Cherokee History and the Spirit Family - by James Neil Barnes (Paperback)

About the Book

Cherokee History and the Spirit Family interweaves one family's journey on the Trail of Tears with the larger impacts of Cherokee displacement in the US.

Book Synopsis

Thoroughly researched and eloquently told by author and Spirit family descendant James Barnes, this resonant, non-fiction history showcases the amazing resiliency of a people who refuse to let suffering keep them from maintaining joy, love, and cultural identity. Follow the Spirit family from 1826-1910, through one of the darkest periods of cultural persecution in our nation's history, as they fight, grieve, and advocate for the Cherokee Nation's sovereignty in the face of steep opposition from the United States government.

A multi-generational account of perseverance and hope, Barnes skillfully weaves his family's and Nation's history together to bring both alive. Providing both a broad historical canvas for understanding Cherokee history and an intimate view of family lives during the critical periods of removal, the Civil War, and Allotment, this book will resonate deeply with audiences of all backgrounds.

Review Quotes

"This carefully documented and engagingly illustrated book will be a crucial source for scholars and an inspiration for anyone seeking to support a self-directed Indigenous future for the Cherokee Nation." - James D. Nations, author of Lacandón Maya in the Twenty-First Century: Indigenous Knowledge and Conservation in Mexico's Tropical Rainforest

"James Barnes's book is hugely significant because unlike past chronicles he captures in vivid detail the surprisingly rich culture of the Cherokees, he writes a deeply researched new history of broken promises by the federal and state governments, and through Annie's family he brings to life both the suffering and resilience of her people when they are forcibly driven off their lands. Illustrated with rare photos, paintings, maps, and original documents, there is no book about the history of Native Americans that rivals this one." - David L. Roll, author of George Marshall: Defender of the Republic and The Hopkins Touch: Harry Hopkins and the Forging of the Alliance to Defeat Hitler

"The past is brought to life through the author's indefatigable research into his ancestry, which turns this sweeping account of political inequities and social resilience into an intimate tale of a great-great grandson's search for identity." - Carol Karasik, author of Maya Gods and Monsters, Maya Threads, and The Turquoise Trail

"Cherokee History and the Spirit Family will be of interest to many, especially since it covers so many extended families...The history it covers from the 1730s to 1910 illustrates the deep resilience of the Cherokee people." - Leslie Barker Thomas, Georgia Trail of Tears Association President

"Cherokee History and the Spirit Family is a splendid account of the author's Cherokee family and how their lives illuminate Cherokee history from the nineteenth century to the present...The author provides both a broad historical canvas for understanding Cherokee history and an intimate view of family lives during the critical periods of removal, the Civil War, and Allotment. Gracefully written, the book...is a genuine contribution to Cherokee history and a window into the lives of Cherokee families." - Dr. Carolyn Ross Johnston, Professor of History and American Studies and Women's and Gender Studies, Elie Wiesel Professor of Humane Letters, Eckerd College