This is a derivative work which is most enjoyable if one has a tiny bit of knowledge about De Soto. For budding De Soto enthusiasts, Looking For De Soto is a must read.

Joyce Rockwood Hudson has written a lively and entertaining account of a six-week vacation she and her husband took in November-December 1984 where they followed the sixteenth century explorer De Soto's trail through the southeastern United States.

You have to love people who shun the cruise ships and Disneyworld and Madison Avenue in order to tromp around in the mud of backwater swamps while on vacation.

One might reasonably ask, who is this lady, and why should we care? She is the wife of noted anthropology professor Charles Hudson, and we should care because Professor Hudson has set forth an alternative route for the De Soto expedition, differing in important ways from the route as determined by the Swanton Commission (published by Smithsonian Press, 1939).

The issue has not been settled - that of De Soto's precise route - but Professor Hudson's theories are interesting and taken seriously by academia as well as people such as myself who enjoy visiting historic places.

If you are lost, don't feel alone. So are the Hudsons. That's the point. No one really knows where De Soto went, exactly, but the author ignites interest. She also describes in an engaging way a portion of the field work conducted while on "vacation", adding weight to Professor Hudson's theories.

And remember, folks, this is only one theory of many. That's most of the fun. Those of us who consider ourselves southerners can relate. It is sort of like arguing whether Alabama's football team is number one, or Georgia's or Florida's...

Only this stuff happened four hundred and fifty years ago, and the debate rages.

These Conquistador fellows didn't ask for directions, they just snatched the first native American that came along and clapped him in chains if he didn't speak right up.

Mrs. Hudson keeps you moving right along, with interesting detours about pecans, zinc mining, salt making, etc. She writes clearly, has a keen eye for the absurd, and knows how to deliver a punch line. I'm still laughing over the French colonial town of Smackover. I would also imagine that if you poke too many holes in her husband's theories, she might chew off your ear. A stand up lady.

One or two fly specks in the book. A map comparing Hudson and Swanton routes would have helped enormously. You'll find yourself sorting through the Atlas and a dusty copy of the Swanton report. The author also fails to mention the name of a good rib place in Memphis. Unconscionable. The Afterword updates the reader on happenings through 1992, when the book was published.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I wish De Soto would have had someone like Joyce Rockwood Hudson along. Even epic tales of death, disease, despair, and war require the female touch.

One of the best books I have ever read. Its a childrens book, but hey, "If not, why not??" You will love it I promise.

This is the first book I read, and it started my love affair with books. I was 11 when my mom bought it for me, after reading it 15 time the book finally fell apart. Now I'm looking for a copy to buy for my daughter. Plus, I'd love to read it again.

As an adult I hesitated to purchase this "juvenile" book but the description was enticing. This isn't just a book for juveniles. Rockwood describes a young girl's journey into adulthood in a time period & setting we seldom give any thought. Wonderfully told, this story gives a good sense of the native world view and the terrible destruction wrought on Cherokee society by European diseases. Even though filled with foreboding the story is heartwarming and inspiring.

When I first started this book, I wasn't sure that I would want to continue with it. It took a while to get into some of the detail regarding Indian culture. I guess I was expecting mind candy and actually found meat and potatoes! As the previous reviewer said, this is definitely not a quick read, at least not at first, but please stick with it. It is so touching without being cheap. I feel like I got a double bonus- an detailed look into Indian life and lore plus a romantic historical story. What I think I loved the most about this is that there was no doubt at all that what you witnessed between Carlos and Lucia was true love, a love that stayed with them during the long time they were apart. Unfortunately, even though you find that love conquers all, sometimes life happens, and the results turned out to be so sad. It was also so disturbing to know that the encounters that the Indians had with the English were all too accurate. It was definitely worth taking your time and savoring this book. This was indeed a quality labor of love.

Apalachee is a story taking place from 1704 - 1716 in the area of Florida and the Carolinas. Lucia is an Apalachee Indian, granddaughter of Isabel, the White Sun Woman of her clan. This story is full of the rich history of a time not well known about. There is romance between Lucia and Carlos, as well as Charity and Isaac. This is a tale of two families bound together by Lucia and her struggle to survive in her world which is being forced to follow Christianity as well as her struggle to survive once she is taken as a slave and ends up in Charity's household. How will Lucia continue to serve as the White Sun Woman while living in a so called civilized world. Will Lucia find a way to return to Carlos? Isaac is green to the ways of the new world. He falls in love with Charity but it is not to be, as her father wishes to solidify the families fortune by having her marry her cousin, Henry, whom Charity fears. The richness of the story transports you to a long ago time. It was not a fast read, sometimes slow, but I found that fit the timeframe of the story. It was a good visit to a time I did not know much about.

Apalachee will be remembered as a riveting story of historical fiction, with a love story rivaling the talents of Lamour and a colorful description of everyday life and faith for our native people reminiscent of the Gears. The relationship between the natives, the Spanish, the English and the French brings an exciting setting to a complicated and exhillarating story. The sympathy between the natives and the Africans brings recognition to a common bond of injustice. Overall an excellent plot and character development that ensures I'll be reading Hudson again.

Groundhog is a boy who lives in Frogtown, one of the settlements of Chereoke Indians. He loves his horse Midnight, although no one else thinks much of her. Groundhog insists that his horse is unsual, although she isn't a fast racer. When Midnight is the only hosre stolen on a Creek indian raiding party, none of the warriors believe that one horse is worth the fuss of a counter raid. Only Groundhog wants to get his horse back. If no one will find his horse for him, he will just have to go on his own raid. He makes plans to travel for a few days to rabbit town, and steal back his horse. then he will return. But when things go wrong with his raid, he is forced to bring along another little boy with him on his journey, and return home the long way around. But how will he keep his sense of direction? The boys look to groundhog's unusual horse for the answer.
This short sweet book is 120 pages, nice for an afternoon read.

For anyone who likes horses, read this book. Also if you are a person who like suspence, should definatly read this book. I read it in a week I could not put it down. In some parts you can't handle the action. I loved it.

I found out about this book through my church. I was pleasantly surprised by its content. It is for those who feel what the church provides is not enough but what it offers does not compete with church teachings. It remains grounded and does not fly off into 'new-agey' territory. Our church established a monthly evening meeting covering different subjects of the book which have enhanced my appreciation of natural spirituality immensely. It was amazing how many people have experienced natural spirituality everyday but didn't recognize it as such. My only argument was the comparison with the Beatles was a bit far-fetched. She provided an interesting angle on the connection to the White album and integrating different aspects of our personality but it got a tad, bit cheesy (so the four instead of five-star rating). This should not put anyone off reading it who is left unfulfilled by standard church doctrine as this book points those interested in several areas of exploration -- I Ching, Carl Jung, Meyers-Briggs, etc. without venturing too far away from Bible teachings.