THIS TENDER LAND by Willian Kent Krueger

You can travel a road your whole life, only to find that you may have found happiness and love long before you arrive where you were headed. Love is not always blood relatives but can be the strongest from the friends you have in your life for many years. Life throws us many twists and turns but it’s what we choose to do with it that truly matters. For four orphan children this life has already dealt them so much love and happiness only to have it ripped away, replaced by horrible heartache and pain... How can anyone do that. How can anyone hurt a child. Take the things that are most valuable to them. Their innocence, views on life, the world, the things they knew before you added so much meanness in there. So much that they may never be the same again.

This is the story of many children. Many who were ripped from their families and placed in “schools” to be taught how to be “white”. Children who lost their whole families who were forced to live in these “schools” as orphans. Hurt and abused. Made to work in the worst of conditions and put in places where no human should be put, especially children, for punishment. Half starved while others eat well and make money from them being there. It’s the story of four orphans in particular who tried hard to keep believing things might get better.

I learned a lot while reading this book. I never learned about how awful the Indians, who owned this land before the white man ever came here, were treated like they were the lowest scum of the earth. How they were gathered up and their children taken from them. Many human beings were tortured, abused and murdered just because the color of their skin was different and they OWNED this land. I will never believe any other race was treated as bad as the American Indian. While much prejudice has always been and is very high again now, back then it was more than that. It was simply hatred because they owned something that man wanted and would do ANYTHING to own. It’s very sad what the Indians had to endure. It’s quite heartbreaking. At least to me it is and I truly hope it is to others. There is no excuse for prejudice in this country. We are all humans and should be kind to each other. But it does not happen and when it comes to children it makes my skin crawl. Breaks my heart. Makes me have many many tears.

This book tells the story of what happens to four orphan children. Two who are brothers, one Indian boy and a little orphan girl, who all need to escape the “Lincoln Indian Training School.” That was the name of the place they were forced to live. Forced to work farms for nothing but possibly a dry sandwich and a sip of water. In scorching heat or freezing cold weather. It didn’t matter to the woman running this “school”. School is a term I use very loosely here. It was more like a prison for children who had nothing and were basically forgotten by society. A society who didn’t really care. Yes there were a few, a very few, who tried to help but most just used these children.

This is the story of abuse, murder, helplessness, cruelty and yes there is happiness in here too. A story that will make you shed many tears. Very few laughs but a few. You meet people along the way that will make you believe that someone cares but also some who use and still hurt children just because they are different. From very evil men to some religious caring people, you will have opinions about them all. Question what they are truly after.

These four children endure so much but keep on going. They don’t give up completely though at times they sure want too. A woman and husband who are after them and want them back no matter what. They will do anything to bring them back to the hell they were living. To them, mostly the wife, it’s personal. You’ll find out everything reading this book. More than you might want to know but it’s so worth it.

I enjoyed this book so much. It was filled with lots of heartbreaking things but also some beautiful things that will make you feel you are there. I felt the pain and beauty these children went through. The travels they took you are right there. You will feel the same feelings they feel with each of the people they meet along the way.

Whether they make it or not I can’t tell you. It’s ending truly blew me away. I was shocked at the things I found out at the ending of this wonderful story. Well not the very end, but the end of the line for the children. One in particular.

I loved the main characters in this book. I hated the couple running the “school.” I loved most of the people along the way and some that I thought I would hate turned out ok.
This book was obviously well researched. It had a few stories told within the main story. It’s the story of love and loss. Cruelty and happiness. Hate and love. It’s the story I think everyone should read. It’s so well done.

There are some mistakes in this book that I hope the author fixed, only because I know how cruel some people are when they read a book with errors in it. Me personally, I can read right past them. If a book is this good, errors do not bother me. But there truly are some people who will leave bad reviews based on mistakes in a story. That is their prerogative when they buy, read and review a book but I would hope they can overlook some and see this story for what it is.. A heartfelt story told from the heart of this author.

This is my first book by this author but will not be my last. I’ve already bought one and hope I can get ahead on my TBR list and get it read. I’m looking forward to more by him for sure.

This is an excellent book.

A few things in this book really jumped out to me.
1) I think now how unfitting it was to force children who had no freedom, whose freedom had, in fact, been ripped from their people decades before, to take part in this observance. (Referring to Independence Day) I agree with this wholeheartedly too!!
2) THERE IS A river that runs through time and the universe, vast and inexplicable, a flow of spirit that is at the heart of all existence, and every molecule of our being is part of it. And what is God but the whole of that river?
3) perhaps the most important truth I’ve learned across the whole of my life is that it’s only when I yield to the river and embrace the journey that I find peace.
4) of all that we’re asked to give others in this life, the most difficult to offer may be forgiveness.
6) In every good tale there is a seed of truth, and from that seed a lovely story grows.
7) Our eyes perceive so dimly, and our brains are so easily confused. Far better, I believe, to be like children and open ourselves to every beautiful possibility, for there is nothing our hearts can imagine that is not so.

Be sure and read the Author’s notes at the end of this book. Very interesting.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Atria for the ARC of this wonderful book in exchange for my complete and honest review. It was a wonderful book.

A huge 5 stars and would be more if I could. I HIGHLY recommend this book.