Books like Pushing the bear by Diane Glancy

In 1838, the U.S. government forced thirteen thousand Cherokee from North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee onto a grueling 900‑mile trek across the Southern Appalachians and The Ozarks—an ordeal that became known as the Trail of Tears. Diane Glancy dramatizes this tragic episode through the life of Maritole, a young Cherokee woman whose family is torn apart by loss, disease, hunger and hard winter. With her husband drifting apart, a missing brother, and the relentless march on her back, Maritole’s story underscores the wariness and wavering hope that beset the Cherokee as they struggled to survive. While struggling through the harsh conditions of plain, wilderness and constant threat, Maritole’s devotion to her kin brings her into contact with allies and adversaries alike—from fellow Cherokee to a white soldier—each encounter revealing the deep belief in a better future. In doing so, Glancy portrays the inner strength, faith and resilience that allowed the Cherokee people, despite betrayal and immeasurable suffering, to keep their identity and hope alive. Pushing the Bear renders the emotional and physical hardships of the Trail of Tears vivid, making the Cherokee’s perseverance—moral, physical and spiritual—a powerful testament to human endurance.

First publish date: 1996