The Education of Little Tree

I like to mix in books aimed at children or young adults with a preponderance of adult-aimed fiction and nonfiction. As I was browsing through the local library's book club shelves, which contain multiple copies of books, I ran across “The Education of Little Tree.” I saw the movie version several years ago, perhaps on the recommendation of my grandmother, or, perhaps because James Cromwell is in it, and really enjoyed it. All signs pointed to read this book!

“The Education of Little Tree” is a charming coming-of-age tale celebrating the connection between an orphaned boy and his grandparents, who teach him both Cherokee and Appalachian ways (you know: hunting with dogs, living in the woods, making moonshine, etc.). His grandmother also reads Little Tree and his grandpa great literature supported by regular library trips. At a few points, I found myself crying at touching scenes sprinkled throughout the book. The author's writing is clear and nearly cinematic.

Then, I decided to find out what else the author has written. Forrest Carter, I learned, is the pen name of Asa Earl Carter, who wrote things like “The Outlaw: Josey Wales” and George Wallace's “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever” speech (!!). And was in the KKK. But, what ho, cognitive dissonance! That spine on the book is marked as nonfiction/autobiography. So, since 1991, there have been many articles and research showing that Forrest Carter was, indeed, Asa Carter, but my library has not reshelved the book! Do I contact a librarian?! Do I now find the book less enjoyable?

It does make me wonder if Forrest is a tribute to Nathan Bedford Forrest, first Grand Wizard of the KKK and a figure there's no question Asa Carter would have been aware of him. Ugh. Was Asa Carter's rebranding of himself as a Cherokee an attempt to turn away from his racist past, or was it just a money-making scheme? Ugh again. Is the book's message that Native Americans are too different and must live separately from non-Native Americans because they are too wild to intermingle?!

Critics argue that the characters in the book are stereotypical and smack of minstrelsy, although they actually seem to be pretty right on for all of the characters in the 1920-30s; racism, subjugation, and segregation were rampant at that time. Proper education certainly wouldn't have been available to Native American's of Granpa's age. In fact, the villains in the book are generally white people. “Gone With the Wind,” for example, has similar (if not worse) issues with presenting the slave owner's view and justification for slavery; yet, it is a good book and presents the viewpoints that many Southerners had at the time as based on interviews that Margaret Mitchell did with those who had lived through it.

Then I sat back and asked myself if I really enjoyed this book before learning about the author. If I had read this book as an 8 year old, for example, I would have loved the entire book and would have been lobbying my grandparents to start teaching me how to live in the woods. Unfortunately, the great grandfather who distilled his own during Prohibition (and went to jail for it!) was dead long before I was born or I'd have certainly been at him. At the end of the day, I decided to enjoy this book as a work of fiction that I would read to a child or read along with a child, but maybe I'd wait a bit to tell them about the author's background.