Ramona Signet Classics

Along with Uncle Tom's Cabin, Ramona is considered one of the great propaganda novels of the nineteenth century. Helen Hunt Jackson was already part of the literary elite when she learned of the efforts of the Ponca Indians to keep their land in Nebraska. She spent six months researching and writing A Century of Dishonor, which describes the treatment of Native Americans by the United States government, then mailed a copy to every United States Senator. When her book had little effect, she wrote Ramona, the fictional love story of a beautiful, illegitimate Scots-Indian orphan and the handsome and courageous Indian Alessandro. Ramona has grown up a privileged, adopted child, unaware of her ancestry. When she chooses Alessandro, she becomes Indian. Persecuted and betrayed by individuals and the government, Ramona and Alessandro struggle and flee. Their deep and powerful love is portrayed in dramatic and classical terms, while the tragedy of their lives is the tragedy of their people who endure brutal poverty and the loss of their land. Ramona succeeded where A Century of Dishonor did not, achieving bestseller status and focusing attention on an issue many did not know existed. Unfortunately, the results were not always beneficial and the book has the flaws of being created by an author who, although deeply engaged and sympathetic, had not experienced the life she was describing. Yet it is still a fascinating story - of love and of the use of fiction to attempt political change. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Erica Bauermeister--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.