After a three-year wagon ride from California, Hanna and her
father arrived in LaForge, a small railroad town in the Dakota Territory, to
build a dry goods store. Hanna’s Chinese/Korean mother was a seamstress
before she died, and instilled the same dreams in her daughter. But
before she tries to convince her father that she’s capable of making dresses
for the townswomen, Hanna wants to go to school. The teacher accepts her ethnicity well, but
the parents begin to keep their children home, rather than have them exposed to
a non-white student. Luckily, the Harris family has already befriended Hanna and her father, and continue to support them with schooling and building the business. Hanna also has
interactions with Ihanktowan women, who teach her how to harvest and cook
prairie turnips. Racism runs deep in
this historical fiction from 1880, that reminds readers of Laura Ingalls’ “Little
House on the Prairie” books. The author
leaves a personal note that recognizes discrimination in the original books,
but also acknowledges the historical value of the stories.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI
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