“Walk On” by Nan Evenson

Walk On  

Nan Evenson
Atmosphere Press (2025)
ISBN: ‎ 979-8891327139
Reviewed by Dawn Colclasure for Reader Views (10/2025)

Callie is a 14-year-old member of a Cherokee tribe living on land that the U.S. government wants to take possession of. While she is not fully aware of this, she does hear a lot of stories and rumors about it. She tries to enjoy life on the reservation with her 5-year-old brother, Little Wolf, but she has a lingering sense of dread that the reported “removal” of her tribe from the land will actually happen.

Meanwhile, she remains friends with George and Jameson, who are both children of two soldiers in the town, and their friendship remains strong even as both members of the Cherokee tribe and the soldiers clash because of their differences. While the Cherokee want peace and acceptance, the soldiers want land and control. Walk On by Nan Evenson is the story of two young people on different sides of the fence who see past their differences in the name of friendship.

Many people may know about the Trail of Tears, but it’s difficult to really put a human face on it unless someone is affected by it personally. This is where historical fiction can make it real and personal, and Evenson truly achieves this goal with her story. Readers are put into the moccasins of a young Cherokee girl witnessing the forced removal of her people from their land in real time. At the same time, Evenson manages to bring history to life in this story by describing the soldiers’ attire, games both frontier and Cherokee children played, as well as Cherokee customs and beliefs. She also includes a few Cherokee words in the dialogue, along with what they mean.

While the adults try to shield the children from rumors about the removal, they manage to eavesdrop on conversations, as well as ask about it when they feel comfortable doing so. Neither Callie nor Jameson understands why both sides can’t coexist in harmony. To read about how Jameson’s father voiced his disapproval of the whole thing and that Jameson’s mother said that she petitioned against it provides an interesting insight into this time in history. It is not usually revealed that any of the soldiers or their wives were against the removal of the Cherokee tribes, or the other tribes forced to walk that trail, so it causes one to reflect on just how much of a fight was put up against the removal by the settlers and even Davy Crockett during that time in the past.

At the same time, however, it would appear that Evenson tries to show that one should not sympathize with the frontier people. She shows that while many of those people called the Cherokee “savages” and considered them to be heathens because they did not worship the same god, they were just as bad: committing murder, cheating, stealing from, and plundering the Cherokee land, and treating their animals with cruelty.

This novel offers an unusual point of view of the time of the removal. Most of the story is told through Callie, but it is also told through Thomas, a soldier who is Jameson’s father. This allows readers to see both sides of the story. While this story is fictional, it is an enduring and compassionate retelling of one of our nation’s darkest hours. It provides young readers with an introduction to that part of history in a way that is easier for them to understand. While there is an abundance of information about the Trail of Tears available both online and off, readers of this book are provided with some historical facts at the back of the book. It was interesting to read about how the author got the idea to write this story, and this reviewer is grateful that it was written.

Walk On is an engaging historical fiction novel that gives teen and young adult readers a gentle introduction to the Trail of Tears. Written with sincerity, compassion, and delicacy, this is a novel that captures both sides of a story readers may not otherwise be able to understand or learn about. This book can serve as a soft nudge to curious readers to learn more about the Trail of Tears. It can also act as an important reminder of the enduring legacy the Cherokee people have created for themselves when America was new for the settlers.

Readers who enjoy historical fiction, stories including Native Americans, and stories set during America’s frontier days may enjoy reading this book. The Cherokee character, Callie, is brave and strong-headed, so readers who enjoy stories with positive depictions of Native Americans as well as young Native American characters may find this book an enjoyable read as well. Above all else, Nan Evenson’s Walk On shows that the Cherokee people tried to achieve peace during that time, and that their culture, their ways of life, were not as “simpleminded” or “backward” as some historians may lead people to believe.