In 1976 the University of New Mexico Press published a book titled The Education of Little Tree, written by a half Cherokee storyteller named Forrest Carter. The book was a memoir of Carter's experiences while being raised by his Cherokee grandparents in the 1930's. Carter's memoir preached a message of tolerance, love of nature, with a strong dose of familial love thrown in. The Education of Little Tree soon developed a cult following which continued to grow even after Carter's death in 1979. In 1991 the book won an ABBEY award and sat atop the New York Times Bestsellers List for nonfiction paperbacks. The movie rights had been sold and their was talk of Kevin Costner, Robert Redford, or even Steven Spielberg directing it.
It all seemed like a nice and inspirational story. The only problem was, is that it wasn't true. On October 4, 1991 the New York Times ran a story which revealed that Forrest Carter wasn't an Indian, he was a white man from Alabama. His real name was Asa Carter and not only was he white but he was also a rabid and prominent segregationist. The New York Times shifted the book to the fiction list and critics soon began to pore over the book finding various cultural inaccuracies and even evidence of reactionary racial views.
One might just chalk The Education of Little Tree up to just one more in a long line of literary hoaxes. However questions regarding both the book and Forrest Carter had been around since the mid 1970's. Indeed the New York Times had even run an article in 1976 asking if Forrest Carter was really Asa Carter. Many scholars had complained that the language and customs in the book were inaccurate. Why did it take so long for the truth to emerge? This paper will examine the history of the controversy from the mid 1970's to the aftermath of Carter's exposure. In doing so it will also explore how the popular mythology of the American Indian led people to ignore the inconsistencies of the book.
In regards to my sources I plan on using newspaper articles and book reviews. I can get the Times articles if I pay online (or check the library). I got a Publisher's Weekly article about the publishers public response to the scandal. I also found a letter in a scholarly journal (at time of scandal) about a writer pointing out flaws in the book to the publisher back in 1985. I plan on checking obituaries for the author to see what I turn up. Its a little rough I know but I'll figure it out. If not I'll fail yet another class (don't like it but I'm use to it).
Hi,
I hope that is very interesting book I wanna read this...
Posted by: Thesis Writing | February 01, 2012 at 11:09 PM