Walking the Trail

What a wonderful job Ellis did in writing this story. He mentions Cherokee history then and now, describes the road he's walking on, the people he meets along the way (to include the proverbial weirdoes that make good travelogues so appealing), the emotional ups and downs of physical exertion. Even the daily weather and how it affected his mood was well described. I especially appreciated his story about the crow and how the crow became the symbol of the Cherokee Nation. I went to visit the Musuem of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee, North Carolina because of this book. That was money well-spent and very educational. The phrase that sticks out in my mind (I read this book two years ago) is his phrase "Men and boys will always want something from a woman." That is so true...

This review is basically a THANK-YOU extended out to Jerry Ellis. I purchased & read this Book when it first came out, & couldn't put it down. I have read it several times since, thus, keeping it in my Library to read even more through-out my Life time. It is one of my "specialty" Books, & I have recommended it highly to others through the course of the years. Not only do I find Jerry Ellis to be a captivating Book Author, but he is also very sincere in what he stands for, & I find him to be "Cherokee Proud" like the rest of us who share & stand upon our Cherokee Culture & background. Anybody who is cultured in Native American ways, will automatically pick up on just what Jerry Ellis is all about. Jerry is a devoted person, and true to his Heritage. This Book is very insightful, captivating, and Educational, & in my humble opinion should be stuck in the hands of every young-blooded American "kid" nowadays, instead of a "remote control" or a "Computer mouse!" I have followed the path of Jerry Ellis as an Author & a Public Speaker, and my thanks go out to him for all his endeavors in what he has accomplished so far, and also in the future to come. I highly recommend this Book to anyone who is interested in their Cherokee roots, or gaining more "insight" into the Cherokee culture and the Trail of Tears. Most of all, THANK YOU TO JERRY!

This is a formal thank you to readers over the past fourteen years since Walking the Trail was first published by Delacorte Press and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. My driving force for walking the Trail in 1989 was to inform the world about the horrible history of my Cherokee ancestors. It was also a very private need to try to more deeply connect with my heritage, my Indian heart and soul. I sold almost everything I owned to finance this pilgrimage and took a bus to Oklahoma to begin the 900 mile walk back home to Fort Payne, Alabama. (The town gets its name from the fort--concentration camp--built to imprison the 1,100 of this area.)It is also the town where Sequoyah lived when he invented the Cherokee alphabet. My journey was blessed and filled with many loving people and extraordinary events. Since the book was published, I have lectured about the Trail of Tears throughout the US, Asia and Europe. All along my journey, people gave me items to bury as prayer offerings when I returned home for those who died on the Trail on 1838. They are now buried by the Sacred Oak within sight of my home in Fort Payne, Alabama. This fall, 2005, my wife and I will open a writers' retreat--The Tanager Center for Creative Endeavors--which will try to further honor the Cherokee and their values, values that are endangered by this exciting but questionable Modern Age. The Center sits on 200 wooded acres on a hill overlooking the valley where Sequoyah lived. Again, thank you readers for coming on the journey with me and the spirits of my ancestors from the Trail of Tears. May your treks through life be equally blessed.

Ellis is a strange mix of an adventurer, a lover, and a holy man. He takes the mundane ennui of walking along a dirty highway to an ethereal plane, ever loyal to his ancestry. His sensual nature touches, shocks, and comforts. He is able to make us see on two levels without appearing hokey or superficial. He doesn't wince at the supernatural, but rather takes it for its own worth. All Cherokees--in fact all Indians--should applaud his efforts. I live a few miles from where he walked in Gravette, AR, but I will not drive that highway again without thinking about the Trail of Tears.

Ellis walked 900 miles to honor his Cherokee roots and I--a Cherokee whose ancestors walked the Trail of Tears in 1838--felt that I was with him the whole way. His easy poetic style of writing made everthing come alive and I still see the people he met, his tent and campfires at night. Best book on the Trail and its history I ever read.