East of the Great Valley, Second Library Edition: The Story of Merab McCreary

With an authentic background in early California statehood, EAST OF THE GREAT VALLEY champions the triumph of good against evil during one of the most brutal times in western history. The novel is set in the Sierra Mountains during 1856-1876. The story is of the survivor of a slaughtered Indian band, and the struggles of the pioneering family who adopted her. The novel's realities are harsh. Its characters are true to the time. Good does triumph, but only at a cost. --The book also illustrates California's valiant contribution to the Civil War when men, the California 100, enlisted to go to the east and fight for the Union with the Massachusetts 2nd Cavalry while much of the state were Southern sympathizers.