Samantha Specks is a clinical social worker who has worked on a child/adolescent psychiatric unit, as a Dialectical Behavioral group therapist with adults and adolescents, and as an outpatient psychotherapist. She currently lives in Texas, but her heart and mind resided in Minnesota, her home state, while working on “Dovetails in Tall Grass: A Novel,” which is her debut novel. It is inspired by the true story of the thirty-eight Dakota-Sioux men hanged in Minnesota in 1862 – the largest mass execution in US history. “Dovetails in Tall Grass” is a powerful tale of two young women connected by the fate of one man. It will be released Tuesday August 24, 2021.
This being a historical fiction novel, it begins with three notes from the author about the subject matter, one being that she authored this book “because I was seeking a greater understanding of a complex and difficult past.” She goes on to encourage readers to further educate themselves on the subject and how it influences our current system. The Prologue takes place on December 26, 1862, after Emma and Oeninika, both teenagers, live through the execution of the Dakota men and describes how they were each affected. The story then goes back to May 5, 1861, leading up to the mass execution; first Oeninika’s story, then Emma Heard’s story and from there the stories alternate. Oeninika is desperately trying to hold on to her calling as a healer and follow the orders of her father, Chief Little Crow. Her people’s way of life is changing because the government is forcing them to live as farmers instead of the hunter/gatherer lifestyle that comes natural to them. Emma Heard longs to become a teacher but her family needs her help around the farm. Even though she did not have a normal education, Emma goes to work for her father, who is a lawyer. Later, she becomes the court transcriber during the Dakota’s trials.
Fueled in part by anger at the U.S. government’s delay of the Dakota’s annuity cash payments, which is causing them to be near starvation, they attack the town and eventually the Heard farm. One of the Dakota assaults Ida, Emma’s sister, but Tashunke, Oeninika’s new husband, intervenes and saves her life. Emma witnesses this and when the law arrests the Dakota, including Tashunke, who did not participate in the raids, she testifies on his behalf, saving him from execution. In the end, Oeninika and Tashunke reunite and Emma Heard leaves the family farm to attend university.
It is not easy to write about war and conflicts, especially between the government and a specific group of people. Samantha Specks does a commendable job of presenting both sides of the U.S.-Dakota War in “Dovetails in Tall Grass,” as experienced by two young females already struggling with their own growing pains. It is a fusion of a historical and a coming-of-age novel told in the first-person point of view of Emma Heard, who comes from a settler family, and Oeninika, a Dakota. The narration is well-balanced as it describes the grief, pain, and heartbreak they each experienced during this challenging time in history. Emma feels conflicted: “They weren’t as purely evil as my recollection wanted me to believe. That warrior had protected us. My urge to destroy shifted to an angry confusion” and so does Oeninika “Little Rapids had abandoned her and the children, disappearing with Brown Wing and others to continue raiding. Pointless raiding that didn’t serve the war mission or their families.” The action flows effortlessly from page to page and the chapters are short and to the point. With poetic language, “the cup steamed in the damp chill of the morning rain. Puddles rippled as raindrops splashed down in a steady stream,” the author brings beauty into an environment that sometimes seems depressing and hopeless. The characters are well-developed so when the inevitable happens, readers can empathize with both. “Dovetails in Tall Grass” is a hauntingly beautiful historical novel that reminds us that there are always two sides to each story and that actions have consequences. It is recommended for fans of the genre who appreciate reading about the human side of war.
“I questioned if I could continue working in a law office, after seeing the truth of how powerful men manipulated the implementation of the law. It seemed to me the Dakota had been willing to abide by a treaty; it was our own government’s failure to honor the treaty that was the impetus for this disaster.” – Emma Heard
*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.
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