Mother Earth Father Sky (1989)

Interesting novel about First People of the Aleutian Islands, ca. 7000 BC. Harrison creates a believable culture with nicely drawn characterizations.

After witnessing a massacre that destroys her village, a young woman struggles to reach her mother's family on another island, but the journey takes a path she didn't expect.

Unfortunately, the cover illustrator apparently didn't read the manuscript. It shows a young woman of First People stock, but her clothing and her boat appear to be of the style of 17th-century Great Lakes tribes, and the seal swimming alongside it has nothing to do with the story. Nor does the male figure standing on the shore, who appears to be of European stock and is dressed in 17th-century garb.

Ignore the cover. Enjoy the book. ( )

I first read this book in 6th grade (looong time ago) and there’s something about it that stuck with me. I learned a lot about prehistoric Aleutian life and about a culture that I have zero connection with, but still find fascinating. It’s a smooth read that is easy to get through and difficult to put down. ( )

According to goodreads, I first read this book in 2008. It's why, when I first started reading my copy from netgalley, the book seemed so familiar to me. I wouldn't have requested it from netgalley if I had realized it was the exact same book I read years ago, but I didn't review it five years ago, so it doesn't hurt to reread and review now.

Mother Earth is a well written "prehistory" book - a time period I was fascinated by when I was a teenager / young adult. The dawn of time... dawn of civilization and of humanity, how can one not be intrigued?

Chagak's story is compelling, well written, well researched, and is the start of a series. There's a great cast of supporting characters, but not so many that you can't keep track of them (a pet peeve of mine in other series books).

It is important to note that this book is intended for young adults / teenagers - the plot is slower than Jean Auel's series, but it's supposed to be. I find this more readable and in the end, more likeable (even though I had originally forgotten that I had read this years ago). ( )

Mother Earth Father Sky is the first book in a trilogy that takes us into the lives of an ancient North American people in Alaska. If that sounds boring, don’t be fooled.

To be honest, I hardly know what to say about this book. At the writing of this review, having just finished reading it I’m barely back to the here-and-now, and the story of Chagak is still fresh in my mind. To say that Sue Harrison wrote an amazing prehistoric fiction novel scarcely describes what she masterfully accomplished. Over the course of nine years she studied, researched and lived in her creative mind the tale of a long ago culture in Alaska, focusing on one Aleut woman’s struggle to survive and overcome a very harsh reality. That woman, Chagak, lived in a primitive time consisting of warrior tribes, legends, crude customs, myths, and magic, but also love, family ties, and community. The author made it all come alive through the power of the written word in a very easy-to-read style. I was held from the beginning of this book to its last page – left wanting to read more about the people I had come to know.

This book is not newly released but was published in 1990. I was fortunate to be gifted a copy and I’m so glad to have received it. If you come across Mother Earth Father Sky and you are not offended by the cruel reality and graphic descriptions of the belief system of prehistoric man, then do grab the opportunity to read this book. ( )

Love this when I was a teenager ( )