The story of American journalism includes many men and women who history, for the most part, overlooks. One such man is the Cherokee who guided the development of the first Indian newspaper and edited it during its early years. Educated by missionaries in the Cherokee Nation and New England, Elias Boudinot was no ordinary Cherokee and no ordinary editor. His life story is intertwined with his people’s as they progressed into the 19th century. Part biography and part history, Cherokee Editor draws extensively on the pages of the Cherokee Phoenix to tell its story in Boudinot’s own words. Aimed at young-adult readers in particular, it is a story with 21st century themes, including racism, political feuds, government heavy-handedness, a controversial Supreme Court ruling and assassinations.
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