Kirjahaku

The incredible true story of Kateri Tekakwitha, first Native American (Indigenous) Saint and the tumultuous time in which she lived.Orphaned, scarred, and nearly blinded by the white man's smallpox (1660), a young Mohawk girl lives quietly in her uncle's longhouse. As chief of the Turtle Clan, her uncle Cold Wind leads warriors to resist invasions of the French. Tekakwitha (meaning "she who gropes her way" due to her poor eyesight) perfects skills of embroidery and wampum-weaving. Eruptions of war and the treatment of prisoners trouble and sadden her, but she keeps her sorrow to herself. Her silent endurance and humility hide a strong will, and against great pressure, she refuses her uncle's command that she marry. Kryn, a half-Dutch warrior chief, commissions an embroidered ceremonial robe and a wampum belt to the seal the peace with the governor of New France and Tekakwitha accompanies a large flotilla of Iroquois canoes to Quebec (1666). The fragile peace they achieve soon unravels and Marquis de Tracy marches twelve hundred soldiers against the Mohawk nation, burning their villages and their stores of corn. Tekakwitha and her clan must flee into the forest to live on what they can kill in the hunt. A new attempt at peace brings Jesuits to Tekakwitha's rebuilt village and she is fascinated with these mild men, these "blackrobes." In open defiance of her uncle she learns "the Prayer" and on Easter Sunday, 1676 she is baptized "Kateri" (Catherine). Her uncle's persecution escalates, and many villagers ridicule her for her faith. Meanwhile, Kryn has converted and every summer he leads converts to the Mission of St. Francis Xavier, across the St. Lawrence River from Montreal. In a daring escape (1677), Kateri travels to the mission where she encounters another spiritual refugee Father Claude Chaucheti re. Their connection is immediate and strong. Father Claude recognizes Kateri's mysticism and devotion, and he gently guides her to higher levels of spirituality. Kateri inspires him with her purity and holiness, and he is able at last to banish his lifelong doubts. Throughout the mission, Kateri's reverence and humility impress people from all nations, Algonquins, Hurons, Oneidas, and Abenaki. But the fasting and penances Kateri inflicts on herself cause her health to fail. After Father Claude witnesses Katei's deathbed transfiguration (1680), and she appears to him in visions, he dedicates himself to her "cause," painting her portrait, writing her biography, and curing the sick with her relics. Marquis Denonville mounts an expedition (1687) to punish the Seneca and capture the lucrative fur trade away from the English. He enlists Kryn to supply two hundred native warriors. The Seneca campaign backfires when Denonville kidnaps and enslaves 51 Iroquois chiefs. The Iroquois take revenge in the bloody Lachine massacre, but the mission is miraculously spared. Father Claude foresaw this blessing in one of Kateri's visitations, and he now convinces others that she is the "Genevieve of New France." He insists that her remains be interred in the mission chapel, where they rest today in a marble sarcophagus, near the famous portrait he painted. For three centuries, her influence has spread throughout the world. She was beatified in 1980, and following the miraculous cure of a Seattle boy, the Catholic Church canonized Kateri Tekakwitha as the first Native American saint October 21, 2012.

A forbidden love.An impossible dream.And the daring venture to open America. The year is 1810. For decades men have dreamt of reaching west of the Hudson - of unlocking the untold riches of America's heartland. Yet these visionaries lacked the necessary skill, willpower, and political might. Enter: DeWitt Clinton, mayor of New York City. Ignoring naysayers and cynics, Clinton is determined to pierce the wilderness and construct the glorious, sprawling Erie Canal. But for this, he needs support from the highest echelons of New York society. And there is only one woman with the talent and connections for that job. Eleanora Livingston Van Rensselaer, an aristocratic widow, rules a vast Hudson Valley estate, but her hold on wealth and power will vanish if a dark secret is revealed. Clinton enlists Eleanora's charm and intelligence to fight strong opposition from Martin Van Buren. When she encounters Daniel Hedges, dashing ship captain with frontier ingenuity, she knows that he is the key to the massive Erie project. His skills and her social savvy make for an ideal pairing - if they can fight the powerful feelings growing between them. But as America plunges into the war of 1812, they could lose all that they have built. From America's stunning naval victory on Lake Erie to the British invasion of Washington, D.C., Daniel and Eleanora persevere through tragedy and deep personal loss. Martin Van Buren plots to sabotage Clinton and expose Eleanora's secret, but they won't stop until they make their colossal dream a reality. And somewhere along the way, they might just find a love that changes them, and America, forever.

Alexander Hamilton's family is falling apart. His heir is dead; his daughter has gone insane with grief, and his loyal wife, Eliza, avoids him when he most needs her comfort. Tormented by the specter of a dreadful secret too shameful to bear, Hamilton is alone in his grief. As Hamilton grapples with his troubled marriage and devastated family, his vicious political opponent, Aaron Burr, whips up a fierce and wholly unexpected storm that threatens to topple the nation. A nation Hamilton helped forge in blood, sweat, and tears. Egomaniacal Burr is obsessed with power, and blames Hamilton for a humiliating political loss. For Burr the only consolation will be Hamilton's utter ruin. It is a time of honor, duels, intrigues, and mindless political violence. Torn between his duty to his wife and family and his steadfast allegiance to the country he fought to build, Hamilton must make a life or death choice. You know his name, but this is a story that you haven't heard before If you loved the score of Hamilton, the biographies of Chernow, and the novels of Stephanie Dray, you will love Hamilton's Choice