Stories are used across many cultures, passed down from one generation to the next. They supply entertainment and teach lessons that can be taken into the real world. Storytelling is particularly important for Native Americans throughout the United States, and some have shared their stories with the world through writing. Darcie Little Badger is an American novelist and a member of the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas. Her book called A Snake Falls to Earth provides insight on Lipan Apache storytelling and culture through unforgettable characters.
A Snake Falls to Earth features two teenagers from different worlds. Nina is a human Lipan girl from Texas, and Oli is a cottonmouth snake boy from the Reflecting World, which is a land with animal people and monsters. Nina only knows about the Reflecting World through a story passed down to her by her great grandma. Nina and Oli live completely separate lives, but after Oli’s best friend, a frog named Ami, suddenly fell ill due to a natural disaster on Earth, their worlds came together. A Snake Falls to Earth follows their inspiring journey to save Ami from his sickness, which Oli discovered to be extinction.
The animal people in the Reflecting World are tied to their respective animal species on Earth. If their species begins to go extinct, then the species could also die in the Reflecting World. Throughout the book, themes of climate change and the impact on wildlife show up frequently. It also emphasizes how not only animals, but how people are affected by recurring natural disasters due to the changing climate.
A Snake Falls to Earth is a beautifully written story, but some parts of it were left unfinished. There are many seemingly crucial details that were never explained by the end of the book. They aren’t necessarily important to the main plot, but it would have been less confusing if more information was included. Besides the fact that certain aspects of the book seem unresolved, A Snake Falls to Earth is still a great read. The friendship formed between Nina and Oli as two people from completely different worlds is heartwarming. With the inclusion of Lipan Apache culture and references to real world problems such as natural disasters, A Snake Falls to Earth is not only entertaining, but also educational.
