Song of the Split Elm

By: Brenda Bufalino

Narrated by: Brenda Bufalino

Penobscot reservation on Indian Island in 1853....

"Madeline was born singing. She sang melodies like chants, like forecasts, like conversations with flowers and birds."

Madeline's father Jeremiah, a Calvinist preacher, lived in fear of his daughter's unique voice and spirit, which could not be contained. Madeline's Penobscot mother, Hannah, wove her baskets in silence far from Jeremiah's hope for her redemption. She was enthralled and comforted by her daughter's sonorous melodies, and in teaching her the art of weaving, also taught her to honor the spirits of her vision.

Tormented by Madeline's song, which he believed to be a call to the demons of the Wells, Maine marsh, Jeremiah prayed to his Calvinist God to either silence his daughter, or remove her from his home forever.

©2019 Brenda Bufalino (P)2020 Brenda Bufalino

Haunting story of hidden ancestry!

Master Storyteller Brenda Bufalino, whose artistry encompasses dance and musical performance, visual arts, poetry and prose, has given us a priceless gift in the soulful reading of her latest book, the novella “Song of the Split Elm”. The book is a delight to read, but truly comes alive in her lilting audio-book dramatization of the characters and events of her own ancestry. Lovingly researched and richly imagined, Ms. Bufalino draws us in as she seeks to fill in the gaps in her family’s “secret” of native American roots, at a time when such things were never spoken of. I highly recommend this beautiful, lyrical, and haunting tale!

my review

This book is magical. You will not be able to put it down. It draws you in and dose not let you go until the story is finished. Highly recommended. Joe Fonda