Book description
The Middle Five, first published in 1900, is an account of Francis La Flesche's life as a student in a Presbyterian mission school in northeastern Nebraska about the time of the Civil War. It is a simple, affecting tale of young Indian boys midway between two cultures, reluctant to abandon…
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Why read it?
1 author picked The Middle Five as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
This slim autobiography enchants with its simplicity. It is easy to see why it is considered a classic of American Indian literature.
La Flesche gives a first-hand account of his own boyhood in a boarding school far from his family and community. While many Indian parents resisted the theft of their children, others surrendered them. They had no choice. While many reservation Indians were dying from starvation, disease, despair, and outright murder, this young boy struggled with the daily dehumanization of forced assimilation.
This book is a testament to the Indians' extraordinary endurance. The author, himself, triumphed by becoming…
From S.L.'s list on the beauty and challenges of being Native American.
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