Red Clay, Running Waters is the little-known story of John Ridge, a Cherokee man dedicated to his people, and his White wife Sarah Northrop, a woman devoted to his cause.
In 1824, John Ridge, the promising son of a Cherokee leader, returns from his New England education with his White bride, Sarah. John burns to realize the dream of an independent Cherokee Nation, using his eloquence, his education, and his Cherokee heart in defense of his people's humanity and rights. Peace at home evades when tensions rise between the Southern states and the federal government, pulling the couple into the crossfire of a divided country on the brink of civil war.
As America wrestles for its soul over the fate of the Indians, John and Sarah unite to forestall a Cherokee diaspora, testing the limits of individual commitment and the meaning of sacrifice. The Ridges' abiding love for the Cherokee compel them to join forces seeking justice, but with options eroding, and Andrew Jackson in office, John and Sarah must confront an agonizing choice about the future of the Cherokee Nation. In a timely saga of one family's search for justice in the 1830s Removal Crisis, this story of profound love, sacrifice, and the meaning of home weaves the complex strands of politics, race, religion, and love into the tapestry of the turbulent times before the Trail of Tears. Grappling with universal themes - the meaning of love, commitment, and the courage to confront tyranny, Red Clay Running Waters is a vibrant and heart-breaking portrait of the Antebellum Era and the fate of Native Americans. Readers will be propelled across true events on a stunning journey leading to a haunting and moving conclusion.
American Writing Awards - Historical Fiction Finalist Laramie and Goethe Awards Shortlist "Compelling and thought provoking" - Books and Coffee MX ". . . the creation of something sweeping yet intimate, historically accurate yet reflective of current issues, and, through it all, written with precision, grace and lyrical elegance. This is a splendid, splendid work." -Greg Fields - Author of Through the Waters and the Wild "Haunting and eminently readable, moving and infuriating, Red Clay, Running Waters is an epic tale of love, justice, and betrayal, and is a vivid portrayal of an episode of American history too many would prefer to be forgotten." -Susan Higgenbotham - Author of John Brown's Women "The true-life saga of the Ridge family--the most dramatic, tragic, as yet untold stor