Ashana /

During the reign of Catherine the Great of Russia, traders and hunters crossed the Bering Strait and set up camps and towns in present-day Alaska. Ashana, a unique blend of fact and fiction, offers a first-person account of the brutal clash between the native society, one based on sharing, and the Russian society, based on rules founded in mistrust. Ashana is an Athabaskan who is taken hostage by the leader of the Russians and thereafter lives as his wife. She outlives her husband as well as her son and daughter and dictates her cruel and sad story to her grandson, a monk named Kristofor. Ashana bypasses the guts-and-glory version of New World conquests for a portrait of the misery and melancholy suffered by the people who became the prisoners of the new settlers. With its grand scope, it should find an appreciative audience in the public library. --Cynthia Ogorek

Myths, legends and the folkore of North-country clans and races swirl throughout this saga of an Alaskan heroine, Ashana, who is taken hostage in 1790 by the leader of marauding Russian traders. Under Aleksandr Baranov, the cruel fur dealer to whom she is concubine--mere plunder--Ashana is succored by memories of family life; by a rich pantheistic heritage, especially the spirit world of The Raven; and, most of all, by the love of Jabila, the Alaskan youth to whom she spiritually remains wife despite her abduction. Ashana gradually becomes ``Princess Anna'' as the woman of Baranov, founder of the Siberian trading company whose success brings him honor from Mother Russia, including acknowledgment from the czarina. Ashana's passion for freedom never wanes, but her attempts to escape are thwarted. As the years pass, she bears two children by Baranov, is separated from them and comes to feel the sting of loss less, and anger more. This is a strong rendering of the exploitation of native Alaskan culture by foreigners. Although the rough edges of research are perhaps evident, the broad, sweeping tale enlightens and astonishes. This first novel is a joint effort; Ethel and Paul Roesch have combined the initials of their given names in a pseudonym. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

A little-known era of history unfolds in this detailed saga by E.P. Roesch, a husband-wife writing team. In 1790 Ashana (Windflower), a young native Alaskan maid betrothed to brave Jabila, is taken hostage by Russian Alexander Baranof, along with some 1000 other natives, and forced to serve the Russians' avaricious needs. Told by Ashana, this novel reveals the heroic struggle of the natives to sustain their souls and their spirits for years while they, their land, and their traditions are raped by the Russian invaders. Although the pace is often ponderous, this first novel is so rich in native folklore, traditions, and sensitivity, it is recommended for most fiction collections.-- Joan Hinkemeyer, Englewood P.L., Col. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

YA-- In a lyrical novel woven of Alaskan shadow-spirit and Russian reality, Ashana, a young Athabascan maiden taken hostage by a Russian trader, recounts the tale of her survival during the reign of Catherine the Great. Based on a true story recorded in 1843 by Ashana's grandson, the monk Kristofer, this story will remind readers that the Russian hunters who crossed the Bering Strait inflicted harsh penalties on Native Americans of the region. The authors have juxtaposed the rituals of Ashana's clan with the imperialism of her Russian captor, by whom she bore a son and a daughter. Guided by the symbolic snowbirds circling the Arctic skies and sustained by her love for her Native American husband, Ashana outlives her captor and the children. This haunting novel will interest YAs who are not put off by complex tales. Ashana offers perspective to the history of the Alaskan settlement while celebrating the sad beauty of the American Indians of Yaghesen; its richness will hold those interested in folklore.-- Margaret Nolan, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Cultures clash in this lyrical first novel based on historical fact, by a pseudonymous husband-wife writing team, of an 18th-century Russian fur-trader's abduction of a native Alaskan woman. Though Ashana is only 15 when Aleksandr Baranov kidnaps her from her Kahtnuht'-ana kinfolk, she is already married to a hunter/tribesman and has no desire to elope with the cruel and uncouth Russian invader. She has little choice, however, since Baranov's men threaten to destroy her entire tribe if she refuses. Since Ashana's father is leader of the tribe, Baranov dubs her a native princess and installs her as mistress and housekeeper of his own home in an attempt to use her title to help promote his cause within Russian society. But his assumption that Ashana can be ""tamed"" to forget her homeland and loyally serve him is erroneous. Ashana works unceasingly behind his back to sabotage his colonialization efforts, free his slaves, and escape to her native husband. As the years pass, Ashana bears two children for Baranov. Nevertheless, she continues to struggle against his bondage until she manages to return to her tribe long enough to give birth to a wholly native child before Baranov, who has grown to love her, abducts her again. This time Ashana's two half-breed children are taken away to be raised as Russians. Ashana, though ever obstinate, remains hostage to the invaders for the rest of her life. As an old woman she attains some satisfaction when she is visited by her grandson, a young Russian who writes down the story of her life, thus immortalizing her tale of woe. Alaskan legends and traditions, interwoven within the text, add resonance and depth to this haunting tale. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.