Sing Down the Moon and Its Similarities with If I Ever Get Out of Here

       

        Sing Down the Moon, by Scott O’Dell, tells the story of Native American hardship on what is called “The Long Walk” through a 15 year old girl, Bright Morning. Remind you of a certain book we’ve been reading? Yes, despite the time period difference (Sing Down the Moon takes place in the 1860s, and If I Ever Get Out of Here is set in the 1970s), both books have similar themes and ideas. In Sing Down the Moon, Bright Morning is a daring, mid 1800th century Navajo girl on the brink of adulthood, but still a child at heart. She and her family live in what is now northeast Arizona, in a small Navajo village of farmers and sheep herders. Mostly, the sheep are owned by women. Bright Morning feels very honored and proud when her mother gives her a few sheep from the family’s flock to be her very own. Women with many sheep are considered to be well off and respected in Navajo culture.  

        Almost as soon as the book starts, we are introduced to Tall Boy. Tall Boy is (guess what) a tall boy, around the same age as Bright Morning. He is described by Running Bird (Bright Morning’s friend) to be “too brave for his own good.” Although his excessive pride and bravery allows him to be one of the village’s most valiant warriors, it does not make him a very nice person. Bright Morning’s mother dislikes him because of these qualities. Bright Morning, on the other hand, admires his loyalty to his fellow Navajo. She feels that, if given time, she could improve him and even would marry him if her mother didn’t dislike him so much. 

        A main theme of the book is loyalty. When Bright Morning and Running Bird are kidnapped by the Spanish, all Bright Morning thinks about is getting back to her tribe. She is forced to work for a Spanish woman alongside a Navajo girl from a different village, Rosita. Bright Morning is hostile towards Rosita. She dislikes how Rosita took up a Spanish name, and her disloyalty towards her tribe by enjoying working for the same people who kidnapped her.

        Sing Down the Moon and If I Ever Get Out of Here have some distinct similarities. Both Bright Morning and Lewis face cultural obstruction. Rosita tells Bright Morning that she will never get to go home, so she might as well abandon her Navajo customs. Similarly, Lewis faces adversity in going to a school with systematic racism, where the institution is run against him. Lewis was bullied and beat up everyday by Evan, and the teachers and students looked the other way. Also, both books point out the importance of friendship. In Sing Down the Moon, Bright Morning depends on Running Bird’s support and friendship to get her through difficult times. Lewis is thankful for George’s friendship in a world that sometimes is not fair to him.

        I enjoyed reading Sing Down the Moon, and it adds interesting historical context for If I Ever Get Out of Here. I also liked the similar messages and themes of cultural identity and friendship in both books. I give Sing Down the Moon a 9/10!

- Clara