Shuck-Hall (history, Christopher Newport U.) has written a narrative that follows the Alabama and the Coushatta Indians from their origins in the American southeast to their eventual 19th century settlement in East Texas. The author chronicles how the two affiliated groups aligned themselves with both the incoming Europeans and larger Indian nations to ensure their independence. She also writes of how the decisions of the Alabama and Coushatta to migrate from their ancestral homeland affected their cultural identity and worldview. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)