Where the Broken Heart Still Beats: The Story of Cynthia Ann Parker
Grade 7 Up-- In December 1860, a 34-year-old woman, Naduah--kidnapped 25 years earlier by Comanche Indians--was ``rescued'' by sol diers and returned to the white family who recognized her as their niece/sister/cousin Cynthia Ann Parker. Where the Broken Heart Still Beats tells her story. Naduah-Cynthia Ann was a real person, and Meyer skillfully interweaves fact and fiction in her book, alter nating third-person reminiscences of Naduah's life among the Comanche with journal entries by her 12-year-old cousin, Lucy (the most sen sitive and understanding of the Parkers). The struggle between the two ways of life is long and, in the end, unsuccessful. Both points of view, the Parkers' frustration at Cynthia Ann's reluctance to be ``civilized'' and Naduah's long ing for her Indian family and customs, are pre sented believably and without editorializing. The setting, Texas at the beginning of the Civil War, is smoothly integrated into the story; the captivating characters are well drawn. Meyer includes a map, a bibliography, and an author's note in which she discusses her research and ties loose ends together. Unaccountably miss ing is the information that Naduah-Cynthia Ann's son, Chief Quanah Parker, later located his mother's brother Silas and lived with the family for a time. This omission aside, Where the Broken Heart Still Beats is a fascinating look at the Comanche and their captives and will be enjoyed by teens who like historical fic tion and/or are interested in Native Americans and the West. --Ann W. Moore, formerly at Lane Road Library, Columbus, OHCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.