The Man with the Iron Hand

"The Man with the Iron Hand" by John Carl Parish is a historical adventure that tells the story of when French explorers came to the Mississippi Valley, but from the point-of-view of the Native Americans being invaded. The book follows Henry de Tonty, called "The Man with the Iron Hand," as he spends twenty-five years getting to know the tribes who live there. The story starts in a quiet Peoria Indian village, where the arrival of a war party changes everything and a young boy from another tribe is brought as a captive, later finding himself caught up in the adventures of the French explorers, Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, who have just arrived on the scene. The book explores the troubles, cultural swaps, and big changes that came from these explorers' adventures to this place.