Under a Blackberry Moon: Christian fiction book review

Summary of "Under a Blackberry Moon"

    Just a few days after she gave birth alone in the northwoods, a recently widowed young Chippewa woman stumbled into a nearby lumber camp in search of refuge from the winter snows. Come summer, it is clear that Moon Song cannot stay among the rough-and-tumble world of white lumbermen, and so the camp owner sends Skypilot, his most trusted friend, to accompany her on the long and treacherous journey back to her people.

    But when tragedy strikes off the shore of Lake Superior, Moon Song and Skypilot must depend on each other for survival. With every step they take into the forbidding woods, they are drawn closer together, until it seems the unanswerable questions must be asked.

    Can she leave her culture to enter his?

    Can he leave his world to enter hers?

    Or will they simply walk away from a love that seems too complicated to last?

Joy In Our Journey's review ~ by Jan:

    Serena Miller has titled her new book Under a Blackberry Moon, and has succeeded in writing a story that is both fun to read and educational.  I was interested to read her descriptions of the lifestyle of the Indians and pioneers of the 1860’s in Michigan and the problems they faced.

     Even though this was book two of the series, I never felt like I should have read book one first.  However, I will read it as soon as I can get it; Under a Blackberry Moon was that good!

     The story is written around Moon Song, a beautiful Indian girl with a very young baby boy; and Skypilot, a young man from the South. Moon Song and “Skypilot” are traveling on a steamboat to take Moon Song back to her people after the death of her husband, when the boat they are sailing in blows up.  They - along with a white lady, Isabella - are the only survivors.  However, in order to save themselves, they must make their way many miles back to civilization.  How are two white people who have never lived “off the land” going to survive?  Only with the help of a native Indian girl who has spent most of her life learning the skills that will mean their survival.

     Ms. Miller describes the plight of the Indian tribes of this area as they were tricked into selling their land, and thus their means of survival, to the white man to occupy and mine for copper.

     This is a book well worth reading and keeping for both the story and the historical information it contains. Ms. Miller has done a superior job accurately portraying the problems that both the white and Indian people faced.  Her research and attention to details of life for these diverse groups of people living more than a century and a half ago not only make the story more interesting, but also educational.  The unusual title Under a Blackberry Moon, will help you remember this book by Serena Miller.

Serena B. Miller is the author of The Measure of Katie Calloway and Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio, as well as numerous articles for periodicals such as Woman's World, Guideposts, Reader's Digest, Focus on the Family, Christian Woman, and more. She lives on a farm in southern Ohio.

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