In a world marked by division, it is my privilege to present a story of people of different cultures who, once divided by tragedy, are now united by first, understanding, then, forgiveness and finally by love. And who is better to illustrate how that can be achieved than a child, vulnerable and yet so powerful? As a former elementary school teacher, I know how uniting behind the best interests of children transforms lives. In my novel, Niglí¿u, you will see this. Though the setting is well over a hundred years ago, the message is timeless. We are more alike than different, and we are called by God to love each other. Raised on a small island in the Bronx, I am an unlikely person to tell a story of the Lak¿óta people but, strangely, I was drawn to study the language of a people whose words had been taken away. What a tragedy to lose words! What a tragedy to lose stories that could have...should have...been told! You will see many Lak¿óta words in this novel and that is thanks to my co-author, a man dedicated to preserving the language of the indigenous people. Niglí¿u is a fictionalized story rooted in history that he wanted to tell. I helped to put it into words. In my so-called retirement, I strive to be a storyteller. Stories can tell truths in a way people can relate to. You will see this for tweens in my novel, The Balance of Wings. You will see this in my historical fiction novel, O'Toole. And hopefully for many stories to come.
