The Song of Laughing Moon

Author: Jon Bush

Publisher: Chapel Hill Press (2016)

In this gripping tale of passion, friendship, and also love, life is a daily battle for the two brave orphans, Laughing Moon and Thinking Owl. They call themselves the First People, because they were, but the whites call them Native Americans. The stage is set against the turmoil of the transcontinental railroad plowing through the sacred land of the First People, including their orphanage in teh late 1860s. Containing robbers, thieves, holy men, and good people, the story plays out in a grand old style as the pages turn. Everything leads up to a winning conclusion, where we are reminded that seeking gold is an empty dream, true happiness comes from friendship and love, there are no quick or easy answers, and all we truly have is each other. The only real joy in life is to live well and be generous with the gifts we have to offer. That is the way of the First People.