Review
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Title: To Soar With Eagles
Author: Gerald N. Lund
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Historical Fiction
Year Published: 2016
Binding: Hardbound
ISBN13: 9781629722016
Price: $29.99
Reviewed by Kristie Wilkins for the Association for Mormon Letters
I have always loved small towns and old homes. My favorite road trip pastime is to imagine what the towns and houses we pass might have looked like when they were new. I wonder about the people who built the homes so long ago. What were their names? Why did they choose this place? What were their stories? There is an artist I’ve heard of who shares my fascination. He paints old homes and buildings as they stand today. Then in pencil he sketches in and around the house the generations of people who lived there going about their daily lives – ghosts from the past that made the old house a home at one time. Hauntingly beautiful, his pictures hint at the joys and sorrows of lives long past and gone.
As the artist creates his picture on canvas with ink and pen, author Gerald Lund uses the same tools to tell stories with words. Lund is an extremely gifted story teller who breathes life and color into his characters. They live and breathe in the stories he tells – not mere ghosts but vibrant people whose struggles and joys become real and compelling to the reader. Lund puts his considerable talents and skills to use in the genre of historical fiction to honor the sacrifices made by LDS pioneers and inspire future generations.
“To Soar With Eagles” is the last in Gerald Lund’s series of books about the San Juan pioneers and mission. “The Undaunted,” his first book on the subject, details the faith, creativity and unrelenting determination of the group of Latter-day Saints sent to settle in the Four Corners area of the southwest. A mere six week journey turned into six months as the pioneers faced seemingly insurmountable challenges and unforgiving terrain. I am so glad that Lund recognized that the arrival of the Saints in Bluff was hardly an ending. Those who stayed in the area and fought to develop the land faced tremendous challenges. Their faith, courage and integrity are honored in the author’s next two books, “Only the Brave” and “To Soar With Eagles.”
In “Only the Brave” we are introduced to fictional characters Mitch Westland and Edie Zimmer as youth on the verge of adult responsibilities and relationships. “To Soar With Eagles” takes these characters north of Bluff to the future site of Monticello, Utah as they build a ranch, a home, a family, and a new community together. Edie and Mitch, along with Edie’s grandmother, are the only fictional characters residing in Monticello with the exception of occasional visits from their fictional extended family. This allows the author to let the reader experience the emotional impact of events while highlighting the real people who lived those events.
One of the strengths of Lund’s writing is his use of storytelling. I love how he weaves more stories into his narrative by utilizing some of the traditions of the time to his advantage; social gatherings, wash days, town meetings, family home evenings, are all natural places in the Sand Juan mission and in LDS culture where stories, experiences and testimonies would be shared. As the Westlands participate in these community events Lund weaves far more stories into his books than he can write his characters into. I believe this again honors the true heroes of the day – the real people who were there.
“To Soar With Eagles” is a work of historical fiction and as such creative license is sometimes taken to move the story forward. Lund provides chapter notes throughout the book to clarify for the reader fact versus fiction. For example, in some instances Lund combines separate events into one, or has an event take place in a particular year when it isn’t clear historically the actual date of the events. In these cases he clarifies in the chapter notes the actual circumstances surrounding an event, often quoting eyewitness accounts and histories. It is very apparent in the chapter notes that Lund has done a tremendous amount of research and is dedicated to being as historically accurate as possible in honor of those whose stories he tells.
In fact, both of Gerald Lund’s books, “Only the Brave” and “To Soar With Eagles,” do greatly honor the memories and contributions of those who sacrificed so much to settle the Four Corners area of southwestern United States. Not only were they challenged to carve communities and lives out of a stark and unforgiving landscape, Latter-day Saints called to serve in the San Juan Mission were given very specific instructions to keep the peace and to be a buffer of sorts with indians and cowboys alike. In this the Saints had good success, but not without experiencing the devastating cost of violence and brutality at the hands of both. That they stayed through harsh winters, bitter battles for water rights vital to their survival, illness, death and conflict with their indian and cowboy neighbors is a testament to the faith and dedication of the San Juan pioneers, their children and grandchildren. Far more than withered ghost towns, Monticello and Bluff remain today, with a beautiful temple in their midst.
I highly recommend “To Soar With Eagles” to youth and adult readers alike. If you plan to travel to the southwest, take Lund’s books along so you can see for yourselves the challenges the San Juan pioneers faced and appreciate what they achieved. Movies and novels about the old west can’t hold a candle to the true stories of those who lived there. If you enjoy the story of the Westland and Zimmer families you can continue their adventure as Lund introduces these characters into his “Fire and Steel” series, Volume 2.