The Saga of Shawa Alae: A Story of Human Love and Transformation,

Review by Brenda Flanagan, author, October 15, 2023

 

In days of old, we listened to stories from our grandparents and dreamt of what we could become. We yearned to be like some of the characters in those tales who stimulated our imaginations and fueled our desire to soar above and beyond the limits of our existence. This is what happens when we read The Saga of Shawa Alae by Ann Arbor’s Joan Lippens. We join eight young people as they listen to their elder, Magnus, tell the story of the trials and triumphs of Shawa Alae, the sky-boy who can fly like an eagle, and his friend, Grilsella the river-girl. Here, sky and sea are one as they face the menace that is a shaman who claims her jurisdiction over the Miramichi River Valley comes from a meteorite. The youngsters will win, of course, but not before they come to understand the values of working together to overcome evil. It’s a lesson that is much needed in our divided world. Weaving the magic of imaginary worlds with the realism of normality, Lippens takes us all on a journey to reclaim our destiny.---Brenda Flanagan, author  View this book’s reviews on Amazon