The heathen school : a story of hope and betrayal in the age of the early republic

Record details

ISBN: 1483002667
ISBN: 9781483002668
ISBN: 1483002640 (library ed.)
ISBN: 9781483002644 (library ed.)
Physical Description: 10 audio discs (11 1/2 hr.) : digital, CD audio ; 4 3/4 in.
sound disc
Edition: Unabridged.
Publisher: [Ashland, Oregon] : Blackstone Audio, Inc., [2014]
Copyright: ℗2014

General Note:	Duration: 11:30:00. Compact discs. "Tracks every 3 minutes for easy bookmarking"--Container.
Participant or Performer Note:	Read by Tom Weiner.
Summary, etc.:	Near the start of the nineteenth century, as the newly established United States looked toward the wider world, a group of eminent Protestant ministers formed a grand scheme for gathering the rest of mankind into the redemptive fold of Christianity and "civilization." Its core element was a special school for "heathen youth" drawn from all parts of the earth, including the native nations of North America. For some years the school prospered. However, when two Cherokee students courted and married local women, public resolve--and fundamental ideals--were put to the test. The Heathen School follows the progress--and demise--of this first true melting pot through the lives of individual students. From its birth as a beacon of hope for universal "salvation," the heathen school descends into bitter controversy as American racial attitudes intensify. Instead of encouraging reconciliation, the school sets off a chain of events that will culminate tragically in the Trail of Tears. John Demos marshals his deep empathy and feel for the textures of history to tell a moving story of families and communities--and to probe the roots of American identity.