"What good will there be in a park where nothing grows and no animals can live. Who would want to see that? If Big Cypress dies, the park [Everglades National Park] dies. And that's a fact."
-newspaper man Albert Lykes, from the novel
Though this book is fiction, it comes eerily close to the truth. Main character Charlie Jumper, an elderly Mikasuki Seminole, is faced with being forced from the land he loves in Big Cypress Swamp. In reading the novel one can learn much of the history of the Seminoles in Florida and the efforts by 20th century natives to make a living and maintain their culture while dealing with "progress." The story is short, simple and touching. My rating is a 3.
I am always struck by the profound respect that native Americans have for nature---the land, water, plants and animals. Forever Island reminds me of a song called "Seminole Wind" by Floridian John Anderson. Both the song and novel portray the unfortunate toll of land development on out beautiful state. I attempted to attach a link to the YouTube video with no success. Look for it if you are interested. The address is below.
https://youtu.be/KGoBQIhyFFM?list=RDKGoBQIhyFFM
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