For children grappling with feelings of being caught between two worlds, this story explores the profound challenges of identity and belonging when life takes an unexpected turn.
A parent might reach for this book when their child is grappling with a major life change that leaves them feeling caught between two worlds or identities. The story follows Rachel, a white girl captured as a child and raised by a Sioux tribe. When she is forcibly returned to her birth family as a teenager, she is a stranger in their world, grieving the family and culture she was forced to leave behind. This poignant historical novel explores complex themes of belonging, identity, family, and grief. For ages 10-14, it’s a powerful way to open conversations about what truly defines home and to validate the difficult, often conflicting, emotions that come with profound change.
Rachel faces prejudice from the white community for her adherence to Sioux culture and beliefs.
Cultural Content GapMild
Published in 1988, its portrayal of Sioux life may feel dated to a contemporary reader.
Sensitive Topics
The book's core deals directly with identity crisis, cultural displacement, and profound grief. The emotional approach is raw and unflinching. The resolution is realistic and ambiguous rather than a simple happy ending. It offers tentative hope through self-acceptance. Violence related to her capture and life on the plains is present but not graphic. The portrayal of Native American culture is from a 1988 perspective and may warrant discussion.
Ideal Reader
A thoughtful, empathetic reader aged 11-14 who is grappling with their own sense of identity. This is ideal for a child feeling like an outsider due to a move, a blended family, or a bicultural background. It also suits readers of historical fiction who can appreciate a character-driven, emotionally complex story.
Parent Prep
Parents should be prepared to discuss the intense feelings of grief and isolation. It may be helpful to frame the 1988 portrayal of Sioux life as one specific, fictionalized experience and perhaps supplement it with more modern, own-voices resources. No specific scenes require previewing, but the overall emotional weight needs context. The parent hears their child say something like, "I don't belong here," or "I miss my old life so much, it doesn't feel like home anymore." The child feels profoundly disconnected from their current environment and is struggling to reconcile past and present.
Age Experience
A 10 or 11-year-old will likely focus on the survival aspects and the tangible conflicts of Rachel's situation. An older reader, 13 or 14, will better grasp the profound psychological and sociological themes: the trauma of displacement, the nuance of cultural identity, and the story’s critique of the “civilized” world.
What Makes It Special
Unlike many historical novels with a similar premise, this book focuses almost entirely on the psychological aftermath of being “rescued.” It subverts the trope by framing her time with the Sioux not as captivity, but as a cherished life that has been stolen from her. Its strength is the deep, empathetic dive into the complex grief of being caught between two worlds.
Read plot summary
Rachel, a white settler's daughter, is captured by a Sioux band at age seven. Adopted by the chief, she grows up as Kata Wi. At seventeen, she is forcibly returned to her biological family. The novel focuses on her painful and alienating readjustment to a culture she does not remember. She grieves deeply for her lost Sioux family and life, struggling to reconcile her two identities in a world that refuses to accept the person she has become.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
Rachel is given two names: Rachel and Kata Wi. How do these different names represent the two parts of her identity? Do you think she ever feels like one whole person by the end?
2
Rachel’s white family tries to help her adjust by giving her new clothes and teaching her their customs. Why do you think their efforts often made her feel worse? What could they have done differently?
3
The title is 'A Circle Unbroken.' The circle is an important symbol in Sioux culture. Where do you see circles in the story, and what do you think the title means for Rachel's journey?
4
Rachel's brother David is one of the few people who seems to understand her. What makes their relationship different from her relationship with the rest of her birth family?
