Review of "The Long March: The Choctaw’s Gift to Irish Famine Relief," by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick

 Review of

The Long March: The Choctaw’s Gift to Irish Famine Relief, by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick ISBN 9781582460659

Five out of five stars

True story of the poor giving what they can

 This book is based on a true story, where the Choctaw people, shortly after surviving the Trail of Tears, did what they could to help others. They are now living in what was then known as Indian Territory and is now the state of Oklahoma. In 1847, they hear of the famine taking place in Ireland, where thousands of people are starving due to the potato blight.

 With almost nothing of their own, the Choctaw people manage to gather together $170 that they send to the Irish. The story is told from the perspective of the Choctaw people. While the amount was small compared to the extent of the crisis, the key consequence is what it meant to the Choctaw. It was a way for them to regain a great deal of their pride that was lost when they were forcibly uprooted from their homes and walked a great distance under significant hardship.

 This is an excellent book for late elementary school students. It is a strong lesson in history and civic responsibility, where it is not the amount that is given, but the thought of others that is significant.

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