Summer of 1860, twelve-year-old Erik Larson and his Swedish family are headed west from Minnesota to a valley in pre-Idaho Territory. The family holds high hopes that their new home will provide the happiness they've sought since coming to America--until their wagon train is hit with a deadly illness.

When Erik's own mother becomes ill, the wagon master insists on pushing ahead to outrace the approaching winter. Separated--with his sister far ahead in another wagon--Erik is stranded. After his father experiences a fatal fall, Erik and his mother face a brutal winter alone on the windswept prairie. Erik is convinced that to survive he must seek help from the Sheepeater Indians. When he meets the Sheepeaters, he discovers prejudice and life-threatening danger and begins to question everything he's ever believed.

Without the skills to hunt or fish, Erik must confront an agonizing choice--either perish or lose everything and live life as a Sheepeater. A poignant partnership soon unfolds between these strange people and a white boy who has just one dream--to reunite with his sister.

Set in historic Sheepater country--the Middle Fork of the Salmon River and Big Creek--Sheepeater brings to life this forgotten people through the eyes of a young man who must gain the Sheepeater's acceptance, learn their ways, or perish in this unforgiving wilderness.

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 These are links through which you can order Sheepeater. Many of the sites offer discounts and e-book formats. I will try to keep links current, but sometimes they change. E-mail me to let me know of problems. Of course, you can go to any book store and order it. To find Sheepeater, on line, enter author name: Dorris, or title: Sheepeater: To Cry for a Vision, or ISBN 9780595509157
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ISBN 978-0-595-50915-7 (paperback)
ISBN 978-0-595-50545-6 (hardback)
ISBN 978-0-595-61694-7 (e-book)

WHAT READERS HAVE SAID:

"A great story about coming of age despite adversity. . . . permitting one's self to gain insight beyond your heritage and customs, embracing diversity and living with courage and honor." (Sam Edgar)

"I just finished Sheepeater and am so impressed how great the book was, I want to get in line for the sequel." (Sandra Gonzales)

"I struggle to read any book . . . because I cannot sit still . . . From beginning to end I was completely drawn in as though I was a part of the story. I have always been fascinated by Indian and Old West history and the great outdoors. (The) geographical descriptions throughout the book were so vivid that now I want to go and explore Idaho . . . It continually caused me to re-evaluate my values and beliefs and encourages me to look for a vision in my life. " (Christy Kriznar)

"Sheepeater is well written. The detail is just right, the spiritual relationships are important, the family values presented are right on including the proper behavior in relationships, and what friends do for each other. The book begs one to continue reading when time is unavailable." (Chuck Mitchell)

"I finished Sheepeater and thought it was fantastic! I really appreciated the development of the characters and the insights related to those times in our history." (Dr. Jeffrey Forrest)

"I completed Sheepeater during my vacation and loved it! Congrats on your writing style. I really had a tough time putting the book down once I had started reading." (Martin Zinn)

"You are a great storyteller! I enjoyed your book as well as any of Tony Hillerman's." (Judy Mitchell)

For visitors joining this page from another site, welcome! Please take a look at my other web pages. Pinnacle 5 Minerals Homepage.

Enjoy your visit. Joseph L. Dorris
Sheepeater: To Cry for a Vision brings to life a forgotten people--the Tukudeka, a mountain and canyon dwelling branch of the Northern Shoshoni people--who inhabited the river canyons and mountains of central Idaho. Told through the eyes of Erik Larson, an orphaned Swedish emigrant boy who is forced to abandon his white world so that he might survive, the story reveals the clash of cultures and prejudices as he struggles to live. As Erik learns to hunt and fish, coming of age amongst the Sheepeaters, he sets out on his own vision quest, a vision journey to become a true man, and is faced with questioning his own beliefs. Always with hope that he might leave the Sheepeaters to find his lost sister, he finds it increasingly difficult as his friendship and loyalty to his adoptive brother grow and as he discovers his own love for a Sheepeater woman.

Set in early 1860s pre-Idaho Territory, the novel precisely describes the wilderness geography of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Although we know little of the Sheepeaters (the Idaho canyon dwellers differed from those of the Yellowstone region), what I could learn of their culture from the known artifacts and few available stories, I tried to accurately depict. Sadly, many of their social and religious customs have been lost to time and thus, are presented as they might have been. This sets the stage for the tale of a young man who struggles to survive by taking his place within the Sheepeater society. Conversely, the geography--the geology, flora, fauna, river systems, mountains, and seasons--is precisely described. I grew up living within this country, hunting and fishing as a boy.

This is my first published novel. Although I've written numerous articles on minerals and mining and leadership training materials for the Air Force, until now, I never finalized nor published one of several novels I've worked on over the years. Hopefully this novel will experience some success. If so, I hope to write the sequel which will use a few of the same characters to relate the historical Sheepeater War of 1879.

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