Book of the Little Axe

Another book I read months ago that I am now gonna blog about! Woo!

Epic historical fiction: sign me up. Lauren Francis-Sharma‘s The Book of the Little Axe is set in the late 1700s and early 1800s, and mainly focuses on Rosa Rendón, and her son, Victor. When we meet them, Victor and Rosa are living with the Apsáalooke (Crow Nation) in Montana, and Victor is trying desperately to seek his vision and become a man. Rose’s husband, Edward Rose, is actually a real person — he was an African American living with the Apsáalooke, and became known as “Cut Nose,” a respected war chief.

Rosa is from Trinidad, the daughter of a free Black man, and much of the book follows her story as Trinidad gets taken over by the British. Rosa’s father, Demas, was a free Black man in Trinidad, but soon loses what little privileges he has. I really liked this blurb from Laura van den Berg:

“Book of the Little Axe is epic in ambition and scope, a sweeping tale that illuminates pivotal historical periods in Trinidad and North America, and the links between them. This is also the story of a young man’s coming of age and a mother’s secrets and a family’s love in the face of violence. Lauren Francis-Sharma brings her characters and their tangled histories to life with tremendous precision and sensitivity. This is the work of a major voice, a brilliant talent.”

What I loved about Book of the Little Axe is how expertly Francis-Sharma wove histories of Trinidad, the American West, American Indigenous peoples, and enslaved peoples in the Americas. Worlds that we were taught in school as separate really have overlapping stories and histories.

Rating: ★★★★ Get it here.