Mississippi Library Association

Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom

Tingle, Tim. Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom.
El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press, 2006.
39 pp. (unnumbered). $17.95 (hardback)

Set in Mississippi, this story is about a small tribe of Choctaw Indians who help a family of runaway slaves escape to freedom. The courage and kindness of the main character, Martha Tom, gives hope to those in need and allows the family to attempt the impossible. Although fictional, this story illustrates that many slaves did not rely only on themselves and the kindness of a few white families to help them to freedom, but also on the help of many Native Americans. The author spent much time with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and their tribal elder, Archie Mingo, to better understand the history of the Choctaws and how important oral tradition is to them. The illustrations, created by Cherokee artist Jeanne Rorex Bridges, are comprised of full-page landscapes and prominent portraits. Through her illustrations, she was able to make this story come alive. The author’s skill as a storyteller and the illustrator’s talent of portraying Native Americans in their cultural life created a wonderful story based on history and stories of old. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and found myself wanting to know more about the lives of the characters. This would be a good book to read before a history lesson dealing with this time period. I recommend this book for all Mississippi libraries. Not only is it a well written and illustrated picture book, but it also highlights an important aspect of both Choctaw and Mississippi history.

Justine B. Willey
Library Media Specialist
Moss Point High School

Entry Filed under: Book Reviews
Posted on: June 26th, 2008