Sky Flower

<b>Some tattered papers discovered in the ruins of a cabin in the Adirondack Mountains reveal the life story of an old Native American woman, Sky Flower, written in the form of a diary.<b> And what a story she has to tell! With quill in hand, the Mohawk writer records her life from her early memories as a spoiled child in her tribe. Through unusual circumstances, tragedies, and her own fierce spirit, she experiences life in a Dutch colony (Fort Orange at present-day Albany), in New Amsterdam (present-day Manhattan), and in a great manor house in Littleton, England, where she becomes a governess. There she discovers that one of the children under her care is deaf. Her compassion and familiarity with Native sign language help bring the girl out of her shell. A romantic interlude results in a broken heart and Sky Flower returns to live along the Hudson River, where she starts an informal school, before retiring to the mountains.<p>Sky Flower experiences both the luxuries and hardships of European life in the 17th century, as well as the societal hypocrisies that come with it. She witnesses first-hand the inevitable clash of cultures played out in early America. She writes of the hardships she accepts living as a recluse in the wilderness. The book presents in bold relief a personal statement about the tumultuous events of the "e;Contact Period,"e; told from a perspective of a long and eventful life.<p><p> The book concludes with an overview and a timeline that give the story additional historical context by noting key events in Europe and Colonial America during Sky Flower's tumultuous life.<p>