Delighted to welcome Jim L. Wright to the blog with his novel New Yesterdays… a Teen/YA time travel adventure.
About the book
A Journey Through Time and Identity
New Yesterdays is a story that takes readers on an extraordinary journey through history, blending elements of time travel, historical fact, and the deeply personal struggle of finding one’s true place in the world. Set against the rich backdrop of early 19th-century America, this novel explores the lives of the Cherokee and Seminole people during a pivotal moment in their history, just before the Great Removal and the infamous Trail of Tears.
The story follows Jim, a young boy from modern-day America, who accidentally stumbles through a mysterious portal and finds himself transported back more than a hundred years. Thrust into a world on the brink of great change, Jim must navigate a society that is both unfamiliar and deeply fascinating. As he forms bonds with the Cherokee people, particularly a group of children his age, Jim begins to feel a sense of belonging he never expected. But as he becomes more connected to his new life, he is faced with a profound challenge—one that will not only test his loyalty but could change the course of history forever.
A Tale of Adventure, Friendship, and Cultural Preservation
At its core, New Yesterdays is an adventure, but it’s also a story of friendship and cultural preservation. Jim’s journey with the Cherokee and Seminole tribes not only highlights the struggles these Native American nations faced but also showcases their resilience, intelligence, and the depth of their cultural traditions. Throughout the novel, real historical figures like Chief John Ross and President John Quincy Adams are woven into the narrative, giving readers a vivid sense of the political tensions and broken promises of the time.
As Jim introduces the Cherokee and Seminole to future knowledge and technology, the story presents a “what if” scenario, imagining how history might have unfolded differently. Through these changes, New Yesterdays reimagines the sovereignty and strength of the Native American nations, offering a powerful and thought-provoking commentary on the impact of colonization and the importance of self-determination.
One of the reviews for the book
Peter W. Jenkins
5.0 out of 5 stars Getting history right
There is a serious lack of understanding in America for Native Americans. In some areas there are acts of unwarranted hostility towards them. The attitude that the Indian tribes `got what they deserved’ is all too common, though most Americans are saddened by their cruel treatment by the settlers and the US government.
‘New Yesterdays, Changed Tomorrows” comes with a refreshingly well-balanced view of this history. Jim (the boy not the author!) finds he can scramble through the wall of an disused Victorian house into the past, where there is an Indian village. This feels like the wardrobe of C.S. Lewis or J. K. Rowling’s station platform, but it’s a modest device for time traveling. There, Dustu, a boy of his own age befriends him and Jim becomes mutually attached to the Cherokee villagers.
Both the choice of the boys, and the author’s clear and direct style of writing led me to believe that this story was written for 12-18 year olds to enjoy. The choice of a boy hero was admirable. We follow him with a growing understanding of the Cherokee Indians’ plight. Jim alerts them, from his memory of history lessons, and shares his knowledge that the Cherokees would be driven out of their ancestral lands to Oklahoma, with a terrible loss of life.
The villagers’ response does not distort history But then, alas, the author has difficulty in having Jim witness a set of events that amplify the historical story. Understandably he ditches the hero and makes us follow other people–Seamus driven out of Ireland for example. The result of abandoning the hero created in me a real feeling of loss. Finally, in a desire to wrap things up, our hero returns to the world he left behind, but, having jumped ahead in time he is unable to find his own family. Sensibly he is allowed to go one last time into the 18th century and he embraces his Cherokee family with the intention of staying with them for life.
The hero’s abandonment was a pity, but it is far outweighed by the clear historical writing, good dialogue, and best of all, the well-balanced presentation of the dreadful mistreatment of a proud and spiritual people.
Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK
