Eye of the Bear: A History Novel of Early California — Naida West

First in the California Gold Trilogy consisting of 1. Eye of the Bear, 2. River of Red Gold, and 3. Rest for the Wicked. Naida West, Ph.D., lives with her husband on their little ranch in California's "Gold Country." The ranch lies alongside the Cosumnes River, a primary setting in her novels. In Eye of the Bear, Grizzly Hair, a Miwok Indian, leaves his peaceful village in 1824 to investigate the mysteries of the Spanish missions. He's captured and taken to Mission San Jose, where he escapes and participates in a huge native rebellion against government forces. This moving story of adventure and love brings to life forgotten native peoples, Spanish colonials, Russians in Fort Ross, and American trapper Jededdiah Smith. Some reviews: ". . . an engrossing experience that will haunt the reader with its challenging historical realism . . . a gifted writer with prose that informs as well as entertains."
- Robert Santos, California State University, Stanislaus. "This is one of the most important books I have ever read." - Hans Feickert, archeologist