The Last Algonquin

The Last Algonquin is a sad but heartwarming story about a man and his attempts to come to grips with his place in the world. The fact that this man, Joe Two Trees, is the last of his tribe of the Algonquin's makes his journey that much harder and more interesting. If you are looking for an official history of the American Indians, this isn't the book for you. However, if you are looking for a deep and touching story of one American Indian, and what we as a nation have lost by ignoring the heritage of American Indians, then you will enjoy this book. Mr. Kazimiroff has done an excellent job of preserving the story given to him by his father and keeping the memory of Joe Two Trees and the Algonquin Indians alive.

This is a must read, especially for those of us raised in the Pelham Bay section of Bronx. The tale of The Last Algonquin is inspiring and heartwarming. And, I hope that Mr. Kazimiroff realizes that he has given The Bronx, the Algonquin Indians and his father the immortality they truly deserve.Remember as long as someone tells( hears or reads) this tale, the story of Joe Two Trees will continue to live on among the rocks and trees of Pelham Bay Park.

I found this book to be a really fun read. It is well written with great discriptions of what life was like in New York in the 1800's. Equally sad and revealing is this story of one of the last Indians in the New York regions. It is a story of a boy who in the 1920's happens upon an aged Indian who has to to tell his story to someone so that it is never forgotten. The Indian, Joe Two Trees, does in fact have a story that should be told over and over so that we should not forget that at one time he and his people were really the first Americans on this continent. This is a story that should be shared with any children that you have.

When I finished it, I started reading it again, partly because I wanted to re-visit some material provided earlier in the story, and partly because I wasn't ready to say goodbye to Two Trees. It is a well-written compassionate story, and one obviously composed with a loving hand. My husband also enjoyed it very much, a man who has read and loved many books about Native Americans including "A Sorrow in Our Heart: the Life of Tecumseh" and "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee." We now both want to go to the Bronx and poke around Hunter Island, looking for a sign of Two Trees.

I read this book twenty years ago and Kazamiroff's strong story telling has me wanting to share his work with my family. The story (based on family oral history) centers on the last member of a indian clan in the Manhattan NY region. The metro area was a mixture of wilderness, farms and harsh frontier settlements with Whites that had little regard for those sentiments held by the Algonquin. The story has the hero in a struggle against nature, whites, and the loneliness of being the last of his clan. The book has a unique place in american cultural history and is an excellent book for "social studies" courses.