Toward the Setting Sun

Reviews / Votes

"A vigorous account of the forced removal of the Cherokee people from their southern homelands. . .[Hicks] takes a measured view of Ross's opponents and allies alike, shedding new light on the career of other eminent figures such as the newspaperman and Confederate general Stand Watie. A welcome addition to Cherokee history."--"Kirkus Review" "Richly detailed and well-researched, this heartbreaking history unfolds like a political thriller with a deeply human side."--"Publishers Weekly" "By focusing on the people behind the tragedy of the Cherokee and the Trail of Tears, Brian Hicks makes us see how individual men and women shaped the complex course of history. Written with sympathy and verve, Toward the Setting Sun is an important book that is also a pleasure to read."--Nathaniel Philbrick, author "Why Read Moby-Dick?, The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn" and the National Book Award-winning "In the Heart of the Sea" "In this powerful and engaging new book, Brian Hicks tells the compelling story of Chief John Ross and the tragedy of the Cherokee Nation. By focusing on the Ross family, Hicks brings narrative energy and original insight to a grim and important chapter of American life."--Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "American Lion" "It's a particularly horrific chapter in the consistently shocking record of the United States' treatment of the Native Americans. Brian Hicks, a South Caroline journalist, adroitly relates this tragedy in "Toward the Setting Sun" through the experiences of the Cherokees' principal chief John Ross. It's a gripping story, told by Hicks with perception and sensitivity. The author rightly compares it to "Gone with the Wind" or "The Godfather" in its scope and drama." --Anne Bartlett, "Book Page" "Hicks is a skilled writer and historian and this book about a tragic chapter in our nation's story is enlightening and powerful." --"The Boston Globe" "C