Ramona: A California Mission Era Tale. This item is unavailable.Ramona: A California Mission Era Tale

This adapted and illustrated version of Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson, brings this classic novel to life and makes it accessible to readers of all ages. Ramona is a California Mission Era tale about a young girl’s courage as she faces persecution and hardship through changing times. Though rejected by her stepmother, Ramona finds her worth in faith, friendship, and her devotion to her Indian husband Alessandro.

Helen Hunt Jackson 1830-1885 Helen Hunt Jackson was born Helen Fiske in 1830 in Amherst Massachusetts. Her father was a professor at Amherst College. Her mother died when Helen was just fourteen, and her father died a few years later. Helen went to Ipswich Female Seminary and the Abbott Institute. When she was 22, Helen married U.S. Army Captain Edward Hunt. They had two sons. Both of her children died young and her husband died in 1863, a little over ten years after their marriage. In 1875 she married William Jackson, whom she met in Colorado Springs, Colorado. During this time, Helen became aware of the harsh treatment of the American Indians. While traveling in California she became especially interested in the Mission Indians. She became an activist and tried to gain attention for their cause through writing and speaking. When this didn’t have the effect she desired, she determined to write a novel. This is what she wrote: "I am going to write a novel, in which will be set forth some Indian experiences in a way to move people's hearts. People will read a novel when they will not read serious books." She hoped her book would move people the way Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin had for the slaves in the south. Helen traveled and researched extensively in California. Her novel Ramona was published in 1884. Her story did raise awareness about the plight of Indians, but the reaction eventually resulted in more tourism for California than political interest. Readers were fascinated by the picturesque scenery described in the novel and charmed by the romance of the characters. Jackson died of cancer in 1885, shortly after publishing Ramona. This original story has been adapted by Arizona Righetti.