"This novel has its eye on history and manages an understanding of two cultures that claimed the same land."-Diane Glancy, Native American playwright, poet, and author  
  
"I don't think faith, or its absence, has been so raw, so problematic, or so interesting since Dostoevsky. I'm not sure whether, in the end, I've read a mystery, a morality play, or a Western-but it is a great, passionate yarn."-Rev./Dr. John Suk, editor in chief, The Banner magazine  
  
"Good luck putting this one down."-Dr. David Mulder, historian and physician, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation  
  
"There's white people who can't take this without seeing the devil."  
  
Yes, thinks Jan Ellerbrook as he watches the Lakota's mysterious, impassioned Ghost Dances. How could his serious, introspective fellow Dutch settlers see the Lakota's wild and free dance as part of the worship of the same God?  
  
Strained already, the atmosphere on the plains crackles when a Dutch hired hand is found dead. The settlers accuse the Lakota who insist on their innocence, and know much more than their honor is threatened. Their freedom, home, and very way of life are at stake.  
  
Seen through the eyes of Jan and his wife, Dalitha, Touches the Sky probes a clash of cultures, lifestyle, and ways to know God and practice faith. Absorbing and sensitive, it seeks to understand the making of the West, the depths of humanity, and a God whom Jan admits "can seem as vast and unknown as the prairie."

James Calvin Schaap is a professor of English at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa. Christianity Today declared his last novel, Romey's Place, one of the best books of 1999. He has also received five top Evangelical Press Association fiction awards and four Associated Church Press awards.

Touches the Sky delves into the timeless theme of clashing cultures that alternately alienate and intrigue. Jan Ellerbroek, an 1890s Dutch settler, is both mesmerized and disturbed by the "ghost dances" of the Lakota Indians he and his wife live among. The Sioux insist they dance for the Messiah who will save them from those who would steal their land, culture, and hearts. But can the same God of Jan's pious people be found in such mystery and frenzy?   
 Already tense, the atmosphere crackles when a Dutch hired hand is found shot to death. The settlers accuse the Sioux, and fear escalates. But the Sioux insist on their innocence, knowing their honor-and much more-is at stake.   
 Absorbing as well as profound, this sensitive story probes the making of the West, the depths of humanity, and a God whom the main character admits "can seem as vast and unknown as the prairie."

Tensions mount on the plains when the Sioux are accused of murdering a Dutch settler. But can anyone escape the coming calamity?

Schaap, James Calvin

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Endorsements

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12 About the Author

Other Books by Author

Touches the Sky delves into the timeless theme of clashing cultures that alternately alienate and intrigue. Jan Ellerbroek, an 1890s Dutch settler, is both mesmerized and disturbed by the"ghost dances" of the Lakota Indians he and his wife live among. The Sioux insist they dance for the Messiah who will save them from those who would steal their land, culture, and hearts. But can the same God of Jan's pious people be found in such mystery and frenzy?  
 Already tense, the atmosphere crackles when a Dutch hired hand is found shot to death. The settlers accuse the Sioux, and fear escalates. But the Sioux insist on their innocence, knowing their honor-and much more-is at stake.  
 Absorbing as well as profound, this sensitive story probes the making of the West, the depths of humanity, and a God whom the main character admits"can seem as vast and unknown as the prairie."

Touches the Sky [eBook]

Navigation Bar

Header Default

Download the Christian360 App to read eBooks and listen to Audiobooks bought at Christian360

Touches the Sky [eBook]

Description

Need support?

Customer reviews

Download the App

Download the App