Sacred Ground

Dr. Erica Tyler, an anthropologist in modern-day Los Angeles, comes across an intriguing situation. An earthquake has revealed a hidden cave containing the ancient bones of a young woman - one whose tribal affiliation strangely cannot be identified. In pursuit of the woman?s identity, she clashes with Jared Black, an attractive lawyer assigned to protect Native American interests. In a parallel tale set 2,000 years earlier, the young healer Marimi, happily married and expecting a child, is cast out of her tribe for breaking a taboo. Determined to survive, she and two other children, also outcasts, walk a great distance to form their own tribe. Marimi and her female descendants have the gift of foresight, and we see examples of how their lives intertwine with major events in California?s history. I found myself having to suspend disbelief a little too often during my reading of this tale. For example, we?re expected to believe that a young woman, barefoot and heavily pregnant, physically carried a young child hundreds of miles to a new land: a rather superhuman feat! Also, the way all of the loose ends are tied together in the end, though satisfying, may cause some raised eyebrows. Despite these flaws, Wood is a wonderful, accomplished storyteller. Her prose flows smoothly and easily, making this a pleasant afternoon?s read

This was a wonderful book - a real page turner. Barbara Wood has done a lot of historical research and woven it into a beautiful story.

Reading this story was amazing, combining the present with different past eras, and viewing how the people make the same things no matter the era that is living and always go to the same place to look for their past.When you are reading the book you see how she (Barbara Wood) studied the geographic land, the custom of the tribes, the way people get dressed in the past, etc.Barbara involves in this story love, hate, family and going from hate to love again, including finding a lost parent. I read it in 3 days, it was really wonderful.

A very interesting book with some excellent writing. My only complaint is that it wasn't longer; just as I got to know and like each and every character the story moved on. The minor characters are so well developed and their stories so intriguing that I was left wanting to know more about everyone.This one book could be made into a dozen or more separate books that could easily stand on their own, and I hope Barbara writes them.

I obtained Sacred Ground at the urging of a friend who lives on the east coast. She called me at the beginning of September to let me know that she had just read a wonderful novel that contained the story of Southern California.I ordered and received the book a couple days after that, and it has served as a way to temporarily escape the grief and shock of the events that took place a few days later in New York, D.C. and Pennsylvania. I would recommend it if for no other reason.Sacred Ground tells the story of an archaeologist (Erica Tyler) who becomes involved in a dig in the middle of a wealthy community. An earthquake has caused a long buried cave to become accessible. As Erica Tyler makes her way through the layers of soil in the cave, she must also make her way through the political labyrinth that is the reality of modern Native American cultural debate.The story of the excavation is intertwined with the stories of the women of the Topaa tribe, a hunter gatherer tribe founded by "First Mother," Marimi. As each layer of soil reveals its contents, it also reveals the story of successive generations of Marimi's female descendants who carry her characteristics.There are two things I wish the author had done. First, I felt the story of the "First Mother" could have used with a bit more fleshing out. Her initial struggles are well detailed, but we are left to imagine how the stories and traditions of the Topaa tribe, the ones that are passed on from generation to generation, are created. It would also have been interesting to read how her teachings to her great-granddaughter differed from those she rebelled against.The second thing is that I wish the author had included a map showing the locations of significant events in the book. As it was, after the first couple chapters, I read the rest of the book with a AAA Southern California freeway folding map in hand.The above are minor quibbles, however. The book as a whole contains an incredible amount of historical detail that touches upon most major aspects of California history. We learn, not only about the way-of-life and traditions of ancient California tribes, but also about the mission period, the settlement of Los Angeles, the California gold-rush, and about the competing interests of Native Americans, scholars, private collectors and developers. The book allowed me to see the issues involved from a number of different perspectives.I give the book 4 stars for plot, 5 stars for entertainment and educational value. I have lived in Southern California for most of my life, and this book helped me to better understand the place I live. Sacred Ground gets my strong recommendation.