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HISTORY OF STOLEN PEACE
In 2012 as a mother's day gift to Gloria Bond, best-selling author, Courtney Milan, renamed
SONS OF YOCAHU: A SAGA OF THE DEVASTATION OF THE TAINOS' ON HISPANIOLA
to:
STOLEN PEACE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE SPANISH CONQUEST
After much experimentation, Courtney found that this name attracted the most readers. She also created an appropriate cover for this new name. She created this gift for her mother, because she felt that it was one of the most powerful books she’s ever read. For years, she was deeply touched by its painful and significant message that could change the world.
Sons of Yocahu was used to teach a class of Caribbean history at the University of Toronto for several years, where it generated much enthusiasm among students. It was also used in classes at two other universities. Its message has affected the lives of many students, who altered their views on indigenous cultures and their people.
VINTAGE COPIES OF SONS OF YOCAHU
(soon to be sold on Amazon again) |
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1st Edition |
2nd Edition |
"This year, with this book, I hit gold: the students LOVED it and really learned from it. It brought this part of the course to life as has never happened before.
"_Sons of Yocahu_ is an extremely engaging, powerful and painful novel, and, as far as I know, there is no other novel about the early encounter between the Spanish and the Tainos in English. I think the book has a lot of potential as a secondary school history book (which would totally transform the teaching of Caribbean history in the Anglophone Caribbean)."
— Melanie Newton, Associate Professor, History Department, University of Toronto
"This book is a fascinating read, and the author weaves a msytical spell around the drama and reader."
—Brad Edem. Historical Novel Society
"The historical background has clearly been well reserched, but don't expct this to read like a Textbook! The characters are deep and human to the core. Be forwarned that you should --have a lot of tissues nearby!"
—R. Schneider, "bookaholic"
"I began boiling some eggs before I started reading this book. I forgot all about my eggs."
—Rose L. Tse, MD, professor and author
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WHEN THE GODS COME TO CONQUER
Long ago, the Tainos were visited by the great zemie, Yocahu. He taught them to live in peace and promised to return one day. So when Columbus's caravels appear on the Caribbean, the Taino
people believe that Yocahu walks amongst them
once more. The Europeans, however, are set on
conquest.
THE CONQUERORS LOSE THEIR GODS
Every time the invaders force a native village to accept Christianity at sword point, they lose touch
with their own god. It's not until the crippled son of the Taino chief befriends a cabin boy on Columbus's ship that the Iine between the cultures blurs. As the forcible pacification of the native islands escalates into genocide, the two boys become surprising allies
in their quest to retain the principles of peace. It
matters not whether a person practices the Taino
principles of peace, or truly believes in the Christian
Prince of Peace. Those who learn to love are all
SONS OF YOCAHU
"I found the story--the narrative--riveting for its own sake. I was also appropriately horrified by the metaphor. This is a "man's inhumanity to man" story based on the worst manifestation of egomania gone mad. Because the tale is a cautionary fable, it informs, once again, that brutality thrives when the golden rule is revoked; trumped by racism.
"If it were "only a story," it would still be impossible to put down. But it is more than a story. It is a fictionalized version of a tragically true story. As in all gripping sagas, there is goodness, nobility, and triumphant kindness. But don't expect Bond to be gentle with her reader. I am still haunted by the wanton atrocities of the invaders. Yet, this is why we read. Information and inspiration are the opposites of ignorance and prejudice. This was one of the most memorable books I read last year."
—Kathy Green, Independent publisher and editor of Meridian Magazine
"In Sons of Yocahu, Gloria Bond creates a stunning work of fiction that transports the reader to the mysterious island of Quisqueaya (now Hispaniola). As she unrolls the tragic tale of Spain's conquest of the Native Americans living there -- as well as the beginning of the end for most indigeonous American cultures -- her fantastic novel is a living time capsule that brings us to the time of the Americas' first contact with the Europeans."
—Jeremy Robinson, author of Didymus Contingency and Raising the Past
"This is one of my favorite all time books. As a lover of historical fiction and non -fiction I could not have been more pleased with this story. This book however is not just for history fans. It's a story of a beautiful, honest people that are destroyed by European imperialism.
"This is one of my favorite all time books. As a lover of historical fiction and non-fiction I could not have been more pleased with this story. This book however is not just for history fans. It's a story of a beautiful, honest people that are destroyed by European imperialism.
"It is very well written with very intriguing characters. It is a fast, enjoyable read but full of value. It left me wanting to learn more about the Tainos people."
—BK
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Copyright 2014 by Gloria Bond. All Rights Reserved. |
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