I think I understand why this one may be hard to find, and suspect it wasn't one of Lenski's most popular offerings, although I loved it, mostly. It is the story of Suzette Durand, daughter of a disabled fisherman living with her extended family on Bayou Barataria, south of New Orleans. Papa Jules was shot in the back by one of the Broussards on a hunt 2 years before this story begins, and he has been laid up ever since (although Maman chides him for a lay-about, telling him it's time he got back out there and earned some money to feed the family). The incident initiated a feud between the Durands and the Broussards, with the usual inevitable loss of childhood friendships and a forbidden romance. Still, nothing about this story is especially predictable. An orphaned Houma Indian girl, Marteel, comes in and out of the picture, forging a friendship with Suzette that her mother and grandmother are vehemently opposed to. After a relentless spell of heavy rain, a crevasse in the levee results in widespread flooding that sends the residents of Suzette's Little Village to the only high ground there is---an ancient Indian burial mound. (I suspect this is a reference to the great Mississippi flood of 1927, the same one Faulkner used in his "Old Man".) Gently, without hitting us over the head, Lenski shows how prejudice exists at all levels, how loyalty is supposed to work, how pre-existing notions about "the other" are usually wrong, and how they can be overcome. My biggest reservation lies in the ending. Despite showing us repeatedly that she respects the culture and lifestyle of the Houma Indians who are Marteel's people and bringing her characters around to do the same, Lenski eventually has Marteel happily declaring that she is a "white girl now" as she is finally adopted wholeheartedly into the Durand family. As Walker Percy has said, "it is hardly proper to judge a (wo)man's views of the issues of (her) day" by the ideological standards of another time. For 1943, when this book was written, Lenski's treatment of Marteel, her habits and her beliefs, must surely be counted as liberal. Nevertheless, that ending sets it firmly in its time when it was presumed that everyone would prefer to be white. The story has tender moments, excitement, suspense, humor and wisdom woven in well. I'm afraid it makes little allowance for what I would assume would have been the average young reader's total lack of experience with the Cajun dialect. Any dialect is difficult to render on the page, but if the reader has a frame of reference, a decent effort will make the language work. Having lived in Louisiana, and been immersed in local culture, I can hear this unique patois in my head; Ah kin talk it putty good, too, me. But for anyone who can't, this book, I'm afraid, would be a real chore to read, although Lenski's effort is better than decent. Young readers, even today, I'm sure, would find it fairly baffling. And that's a shame. I'm thrilled to have added this to my Louisiana collection. I think it's a treasure, albeit one that may not be fully appreciated by its target audience. ( )

A fascinating glimpse into the past and attitudes of the past. I read it for a picture of bayou life: I knew I could count on Lois Lenski to have really done her research (she was alway very thorough, even living with families in the various locales she portrayed, in some cases), but what I found intriguing in reading this 1943 story were how attitudes have changed. The plot of this one centers on Marteel, a Sabine Indian who befriends the titular Suzette. Marteel wants very much to join Suzette's large Cajun family and become a white girl. You can see how this plot wouldn't fly nowadays.

Lenski portrays Marteel as a resourceful, brave, determined girl and is sympathetic to Indian culture: Marteel feeds the family alligator tail at one point, to everyone's amazement, and Papa Jules remarks, "Marteel, she smarter'n I t'ink." And the main conflict-producing plot element--Marteel's stealing of a doll that belonged to Suzette's dead sister--is explained in terms of Indian culture: "[The Injuns] believe that when one person dies, another can come and take his place. Marteel was only carrying out an old tribal custom. She thought she was taking Tit-tat's place and so Tit-tat's doll rightfully belonged to her. Taking it was not stealing. Taking it was not doing wrong. Poor Marteel, she'll find it hard to be a white girl, yes. Mebbe she better off with her own people."

In the end, Suzette's mother's prejudice against Marteel is overcome, and Marteel does end up living with Suzette's family. The other Indians in the story are shown as abusive and glad to be rid of Marteel, and there seems no question in Lenski's mind that this outcome (the story ends with Marteel saying "Marteel, white girl now") is a happy one. Definitely a story that's limited by the era in which it's written: Lenski can approve of elements of Indian tradition, but she can't keep herself from assuming that "becoming white" is a happy outcome.

All the same, it's a charming story, with lots of adventure, and both Marteel and Suzette are wonderful characters, as are the supporting characters. And although dialect writing isn't popular these days, I enjoyed Lenski's representation of Cajun speech (which she gained through time spent in Bayou Barataria.) ( )

A fascinating glimpse into the past and attitudes of the past. I read it for a picture of bayou life: I knew I could count on Lois Lenski to have really done her research (she was alway very thorough, even living with families in the various locales she portrayed, in some cases), but what I found intriguing in reading this 1943 story were how attitudes have changed. The plot of this one centers on Marteel, a Sabine Indian who befriends the titular Suzette. Marteel wants very much to join Suzette's large Cajun family and become a white girl. You can see how this plot wouldn't fly nowadays.

Lenski portrays Marteel as a resourceful, brave, determined girl and is sympathetic to Indian culture: Marteel feeds the family alligator tail at one point, to everyone's amazement, and Papa Jules remarks, "Marteel, she smarter'n I t'ink." And the main conflict-producing plot element--Marteel's stealing of a doll that belonged to Suzette's dead sister--is explained in terms of Indian culture: "[The Injuns] believe that when one person dies, another can come and take his place. Marteel was only carrying out an old tribal custom. She thought she was taking Tit-tat's place and so Tit-tat's doll rightfully belonged to her. Taking it was not stealing. Taking it was not doing wrong. Poor Marteel, she'll find it hard to be a white girl, yes. Mebbe she better off with her own people."

In the end, Suzette's mother's prejudice against Marteel is overcome, and Marteel does end up living with Suzette's family. The other Indians in the story are shown as abusive and glad to be rid of Marteel, and there seems no question in Lenski's mind that this outcome (the story ends with Marteel saying "Marteel, white girl now") is a happy one. Definitely a story that's limited by the era in which it's written: Lenski can approve of elements of Indian tradition, but she can't keep herself from assuming that "becoming white" is a happy outcome.

All the same, it's a charming story, with lots of adventure, and both Marteel and Suzette are wonderful characters, as are the supporting characters. And although dialect writing isn't popular these days, I enjoyed Lenski's representation of Cajun speech (which she gained through time spent in Bayou Barataria.) ( )