I have lived and taught on the Navajo Nation for fifteen years. It has been my privilege to share sheep camp, canyon walks, mutton stew, and lots of laughter. Thank you to the Diné people for your welcome.
This story was inspired by my incredible Navajo students. Sometimes they came late to class because first they needed to haul water for the sheep or give Grandma a ride to the hospital clinic, and Grandma wasn’t always ready on time. Sometimes they stayed late after class because they wanted to earn a degree and feared they would never pass college algebra. And then we would talk about how weaving was mathematical, and if they talked with the instructor, maybe an extra-credit project would be an option. Perhaps something Navajo.
Thank you to those where I lived and worked for teaching me that we are alike in essential ways, and that to walk in beauty is never a race to the finish. I listened as many of my brightest students—women and men—told me they would not be in class next semester because they had decided to enlist, they knew they would be deployed, and they wanted to serve their country. I thank them for their courage.
And to my family: I would not have written my books without you. That’s the truth. Thank you, Macey, for being a tough first reader; Michael and Eva, for asking for another chapter before Soldier Sister, Fly Home’s end; Megan and Elizabeth, for your belief that I could write this story and that it was a story worth telling; and Bill, my first editor always, even in the middle of the night, for giving me a hug and handing me a handkerchief when I’m crying. Thank you to Courageous Cookies, and especially thank you to Carolyn Lehman, Jane Resh Thomas, and Marion Dane Bauer. I especially want to acknowledge Trish Polacca for your encouragement along this journey, for reading the manuscript in between several “final” revisions, and for introducing me to the Piestewa family. And hurrah also to Trish, along with Pearl Yazzie, Diné, for creating a library in Tuba City that has become a community center for reading books, communication, and coming together. To Rubin Pfeffer, you believed in this story and persevered until Soldier Sister, Fly Home found the right home. To Yolanda Scott and Karen Boss, your insights gave both depth and polish and brought the journey to the finish line. Thank you.
The following elders and educators I especially thank for reviewing the manuscript and pointing out mistakes or misspellings of Navajo words. Any remaining errors are certainly mine. Thank you to:
Rose A. Tahe, Diné, educator and reading specialist, Many Farms, Navajo Nation, Arizona; Linda Ross, Diné, traditional healer, Chinle, Arizona; Wanda Begay, Diné, RN, Chinle, Arizona; Vikki Shirley, Diné, former first lady, Navajo Nation, regional coordinator for Arizona Reach Out and Read, Navajo Window Rock, Navajo Nation, Arizona; Ellavina Tsosie Perkins, Diné, Navajo linguist, member of the Navajo Grammar Project, Navajo Language Renaissance Team (Rosetta Stone Endangered Languages Preservation Project).
One more important statement of recognition and gratitude goes to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Their work to support and mentor writers is invaluable. They awarded an original version of Soldier Sister, Fly Home (then called Blue) with a Work-in-Progress Grant (multicultural) in 2012, which was a key “yes” that I needed at the time.
The Piestewa family is pleased that a percentage of the book’s royalties will support the education of Lori’s two children. An additional donation will be made to the American Indian College Fund (www.collegefund.org).
reader’s group guide for
soldier sister, fly home
1. Deciding on the title of a book can be difficult. When you first read the words “Soldier Sister, Fly Home” and looked at the cover, what did you expect the book to be about? What caught your attention most—a word, a phrase, or something in the image? What might you have chosen as the title? Would you have created a different cover?
2. Many of the story’s themes and elements are present in the prologue, but they might not be obvious at first. After reading Soldier Sister, Fly Home, go back to the prologue. Can you recognize hints about the themes and elements of the book: control over one’s destiny, interconnections between life and death, relationships between sisters, the importance of place and home, the internal struggle to answer “Who am I?” and “Who do I want to be?”, and moral decisions about causing or preventing death? Are there other themes or elements that you see in the prologue or story?
3. In the prologue Tess says, “I swore I would never shoot a rifle again.” Why does she say this? Do you think she means it? Guns, violence, and death are big worries for Tess. Later in the book Tess breaks her vow from the prologue. Why? How do you feel about her choice? Have you ever had to do something you really didn’t want to do?
4. Tess feels guilty about not trying to stop the raven’s death at the shooting range, and the event haunts her. Lori’s death scares her. How do these feelings affect Tess’s reactions when Gaby announces she is being deployed?
5. Think about some of the conversations between Tess and Gaby that show their different perspectives about being a warrior. What does it mean to each of them? To their grandfather? Why do you think the sisters feel differently about being a warrior?
6. Considering the way Tess feels about Blue, why do you think she agrees to take care of him? Why do you think Blue becomes so important to Tess?
7. What do you think is the connection between saying “yes” to taking care of Blue and “yes” to going to sheep camp? What are several possible reasons Tess agrees to both?
8. In the Navajo community the hogan is a symbol of family and home, as well as a spiritual place for ceremonies. Why is Shimá Sání’s old hogan so important to her that she greets it as if welcoming an old friend?
9. In Tuba City when Tess meets her classmate Megan and Megan’s cousin Rebecca, Megan asks if Tess’s grandmother is a “real Indian.” How does Tess answer? Later she thinks about this question and wonders what it means to be a “real Indian.” Do you think Tess’s answer changes by the end of the book?
10. Shimá Sání tells Tess that “the Navajo and white are fighting inside you.” What does Grandma mean when she says this to Tess? What was the purpose of the ceremony for Shimá when she returned from school as a girl, and why did the medicine man speak to her in English? Can you think of a time when you have had different parts of you fighting inside?
11. Why do you think Blue is willing to risk his own life to save Tess when the flood comes through the canyon? Do you think that moment changes Tess’s view of Blue? How?
12. In the end Blue chooses to run wild rather than return to Tess. It turns out to be an important decision. Why did he do that? How have others in Tess’s life also chosen a similar path? What do you think might be the outcome of those decisions?
—
For more questions about Soldier Sister, Fly Home, as well as writing prompts and other related projects, visit www.charlesbridge.com/soldiersister.
Soldier Sister, Fly Home Page 12