Published in 1976, The Education of Little Tree is a memoir-styled work of fiction written by Forrest Carter, the pseudonym for Asa Earl Carter. The novel received some critical acclaim in the 1980s and was perceived to be the actual memoir of a child growing up in the wilds of Tennessee with his Cherokee grandparents. This premise resonated with the desire of the time to become more attuned to nature. However, the book has since faced controversy: The author’s family confessed that the events of the book are fictitious, and the story features inauthentic representations of Cherokee culture. Members of the Native American community have expressed their concern that the novel portrays caricatures and stereotypes rather than authentic experiences.

This guide refers to the 2001 University of New Mexico Press, 25th Anniversary edition of the book.

Content Warning: The author, Asa Earl Carter, took part in bigoted practices such as supporting segregation and advocating for white supremacy movements that worked against the Civil Rights Movement. While Carter’s personal beliefs do not play a direct role in the fictional events of the book, they do cause bias and prejudice to manifest in his writing, both overtly and covertly. Though written as a memoir, The Education of Little Tree is a work of fiction and should not replace the authentic narratives of the Cherokee people.

Plot Summary

When Little Tree’s mother passes away, the family cannot decide where the boy should go. He clings to his grandfather’s leg and refuses to let go, which makes everyone agree that he should go with his grandparents. He and his grandparents take a bus to the wilds of Tennessee, where his grandparents live. The driver and other passengers make fun of Little Tree’s grandparents, but he does not understand this and believes that the people are good-humored individuals.

Once settled in, Little Tree’s grandparents begin to teach him how to survive the Tennessee mountains. Granpa teaches Little Tree about “The Way,” which is how nature allows the strong to survive, strengthening all creatures in the process, and how foxes outwit the hounds that hunt them. Little Tree also learns the importance of understanding loved ones, learning about cultural heritage, and claiming a place to call home.

As Little Tree grows up, he becomes involved in his grandfather’s whiskey-making trade; this begins Little Tree’s education about finances and the art of trading. He values the work and learns a variety of valuable lessons. For example, after buying a calf that dies before he gets it home despite assurances that it is worth a fortune, he learns to consider his purchases more carefully. Little Tree even tries to be generous with what he and his grandparents have by giving a pair of shoes to a little girl at the crossroads store. Her father does not welcome the gesture, however, and refuses his charity.

When spring comes, Little Tree and Granpa switch from trapping animals to fishing; during one of their fishing outings, Little Tree angers a rattlesnake that goes to bite him. Granpa intercepts the strike and takes the snakebite, saving Little Tree. They spend a night in the woods while Granpa recovers, and Granpa remembers a family he helped when he was younger. They protected the land they cultivated on their own and died because they would not give up the land that others tried to take from them due to tax increases. After Granpa recovers, two rival whiskey-traders come to the cabin to talk to him; they want to take his whiskey trade. Little Tree, Granpa, and Granma use their knowledge of the mountain to slyly engineer challenges for the men, who are unfamiliar with surviving a night on the mountain. The men leave after a difficult night, and Little Tree continues to learn how to respect the land and grow crops properly.

Although they are not strictly religious, Little Tree’s family goes to church regularly to meet up with Willow John, a friend who lives on the other side of the settlement. Granpa also tries to teach his grandson some Bible stories that are meaningful to him, but he misrepresents events in the story and shifts the moral to reflect what he wants Little Tree to learn.

Though Little Tree learns math, studies vocabulary from the dictionary, and keeps up with his education, someone files a complaint. Two officials take Little Tree away from his grandparents and place him in an orphanage where he is an outcast. The Reverend of the orphanage punishes Little Tree for his knowledge of nature and for certain behaviors that the Reverend does not agree with. Every night that he is at the orphanage, Little Tree speaks to the Dog Star and uses it as a way to symbolically communicate with his grandparents and Willow John. Soon, Granpa visits the orphanage and brings Little Tree home. Grandma, the family hounds, and nature itself all welcome Little Tree back to the mountain. During his first days back, he learns that Willow John secretly checked on him and told the Reverend that Little Tree needed to come home.

Winter comes, and Willow John passes away. Granpa and Little Tree take care of him and are there for his passing. Two years go by, and Granpa also passes away, leaving the whiskey-making trade to Little Tree. Despite his ability, Little Tree cannot make whiskey as well as he and his grandfather did when they worked together. When Granma passes away, he takes the dogs and tries to find work, but eventually sets off to find a mountain of his own to live on rather than becoming part of society.