Voices from the Trail of Tears (Real Voices, Real History Series)

Rating:
Summary: Another Excellent Book from Ms. Rozema
Review: This is Ms. Rozema's third book on Cherokee History and an excellent complement to her others. Voices from the Trail of Tears is a collection of first person accounts of the infamous Cherokee Removal of 1838. Drawn from letters, journals, military reports, contemporary newspaper accounts, and even physicians' reports, it offers an in-depth and very personal account of the tragedy referred to by the Cherokees as 'The Trail Where We Cried.' This book is different from previous books on the Cherokee Removal because it consists primarily of first person accounts of events leading up to, during, and immediately after the removal and while Ms. Rozema provides introductory notes to each account to explain the events and people who wrote the accounts, the eye-witness accounts are the focus of the book. This book deals more with the experience of the Cherokees held in camps during the summer of 1838 while they were waiting for removal led by Chief John Ross and where it is believed most of the deaths (due to sickness) actually occurred rather than on the trail than previous books. This book also deals more with the actual experiences of the Cherokees on the 'Trail Where they Cried' where previous books deal more with the events leading up to the removal.
Voices from the Trail of Tears is an excellent choice for anyone interested in Cherokee history or the removal of the southeastern Indians. It would also be an excellent choice for teachers or researchers including those doing genealogy research. The book is thoughtfully indexed and carefully noted with unobtrusive endnotes and extensive bibliography at the end of the book.