A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Tingle, T. (2013). HOW I BECAME A GHOST: A CHOCTAW TRAIL OF TEARS STORY. RoadRunner Press. ISBN:9781937054533
B. PLOT SUMMARY
A Choctaw boy tells the story of his tribe's removal from the only land his people had ever known, and how their journey to Oklahoma led him to become a ghost--one with the ability to help those he left behind.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS( INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
Isaac, a 10-year-old Chocktaw boy, takes the reader on a journey through the Trail of Tears along with his family and some very unlikely allies. Isaac’s prophetic visions given to him by his ancestors show him the impending demise that many of his people will suffer at the hands of the “Nahullo”, or white soldiers, and ultimately tell of the time when he too will become a “ghost.” This book provides a plot that is exciting, but a bit hard to follow at times because of the unpredictability of Isaac’s visions . One moment he is in the real world, and the next, he’s having his premonitions. But as Isaac says in the beginning, “I am not a ghost when this book begins, so you have to pay very close attention.”
Tingle, a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, provides the reader with an inside view of the life of the Choctaw as he beautifully shows the culture through the beliefs and practices of the community throughout the story. The Choctaws did not necessarily believe in or worshiped any particular spiritual being, but they did believe that certain, selected members of their tribe possessed powers as described in Isaac’s premonitions and visions of his ancestors who gave advice as well as people who changed into other beings, such as Joseph, a boy whose ability is to turn into a panther. The author also emphasizes the reverence for the deceased. In the story, both Isaac and his father said they would not leave the bones of their deceased behind. No matter how scattered they were, their goal was to gather them and keep them together. Even the bonepickers (people tasked with collecting the bones of the deceased) was a respected position. The author adds a bit of flavor and further authenticates the culture by sharing Choctaw words and phrases such as hoke (ok) and chi pisa la chike I will see you again).
This book would be a great companion read for a unit on the Trail of Tears and the study of the Choctaw Indians. I feel students would understand the content in the story better after studying the tribe’s culture and beliefs.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
"The beginning of a trilogy, this tale is valuable for both its recounting of a historical tragedy and its immersive Choctaw perspective." -Kirkus Reviews
"Throughout, this story shines with the warmth that Tingle's storytelling voice brings to his writing. I highly recommend How I Became A Ghost. I have it on good authority that we'll hear more from Isaac. I look forward to it." -American Indians in Children's Literature
"Tingle, a Choctaw storyteller, relates his tale in the engaging repetitions and rhythms of an oft-told story. ... The novel comes alive in Isaac's voice and in the rich alliance of the living and the dead." - The Horn Book Magazine
E. CONNECTIONS
-Students can consider the beginning, middle, and end of the story by writing or drawing.
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