Sign-Talker: The Adventure of George Drouillard on the Lewis and Clark Expedition » (Reissue)

James Alexander Thom was formerly a U.S. Marine, a newspaper and magazine editor, and a member of the faculty at the Indiana University Journalism School. He is the author of Follow the River, Long Knife, From Sea to Shining Sea, Panther in the Sky (for which he won the prestigious Western Writers of America Spur Award for best historical novel), The Children of First Man, and The Red Heart. He lives in the Indiana hill country near Bloomington with his wife, Dark Rain of the Shawnee Nation, United Remnant Band. Dark Rain is a director of the National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Planning Council.

In his extraordinary body of work, James Alexander Thom does more than bring the past to life; he makes us experience history as if we were witnessing it for the first time. Thom's new novel is an enthralling adventure with fascinating real-life characters--and a heart-grabbing narrative that casts a vivid light on a momentous chapter in American history.

Sign-Talker begins just after the Louisiana Purchase. Thomas Jefferson has sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to penetrate the newly acquired territory, journey up the Missouri River, cross the Rocky Mountains, and reach the glimmering sea in the far West. To survive, the two captains need an extraordinary hunter who will be able to provide the expedition with fresh game, and a sign-talker to communicate with the native tribes. They choose George Drouillard. It is Drouillard, an actual historical figure, who becomes our eyes and ears on this unforgettable odyssey.

Drouillard, a metis raised among the Shawnee, cannot fathom what drives the two men. Nor can he help but admire their ingenuity and courage as they tackle the journey into the unknown. Along the way, he watches as they shrewdly shape and discipline their force, adding French-Canadian rivermen--to guide the expedition up the Missouri--and an Indian woman, Sacagawea, who will play a crucial role in negotiations with the Western tribes.

After plunging into an unforgiving land and near madness, the two captains celebrate a triumphant achievement. But the glory will soon be eclipsed by an overwhelming tragedy that will touch not only Meriwether Lewis and the frontier tribes but George Drouillard himself. A magnificent tale told with intelligence and insight, Sign-Talker is full of song and suffering, humor and pathos. James Alexander Thom has created the rarest reading experience: one that entertains us even as it shows us a new vision of our nation, our past, and ourselves.

Publishers Weekly

An illiterate half-breed employed as translator and hunter on the Lewis and Clark Expedition serves as the conduit for Thom's (The Red Heart) learned but over-meticulous fictional account of the celebrated trek. Wryly observing the bumbling efforts of arrogant whites to win the trust and loyalty of bellicose Indians, George Drouillard follows along as captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and 30-odd white explorers journey up the Missouri River, across the Rockies, to the Pacific shore and back again, all the while plagued by mutiny, desertion, navigational confusion, weather disasters, bitter hardship and fear of Indian attacks. Drouillard hunts meat for the party and keeps himself aloof from its internal politics, constantly commenting to himself on the crass vulgarity of the whites, whom he sees as ignorant, avaricious and materialistic; Indians, in contrast, possess noble spirituality and natural sensitivity. He is a formidable character, and despite his unlikely dedication to the abolitionist struggle, he emerges as genuine and credible. Thom's portraits of Lewis, Clark, the much celebrated Sacagawea and other principal characters are also nicely fleshed out, and often at odds with more popular interpretations. Unfortunately, the book is more an imaginative dramatization of the expedition than anything like historical fiction: it lacks real plot, character development and suspense. Thom's research, mechanics and execution are impeccable in almost every regard, but likely only those seriously interested in an accurate and highly detailed fictionalization of the historical event and period will make it through this dense and slow-moving account. Map. (July) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|