In this historical and somewhat romantic fantasy-adventure story, Lee White Fox takes young-hearted readers into the world of American Indians in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula before any Europeans arrived. (Well, at least not in over fifteen thousand years, if experts are beginning to get it right about the peopling of ancient America.) In these pages, readers will discover the good character and loyalty of a brand new friend, fifteen-year-old Toby Erdrich. The Chippewa boy manages to get himself transported back to pre-Columbian times, where he is forced to live and survive with some of his ancestors—including his own grandfather! How is that possible? Well, for one thing, the story’s locale happens to lie precisely halfway between the centerline and the edge of the path of totality for certain golden eclipses. But the mysterious gold medallion inherited by Toby also plays a major role in effecting the bizarre time-changes that make it possible for readers to get this rare and authentic sensation of what life could be like for an American Indian boy living over a thousand years ago. Toby and Running Wolf, his wise old grandfather, must constantly meet the challenges thrown at them by both Mother Nature and their fierce, bullying neighbors to the east, the Iroquois. But gentle readers will enjoy peaceful times, too, as Toby falls in love with White Flower, a cute Ottawa girl he must eventually rescue from marauding kidnappers…and it always helps to have the Great Spirit on your side! In this seemingly timeless tale, readers will experience what it must have been like to abandon oneself completely to the forest in ancient times. They will come to know barely-civilized living and yet be able to walk on Earth at a time when many of our recently lost liberties were still intact. Ideally, readers will come away from this book with a better understanding of American Indians, and with a better appreciation for some of the unique problems their ancestors faced so many years ago. But please keep in mind that the unrestrained manner of living experienced by young Toby Erdrich and others in this story did occasionally lead to extreme brutality—especially during times of territorial warfare. The truth of the matter is that wilderness living was sometimes hostile and sometimes friendly…and much depended on what a young, twenty-first century American Indian boy like Toby Erdrich would make of it.
In this unique storyline, the author explores new ideas about the peopling of ancient America, and he takes a hard look at the need for self-defense. Also included in the storyline is the author’s very own Theory of Everything, which explains how all natural and unnatural phenomena are unified.
In addition to being part of the new American response to Harry Potter and His Twitty Gang of Sorcerers, this new fantasy-adventure novel by Lee White Fox may just end up being a bit controversial in its own right, as any look at American Indians and their history tends to be a bit political, whether intended or not.
