Between Earth and Sky - by Amanda Skenandore (Paperback)

About the Book

"On a quiet Philadelphia morning in 1906, a newspaper headline catapults Alma Mitchell back to her past. A federal agent is dead, and the murder suspect is Alma's childhood friend, Harry Muskrat. Harry--or Asku, as Alma knew him--was the most promising student at the 'savage-taming' boarding school run by her father, where Alma was the only white pupil. Created in the wake of the Indian Wars, the Stover School was intended to assimilate the children of neighboring reservations. Instead, it robbed them of everything they'd known--language, customs, even their names--and left a heartbreaking legacy in its wake ... she barely recognizes the man Asku has become, cold and embittered at being an outcast in the white world and a ghost in his own. Her lawyer husband, Stewart, reluctantly agrees to help defend Asku for Alma's sake. To do so, Alma must revisit the painful secrets she has kept hidden from everyone--especially Stewart"--Amazon.com.

Book Synopsis

A young girl learns about friendship, betrayal, and the sacrifices made in the name of belonging in this poignant novel exploring the tragic legacy of forced assimilation and abuse at Native American residential schools in the early 20th century.

The award-winning debut novel by the author of The Nurse's Secret is now available with new bonus content, including an interview with the woman who inspired it - Amanda Skenandore's mother-in-law and a member the Lake Superior Ojibwe.

On a quiet Philadelphia morning in 1906, a newspaper headline catapults Alma Mitchell back to her past. A federal agent is dead, and the murder suspect is Alma's childhood friend, Harry Muskrat. Harry--or Asku, as Alma knew him--was the most promising student at the "savage-taming" boarding school run by her father, where Alma was the only white pupil. Created in the wake of the Indian Wars, the Stover School was intended to assimilate the children of neighboring reservations. Instead, it robbed them of everything they'd known--language, customs, even their names--and left a heartbreaking legacy in its wake.

The bright, courageous boy Alma knew could never have murdered anyone. But she barely recognizes the man Asku has become, cold and embittered at being an outcast in the white world and a ghost in his own. Her lawyer husband, Stewart, reluctantly agrees to help defend Asku for Alma's sake. To do so, Alma must revisit the painful secrets she has kept hidden from everyone--especially Stewart.

Told in compelling narratives that alternate between Alma's childhood and her present life, Between Earth and Sky is a haunting and complex story of love and loss, as a quest for justice becomes a journey toward understanding and, ultimately, atonement.

Review Quotes

Praise for Amanda Skenandore

"Perfect on so many levels. The plot itself is strong and powerful, touching on relevant themes such as trauma, identity, and acceptance, and the historical context of traveling medicine shows is fascinating and rich. The characters - even the side characters, many of whom get their own compulsively readable chapters - are full-fledged, strong, and just flawed enough to be human. To no one's surprise, Skenandore has done it again!" --Addison Armstong, author of The War Librarian on The Medicine Woman of Galveston

"A wonderful story about seizing second chances--and who doesn't love those? Amanda Skenandore has a keen eye for developing characters who transform while keeping the endearing, relatable qualities that made us root for them in the first place. A charming cast of misfits and a devastating hurricane were just the ingredients I needed to completely lose myself in this book." --Elise Cooper, author of Angels of the Pacific on The Medicine Woman of Galveston

"Amanda Skenandore dazzles us with a spellbinding story, a vividly drawn setting, and characters that leap off the pages. I was fascinated from start to finish and could not put this book down. This is historical fiction at its finest!" --Sara Ackerman, USA Today bestselling author of The Codebreaker's Secret on The Nurse's Secret

"In this superior historical from Skenandore, the wife of a 1920s Hollywood actor is transformed by the news of a medical diagnosis... Skenandore makes plausible Mirielle's metamorphosis from Hollywood socialite to active, caring member of the Carville community. The author's diligent research, as well as her empathetic depiction of those subjected to forced medical isolation, make this a winner." --Publishers Weekly on The Second Life of Mirielle West

"Scrupulous in her research and practically clairvoyant in her choice of urgent subjects -- from the Indigenous boarding schools of her first novel to the disease and quarantine of The Second Life of Mirielle West -- historical novelist Amanda Skenandore has quietly become one of the valley's finest authors." --The Las Vegas Review Journal

"Despite being a fictional work, in her book The Second Life of Mirielle West Amanda Skenandore has used her medical background as a registered nurse--and her storytelling skills as a writer--to describe the sorrows experienced by patients with leprosy who were quarantined at the Carville Leper Home." --The Lancet

"Effie's community of freedmen and Creoles in Reconstruction New Orleans is unforgettable. Skenandore's second novel is recommended for readers who enjoy medical historical fiction reminiscent of Diane McKinney-Whetstone's Lazaretto, and historical fiction with interpersonal drama." --Library Journal on The Undertaker's Assistant

"Our immersion in that world--from the particulars of baking marble cake to the grisly minutiae of embalming corpses to the messy and violent politics of the Reconstruction South--is so complete that the reader never doubts it once existed. That said, one of this novel's many virtues is how it subtly conveys how many black citizens in the post-Civil War era took it upon themselves to improve their own lives." --Historical Novels Review on The Undertaker's Assistant

"Readers who like complex characters amid a roiling historical setting will be fascinated by Effie's quest...Teen readers who are not turned off by the embalming details will empathize with a young woman's search for identity and love." --Booklist on The Undertaker's Assistant

"Did you know there was a leper colony in the US? I didn't! This fascinating tale of a movie star's wife forced into a leper colony in the 1920's was eye-opening and shockingly relevant. Mirielle's journey with this incredibly stigmatized disease is heart wrenching, and poignant. This would make an excellent book club pick as you will want to discuss this one!" --Carrie Deming, The Dog Eared Book (Palmyra, NY) on The Second Life of Mirielle West

"Intensely emotional...Skenandore's deeply introspective and moving novel will appeal to readers of American history, particularly those interested in the dynamics behind the misguided efforts of white people to better the lives Native American by forcing them to adopt white cultural mores." --Publishers Weekly on Between Earth and Sky

"By describing its costs in human terms, the author shapes tension between whites and Native Americans into a touching story. The title of Skenandore's debut could refer to reality and dreams, or to love and betrayal; all are present in this highly original novel." --Booklist on Between Earth and Sky

"A heartbreaking story about the destructive legacy of the forced assimilation of Native American children. Historical fiction readers and book discussion groups will find much to ponder here." --Library Journal on Between Earth and Sky

"Gripping and beautifully written, Between Earth and Sky tugs at the heart with its dynamic heroine and unique cast of characters. Though this novel brings alive two historical American eras and settings, the story is achingly modern, universal and important." --Karen Harper, New York Times bestselling author of The It Girls on Between Earth and Sky

About the Author

Amanda Skenandore is a registered nurse and acclaimed author of historical fiction, including The Nurse's Secret, The Second Life of Mirielle West, When No One Else Will, and more. The recipient of the American Library Association's RUSA Reading List Award for her debut, Between Earth and Sky, her novels have been selected for Publishers Marketplace Buzz Books, Apple Best Books of the Month, the Hoopla Book Club, and 2023 Silicon Valley Reads, among other honors. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada and can be found online at AmandaSkenandore.com.