THE EDUCATION OF LITTLE TREE

Written by Forrest Carter

Read by Peter Coyote

Available on CD: 182 minutes   (Abridged)

Published by Phoenix Books  (May 2006)

Originally released on audio cassette by Audio Literature in March 1992

 

This startlingly wise and beautiful bestseller has captured the world's imagination with its unique blend of American simplicity and spiritual profundity. This award-winning novel is the heartwarming story of a young boy in the 1930s who is orphaned and goes to live with his Cherokee Grandmother and Grandfather in an Appalachian Mountain cove. Here, Little Tree receives his education from the earth, nature and simple traditions of the mountain people and the Cherokee.

"If you don't know the past, then you will not have a future. If you don't know where your people have been, then you won't know where your people are going. ... from "The Education of Little Tree"

Reviews

"The Education of Little Tree proves that spiritual truth does not always come cloaked in credentials. It can live anywhere and suddenly reveal itself to the world in the least expected ways and places. This book has the ring of truth." ... Jacob Needleman, General Editor, Audio Literature

"This carefully abridged audio version is read by Peter Coyote, who conveys Little Tree's innocence and wonder with brilliant sensitivity... This beautiful audiobook has the power to rejuvenate the spirit and is recommended for all collections." ...Library Journal

"This is a candidate for high honors in audio tapes: the story is appealing, the narrator is excellent and the novel has been cut with great thoughtfulness... The chapters are self-contained stories, yet the characters are sustained from one chapter to the next. This is due to the comfortable reading done by Peter Coyote who makes the listener believe that the story is his own personal history. Sounding a bit like Henry Fonda, he makes us cry and laugh and care, with straightforward acting and no tricks." ... Audio File

"One of the pleasures of reviewing books on tape is that you never know what will show up in the mailbag. Forrest Carter's The Education of Little Tree, a bestseller after being published in the '70s, ranks as one of the more satisfying works I've heard in quite a spell. Little Tree glows with an inner light, its gift of simplicity expressing profound spiritual meaning... ...a pleasure to hear again and again. Peter Coyote's gravelly drawl is admirably suited to the audiotape, evoking the feeling of a people and place." ... Robert K. Hays, The Express-Times

"Since this education is from the boy's point of view, Coyote's low-key approach in the telling gives the story a passion beyond the words." ... St. Louis Post Dispatch


Book Award:
ABBY Award Winner, 1991


Original 1992 release:

 

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