Thursday, June 21, 2012

Through Rushing Water by Catherine Richmond




Sophia, a teacher in New York expects to be engaged Congressman Rexford Montgomery any day now. But when he announces his engagement to her close friend, Sophia takes the first opportunity to change her life, by signing up with the Board of Foreign Missions. While she signed up, intending to go to China, she agrees to take the first posting possible, which in her case means moving out west to teach the Ponca Indians. When Sophia arrives, she knows she can teach, but she is overwhelmed with the new culture, her own responsibilities and expectations of being a missionary. She finds a friend and an ally in the agency carpenter, Will, whose own faith helps to challenge and grow Sophia. But as she falls in love with the Ponca Indians, they ignite a joy and passion in her that leads her to do everything she can to help them. But when the government intervenes and decrees that the Ponca must be uprooted from her land, will Sophia and Will be able to continue to fight for their cause together?
This is a book that made me fall in love with the Ponca Indians almost as much as the main characters did. I got frustrated with the government leaders when they tried to force the Poncas onto new reservations, and I rejoiced with Sophia as the children learned to read and count money and thrived in school. This book did a justice to the time period and the historical events that took place over and over with the various Indian tribes.
I received this book from Booksneeze for the purpose of this review. I give this book 4 stars.

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