River Sisters, The Giver

by Jan Dearman

Overview

The peace and prosperity of Nancy Hilderbrand's existence on the banks of the Tennessee, the ancients' Giver of life, is disrupted by the Removal of 1838, when native peoples are stripped of their lands by Federal powers greedy for gold and fertile soil. "The finest seamstress outside New Echota," Nancy, widowed, with child, and awaiting deportation from the miserable internment of the stockade near Ross Landing, joins forces with Kaquoli Hicks, a devoted teacher left without students, and Sara Colaquee, a young girl left without parents. Their talents and strengths make them a formidable assemblage.

Nancy had determined: "The men in blue might strip them of their heritage and steal from them their home, but they could not taint the color of their blood, the nobility of their character. Their big knives were no match for the long, gleaming, razor-edged blade of hatred sheathed in her soul. Their big knives could only pierce the body—at worst, setting the spirit free. Hatred could do so much more."

River Sisters, the Giver is the account of these courageous women, as they escape captivity, make their way back to the river valley, and, ultimately, gain entrance and acceptance into "white" society. Nancy declares: "The future is in our own hands. We must make a way for ourselves. Whether it be white, Cherokee, or something in between—it must be a way that is right and good for us. And I must make a way for the children." Like the Giver itself, the lives of the "sisters' take unexpected turns, sometimes churning and with hidden dangers. Motivated by the past, accepting the challenges of the present, and unable to anticipate the future that lies ahead, the "river sisters" preserve the mark of their noble character on generations to follow.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940161510193
Publisher:	Beacon Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/03/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Jan Dearman's life-long avocation has been writing fiction, especially that having roots in the history, heritage, and beauty of the Tennessee River Gorge near Chattanooga. River Sisters: The Giver is the account of three courageous Cherokee women, who escape internment during the Removal of 1838, when native peoples were stripped from their lands by powers greedy for gold and fertile soil. The women become a family and a spiritual fortress—Nancy Hilderbrand, the skillful seamstress, left widowed and with child; Kaquoli Hicks, the devoted teacher, left without students; and Sara Colaquee, orphaned during the Removal and adopted by her older “sisters.” Their talents and strengths make them a formidable assemblage. They return to their home along the tumultuous Tennessee, make their way in “white” society, and, ultimately, earn acceptance and respect and even regain part of their ancestral land.

Jan is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a concentration in speech, theater, and English. She has received a couple of writers’ conference awards for fiction, and two of her poems have been published. Jan has devoted most of her adult life to teaching, speaking, and writing Christian materials for ladies and children, including numerous published lectures given in the US and Singapore. Her book, Choosing China and Spinning Plates, will be released by Sain Publications in the coming year. Jan was part of the original team that began the Gospel Broadcasting Network. Her responsibilities included writing advertising, promotional materials, and scripts. She also wrote, “N. B. Hardeman—the Man, the Moment, and the Message,” a promotional documentary aired in 2007, prior to “GBN at the Ryman—the Tabernacle Sermons Today,” later published in hardback.

She currently assists with the radio and television program Good News Today, produced by her husband. Their family has resided in various southern states and in the country of Malaysia, where they served as missionaries.