The Sacrifice by Diane Matcheck

This was an amazing story about the development of inner strength and the overcoming of inner demons. The heroine of this story was very strong, the reader could track her development as the novel progressed. I won't go through the whole plot as that would probably take some time, but suffice it to say that the heroine approached all of her problems head on and gave the reader the impression that she was sure of her actions (though maybe not the driving motivation in the beginning). She resolves to do something and then carries it out to the best of her ability. as the story progresses she becomes less obsessed with the past and gains a more... present (for lack of a better word) grasp on herself. In the beginning she sets out on this journey to prove herself, and by the end of the book she reaches a place within herself, where the most important things in life are not society's perception of her or her material possessions or status. The most important thing is not that she is the great one (never in the story does she doubt this, but at the end it is not her focus any more), the most important thing is that she live her life as best she can.
 
I think that this story was told well for the level it was targeting. There wasn't really any gore in it, though it was implied that the characters partook of such activities, and it portrayed the heroine's overcoming of obstacles effectively. It doesn't present the most detailed methodology, but the concepts will be understood by those who read it. The story provides a decent, though again not very detailed, look at earlier native american lifestyle and society. It is more a story about inner struggle than about Native American culture, so it doesn't really focus on that aspect too much.
 
The heroine of this story was a great character to follow. She was strong and smart and passionate. I recommend this book to pretty much anyone with the capability of reading it, no matter your age you'll definitely get something out of it.