Great Death

The Great Death by John E. Smelcer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Historical Fiction. An extremely fast read. Only 166 pages

Great Death was the near decimation of the Alaskan natives at the turn of the 20th century due to contact with white people. According to the author nearly 2/3 of the Alaskan Natives were killed by measles, flu, and small pox.

Two sisters are the only survivors left in their remote village. They travel down the river to find other survivors. Short on details and not much action. Not sure students will be able to grasp the full impact of the intense scenes of death. There was not enough emotional development with the characters. The ending leaves you wondering about how the girls will be received since prior contact with "white" people had been so negative, when they met a trapper along the way and the elder sister was attacked.. Best for older students due to near rape.

WAW nomination 2012. Felt like this could have been better, author has some interruptions in the flow to explain some aspects of the wilderness.



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