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In 1825, sixteen-year-old Smith Paul runs away from his North Carolina home and starts living with a Chickasaw family and moved with them on the infamous Trail of Tears to Indian Territory. Rev. McCure and his Chickasaw wife, Ala-Teecha hopes to bridge the gap between whites, blacks and Indians so they will all be treated equally.
Sam Paul is Smith’s son, a half-breed, and he finds himself unaccepted in both the Indian world and the white world. He forms his own group of friends to ride with, including Billy the Kid. Sam is accused of murder three times, but always gets let go without conviction. He is determined to rescue Indian Territory from white people.
Sam makes deadly enemies as he rises to power, but one person hates him more than most. His own son, Joe. Will the mission to save Indian Territory continue through the family lines, or will it end with Joe?
SHADOW OF AN INDIAN STAR is the true story of author’s Bill Paul’s life, written in fiction form. He wrote the story as it was told by his grandfather, but cannot verify that any events, people or places are real, except for his own family members.
The story is more telling, making it impossible for this reader to truly enjoy SHADOW OF AN INDIAN STAR. However, it is a fascinating bit of work about Indians and their history in the United States. I would have liked to seen this written as non-fiction, with the authors going through the work of researching instead of just writing it down as hear-say.
Reviewed by Laura V. Hilton
for The Road to Romance
May 22, 2006
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