Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

What is the Trail of Tears, and what might have caused it? Who are the people who were involved in the Trail of Tears? Why is the Trail of Tears an important event in history to remember?

Teaching Suggestion: In the novel, Isaac, the protagonist, explains that he is a ghost due to the forced removal of the Choctaws from their lands. The Choctaws prefer to call the forced removal from their homes “Removal” rather than the “Trail of Tears,” as the name Trail of Tears was established by the Cherokee people. Consider discussing the Trail of Tears, the forced removal of the Choctaw people from their homes, and the Indian Removal Act.

• This 3-minute video describes conditions on the Trail of Tears.
• This article describes the Indian Removal Act, the conflicts between the US government and Indigenous peoples, and the Trail of Tears.

Short Activity

Look at photos of the Choctaw people to formulate responses related to Choctaw culture and lifestyles. What do you notice about the clothing of the people in the photos? What kinds of occupations did some of the Choctaws hold? What traditional skills were part of daily life? What sports do the Choctaws play?