Muscogee daughter My sojourn to the Miss America Pageant

The author's genealogical background is a diverse one a mélange of Muskogee Creek and Munsee Native American on her dad's side along with Scottish and English immigrants on her mother's. On the surface, her refreshingly honest memoir is a chronicle of her path from a childhood marked by abuse and poverty to academic success including being named a Presidential Scholar and earning a National Merit Scholarship to recognition as the first Native American to win the title of Miss Oklahoma, earning the right to enter the Miss America pageant. But her story really goes much deeper, delving into how she acquired the knowledge and love of her Native traditions, nurtured by mentors who seem to appear just when she most needs them, from her grandma who takes her to stomp dances to members of the Native American Church who recognize her talents, which shine despite the abusive household in which she was raised. A worthy addition to the American Indian Lives series and an uplifting story of one Native woman's ability to rise above poverty and prejudice.--Donovan, Deborah Copyright 2010 Booklist