How I Became a Ghost Book Review

 

How I Became a Ghost







1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Tingle, T. (2015). HOW I BECAME A GHOST. Roadrunner Press.  ISBN: 978-1-937054-53-3

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

How I Became a Ghost is a novel about Isaac and his family, who are from a Choctaw tribe in Mississippi. There is a Treaty Talk with the Nahullos, and Isaac’s family decides they must leave soon. Isaac sees ghosts and things of the future. After a devastating fire and smallpox outbreak, Isaac’s family finds themselves on the Trail of Tears. 


 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The characters in How I Became a Ghost are authentic and representative of the Choctaw tribe in several ways. Isaac and his family live in Mississippi in a home that is in a village of their Choctaw tribe. They live off the land and do not interact with the Nahullos (whites) but remain peaceful. There is talk of a Treaty and Isaac’s parents struggle with the decision to leave their home to relocate. Isaac is taken around the village, where he sees men rubbing their backs on the bark of trees until they bleed. He is then taken to the lake where the women walk in on sharp rocks, which cut their feet. His mom explains to him that they are saying goodbye to their home. He is mistaken at first but then realizes they are saying goodbye to the land. He has visions of some of them dying and realizes he is the only one who sees them. When the Najullos burn their town and give them smallpox-infested blankets, he sees his visions come to fruition. He speaks with the spirits of those who have passed away, and this is a common theme in this culture. They are connected to the dead.  

The setting in this story is in 1830, beginning in Mississippi and then moving along the Trail of Tears. The author does a great job of describing the land in such detail that the reader feels that they are there. They live near a swamp and hunt the land nearby. Choctaw and other tribes live off the land. The Trail of Tears is marked by the challenging realities of the tribes who walked it. Going from their beloved land to bitter cold and harsh terrain proved deadly for many as well as hunger and disease. They were given only a blanket and small rations each day. 

There are several references to Native American culture in this book. Storytelling is a big tradition of Native Americans, and Isaac tells the story from his point of view. Choctaw words and phrases are interwoven into the text. For example, Nahullos for white men, hoke for ok, yakoke for thank you, Chi pisa lachike which means I will see you again. They do not say goodbye, but I will see you again because they know they will see them in spirit form. Families are committed to taking care of each other while also extending assistance to strangers. Family is central in this culture. Isaac’s family befriends another on the trail and they take care of each other like they are blood relatives. When Nita, the daughter of the other family, passes away from the cold, the family carries her body to be buried. When Isaac is killed, his family carries his body as well. In the afterlife, both Nita and Isaac still communicate with their families. A boy from Isaac’s tribe transforms into a panther to protect others. This is a traditional part of Native American folklore to transform into animals to protect their tribe. The Bonepickers were also described as women who had one of the hardest jobs in the tribe, and they had to prepare bones for burial. This is a very sacred part of the Choctaw tribe. 

The mistreatment of the tribes on the Trail of Tears was cruel and unnecessary. The soldiers who guided them were abusive. They were neglectful of basic needs and saw themselves as superior. There was no humanity to the tribes, especially when a member died. They dismissed burial rituals and forced families to carry their own dead. There were moments of humanity from some of the soldiers, but as a whole they are neglectful to basic human needs. 


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

  • American Indian Youth Literature Award, 2014

  • Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 12/01/13

  • Horn Book Magazine, 01/01/14

  • Horn Book Magazine, 04/01/14

  • Kirkus Reviews starred, 06/15/13

Full-Text Reviews
Horn Book Guide starred (Spring 2014)

Isaac is alive and well at the start of this Trail of Tears story, beginning in the Choctaw Nation in Mississippi in 1830. But soon there is Treaty Talk, followed by the arrival of Nahullo (white) men, and the Choctaw must begin their journey west. Tingle, a Choctaw storyteller, relates his tale in the engaging repetitions and rhythms of an oft-told story.



  • 5. CONNECTIONS

Related Books:


Tingle, T. (2018). WHEN A GHOST TALKS, LISTEN. Roadrunner Press.  ISBN: 978-1-937054-51-9

Buitrago, J. (2012). Crossing Bok Chitto : a Choctaw tale of friendship & freedom. Groundwood Books Ltd.  ISBN: 9781554982066







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