometime before European contact. The included stories allow Bruchac to share much about Iroquoian family life, culture, and worldviews, and should put to rest the numerous errors to be found in Longfellow's poem, "The Song of Hiawatha." Told with grace, this will be welcomed by history classes and those looking for successful examples of nonviolent, anti-bullying strategies.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

December 7, 2020
Through 12-year-old Okwaho, who loves to make songs, Bruchac (One Real American) brings a fresh point of view to this briskly told fictionalization of the Iroquois Confederacy’s beginnings. Okwaho’s family is one of 14 who leave the big village of Onontaka—and the protection of Atatarho, a powerful warrior chief—to avoid “the conflict that never ended”: fighting among the five Iroquois Nations. But while trout fishing, Okwaho’s best friend Tawis is kidnapped by members of the Oneida, putting the boys’ small community at risk of reentering the cycle of violence. When Carries, of the Ganiekehgaono Nation, arrives, he brings with him a message of peace that he hopes to circulate among the nations—one that also helps Okwaho navigate his own conflicts. If the pace slows in the book’s second half, as Bruchac interweaves Okwaho’s narrative with Haudenosaunee stories of the Peace-
maker—whom the Creator sent to end the warfare—the tales bring a depth and resonance to the life and history of the Iroquois Confederacy, as well as to Okwaho’s understanding of the world. Ages 9–12. Agent: Barbara Kouts, Barbara Kouts Literary.

January 22, 2021

Gr 5 Up-A fictional retelling of the Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois Confederacy). Readers meet Okwaho, a young Onontaka boy who lives in the small village of Kanata. The book, written from Okwaho's perspective, is set during an undefined, pre-contact time of war between tribal nations. The arrival of the Peacemaker is a familiar oral tradition, and the book paints a picture of how the Haudenosaunee was formed by the Peacemaker to create unity. While Bruchac emphasizes the importance of the Indigenous origin of names for locations, tribes, and characters, he unfortunately fails to explain their meanings and significance, which may confuse and hinder some readers. Despite Bruchac's celebrated storytelling abilities on display here, the narrative sometimes meanders. References to how the Peacemaker story is still acknowledged and respected today by modern Haudenosaunee would have imparted a stronger sense of relevance for today's audience. The author's note and acknowledgements credit Haudenosaunee friends who shared their stories with him to help recreate this retelling. VERDICT Purchase where Bruchac's work is popular.-Danielle Burbank, San Juan Coll., Farmington, NM

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