Beyond those four words I knew nothing of the tale. I knew not who would walk its pages or where the journey might lead, but it seemed destined to hold the taste of summer because just like that, so rose the treehouse in the woods with its white flag flickering on the breeze. I heard the thundering footsteps of Thor, the contagious laughter of Haakon, and the calm, steady wisdom of Jorgan. Ida’s smile beamed from where she sat in her rocking chair, and thousands of trees rose up from the earth, branches twisting into place, filling the air with the fragrance of ripening fruit. Viking legends whispered in on the wind even as the days of boyhood faded into memory.
Then I saw Aven trudging up the hillside with her carpetbag in hand where she first met the man who watched—instead of heard—what she was saying.
So began the journey of writing a character that challenged me in heart-deep ways as a writer. When it came to writing a man who had almost no traditional dialogue, each scene offered new and intriguing challenges. As a writer, I considered alternate ways to get his voice onto the page. Thor’s humble, unassuming ways made it an absolute pleasure to think outside the box, and in truth, he rather showed me the way.
To do his character justice, I expanded my study of ASL beyond the modern courses I’d taken and began an investigation of the Deaf in the nineteenth century. This included documented testimonies of students who were taught Oralism, to the history of Deaf education in the late 1800s. All of this led me to an 1883 memoir written by Alexander Graham Bell, whose life’s work not only involved the invention of the telephone but, as the son of a Deaf woman, a zeal to teach the Deaf to read lips and speak. Bell’s methods and opinions remain controversial to this day. Some students responded well to the teachings and rigorous lessons, while those who didn’t were known as oral failures. This was one of the reasons Thor was up in the oak tree that day, longing for home, his words rooted only in his hands when his Da came to fetch him. It was a tragic day that propelled Thor into a new realm of pain: one he tried to allay with a jar of cider only to discover the emptiness was unquenchable.
For some of us, our pain is similar to Thor’s. In other ways, we’re not so different than Aven as she climbed up that mountain, holding onto a budding hope. Isn’t it just like the promise of God to not give us one without the other?
Oh the joy that lies around the bend if we open our hearts, deepen our trust, and jump into the brave unknowns knowing God awaits. My heart fills with hope as I imagine the young sailor who still yearns to do the same. His journey has just begun, and I hope you’ll join me and the rest of the cast as it unfolds in the sequel to Sons of Blackbird Mountain. Oh yes, friends, there is more to come! More romance, more redemption, and a new unfolding of the bond between brothers.
Thank you for spending time with me and the Norgaard family in these pages. I would be honored for you to visit me (and this bunch of colorful characters!) at www.joannebischof.com, where I stay connected with readers on upcoming books, faith, and the writing life.
Thank you for being a part of it,
Joanne
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. New beginnings are everywhere in the story. Which new beginning is most relatable to your own life?
2. Aven came to the farm believing that Thor, Jorgan, and Haakon were children. Would you say this was an accidental miscommunication or an intentional misinforming on Dorothe’s part? If Dorothe was matchmaking, what do you think her motives were and do you believe she had a particular brother in mind for Aven?
3. Each of the Norgaard men has much in common with his brothers, yet each is distinct in his own way. What similarities do you see in them? What differences? What role do you think their birth order and upbringing served in the way their personalities developed?
4. Aven first learns that Thor is Deaf while we are in her point-of-view. If we were in Thor’s head during that scene, what do you think he might have been thinking? Most Deaf Americans in the 1800s lived in rural areas, separated by distance, with little communication with people around them. What do you think life was like for a person such as Thor in these days?
5. By looking at Aven’s history together, how was she shaped by her past? Her mother taught her sewing and love, her time at the workhouse taught her determination and compassion, while Farfar ?berg showed her lessons of baking and kindness. How did each of these elements come to play in the molding of who she was in this story?
6. As a freedwoman working for wages, why do you think Ida chose to live in a room off of the kitchen instead of living with her blood-relatives, Cora and the children? What do you think were her reasons for becoming such an integrated part of the Norgaard family? Why do you think the Norgaards cherished her so, seeing her less as a housekeeper and more as a member of the family?
7. When Aven offers the brothers her twenty Kroner, she is giving her most costly possession. What does this say about her character? In what ways did Farfar ?berg lead by example when he first pressed it into her hand? Has there been a time in your life when you received an act of kindness that breathed hope into your heart?
8. The 1870s were known as the dark ages for the Deaf due to the frequent banning of Sign in Deaf schools. Young students such as Thor who were unsuccessful with Oralism were known as “oral failures.” What do you think a label such as this would mean to a person? In what ways did Thor overcome the idea of failure? How did reading his story change your viewpoint on the Deaf? If you are Deaf, what sorts of connections did you make with Thor? Did this book offer you new insights into the thoughts and behaviors of hearing people?
9. Why did the Norgaard brothers value their Viking heritage as they did? Having been raised primarily by their father, Jarle, what role did this serve in their reverence for the Viking tales of old? How did such a heritage shape them as men living in the wilds of Appalachia?
10. What sort of lessons do you think await Haakon at sea? Do you foresee him maturing during his time aboard ship? How do you see his character being challenged?
11. What’s a book club chat without a wee bit of fun? If you were sitting in that church in Eagle Rock, Virginia, and you noticed the Norgaard men come in, what is the first thing you would whisper to the woman beside you?
12. With the second Blackbird Mountain novel just around the bend, what sort of lessons, changes, or adventures do you imagine might await the cast?
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Never has my mailbox been more filled with cards, greetings, packages, and notes of encouragement. Never have people so tenderly offered up words of hope and wisdom. That yes, this mountain can be climbed and that my children and I are not alone. To every dear soul who has bolstered us along this journey these last few years, truly making the writing of the Blackbird Mountain novels possible, you have my utmost gratitude.
A sincere, heartfelt thanks for being the light along the road and for filling our sails with wind of the sweetest kind. You lent me the courage and strength to finish this book and never have I seen God’s people move in a more wondrous way than you have moved in our lives.
Much like with Aven, thank you for being the letters beneath my pillow and the ones who took my hand, pressed your kindness and wisdom into it, and helped me to rise.