This is a very brief biography about Wilma Mankiller, who would become the first woman chief on the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. The book traces Wilma Mankiller's childhood move to San Francisco, California, as part of a government program that promised better opportunities for Native Americans in cities. Remembering the her ancestors' history on the Trail of Tears, and noting the dramatic differences between her beloved childhood home in Mankiller Flats and the prejudice and foreign-ness of the city, Wilma resolves to return to her childhood home as an adult. 20 years later, she finally returns with her two daughters, and takes up a job with the Cherokee Nation, which would lead to her being asked to run for deputy chief. The road to this position is rocky, however, as she faces prejudice among her own people as a woman- which is surprising, since traditionally women were treated with the same respect as men in roles as healers, warriors, and council members. Wilma sees here that among the many changes white settlers had brought, one was the idea that only men made good leaders. Wilma pushes forward anyways, taking solace in the Cherokee Way, and this determination and her vision for the Cherokee Nation lead to her becoming a great leader for her people.

The writing is easy going and to the point, a good introduction for young readers. The illustrations are colorful and very expressive, helping the storytelling process nicely. There is a gap in what happened between Wilma's childhood and her move back to Oklahoma, missing her entire young adulthood experiences in San Francisco, which bothers me because I do believe that is extremely important to her story. Overall, though, I did like the book and the way it tried to depict the difficulties of reservation life and the work Wilma did for her people to children. ( )

this is a book show the biography of a woman, who is the first woman chief of the Cherokee Nation. The book told us how the childhood experience would affect the whole life of a person.