Overview

Qataruaq, a young Eskimo boy living a quiet subsistence life with his family along Alaska's Kusquqvak River, sees his world shatter when sickness sweeps through the village, leaving his family as the only survivors. With little more than their dog teams and a few belongings, they abandon the only home they have ever known and flee into the dead of winter. Their six-month journey north becomes a relentless test of endurance across frozen tundra, where every mile demands their strength, courage, and will to survive. The land is harsh and unyielding, yet amid the desolation, they meet villagers whose warm hearts offer rare moments of kindness and hope. But time is against them. As spring nears, thawing ice and boggy ground threaten to trap them, forcing the family to push forward through impossible odds. Where the Black Fish Swims is a story of resilience, family, and hope-one boy's journey through loss and hardship in a desperate search for a new beginning in Alaska's vast, untamed wilderness.

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9781637471500

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Molly Hootch-Hymes grew up in Emmonak, Alaska, where she experienced a subsistence way of life that has since faded into memory. Her first book, Molly Hootch - I Remember When, preserves those childhood experiences and the traditions of her people. She later discovered that her grandfather, Charlie Hootch, had endured an even harsher subsistence life-one marked by survival during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, which devastated his village. His resilience and the family's escape from tragedy eventually led him to become one of Emmonak's original settlers. Molly's name became part of Alaska history when a landmark class action lawsuit, The Molly Hootch Case, was filed against the State of Alaska, Department of Education. The case secured the construction of high schools in Native Alaskan villages, ensuring future generations could be educated within their own communities. Though Molly herself never earned a high school diploma, she later achieved her G.E.D. Today, Molly lives with her husband, Alvin Hymes, among the corn and soybean fields near Springfield, Illinois. Her writing continues to honor her roots, her family's endurance, and the enduring spirit of Alaska's Native communities.

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