The Memory Weaver

The Memory Weaver
by 
Jane Kirkpatrick


MY THOUGHTS:
This is another fabulous book by Jane Kirkpatrick that brings a true story to life! Eliza Spalding was the first white child born who survived west of the Mississippi. She lived in the Oregon territory with her parents, missionaries to the Nez Perce Indians, and she survived a massacre by the Cayuse Indians. She was actually held hostage for 47 days and was required, at the age of 10, to translate between the Indians and the settlers.

This book visits her life as a teen and adult. How would such an experience impact ones' life? Kirkpatrick uses diaries, documentaries, and tons of historical records to suppose Eliza's perspective throughout her life. She even interviewed descendants.

Like her previous book, A Light in the Wilderness, The Memory Weaver is a chance to step back in time and live beside those who participated in history. This is a fascinating story, and Kirkpatrick's website adds more information to a robust tale (check it out HERE). I was thrilled to see the reference to Letitia Carson, too (from A Light in the Wilderness)!

Definitely a must read for American History buffs.
Check out the book trailer HERE!

ABOUT THE BOOK
Eliza Spalding Warren was just a child when she was taken hostage by the Cayuse Indians during a massacre in 1847. Now the young mother of two children, Eliza faces a different kind of dislocation; her impulsive husband wants them to make a new start in another territory, which will mean leaving her beloved home and her departed mother's grave--and returning to the land of her captivity. Eliza longs to know how her mother, an early missionary to the Nez Perce Indians, dealt with the challenges of life with a sometimes difficult husband and with her daughter's captivity.

When Eliza is finally given her mother's diary, she is stunned to find that her own memories are not necessarily the whole story of what happened. Can she lay the dark past to rest and move on? Or will her childhood memories always hold her hostage?

Based on true events, The Memory Weaver is New York Times bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick's latest literary journey into the past, where threads of western landscapes, family, and faith weave a tapestry of hope inside every pioneering woman's heart. Readers will find themselves swept up in this emotional story of the memories that entangle us and the healing that awaits us when we bravely unravel the threads of the past.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jane is inter-nationally recognized for her lively presentations and well-researched stories that encourage and inspire.  Her works have appeared in more than 50 publications including  Decision, Private Pilot and Daily Guideposts.  Jane is the author of over 25 books including historical novels. Many of her titles are based on the lives of real people or incidents set authentically in the American West.  Her first novel, A Sweetness to the Soul, won the coveted Wrangler Award from the Western Heritage Center.  Her works have been finalists for the Christy, Spur, Oregon Book Award, WILLA Literary Award and Reader’s Choice awards.  Several of her titles have been Book of the Month and Literary Guild selections.Learn more about Jane at her website, HERE.