Anyone who has lived in Florida for more than an hour realizes that it has steadily and inexorably been developed and overdeveloped since Henry Flagler came down for the winter in 1876. Patrick D. Smith writes about how development has encroached on the Everglades from the viewpoint of the Seminole Indians that live there.

Forever Island and Allapattah were two of Smith’s novels published separately in 1973 and 1979. Pineapple Press in Sarasota published them together in one volume in 1987, which is still in print. The white man and developers are the enemy in both stories.

In Forever Island, Charlie Jumper is an aging Seminole who lives in the old way – in a camp of chickee huts in the Big Cypress Swamp with no electricity. He teaches his grandson the old Indian skills – hunting and fishing and respecting the land. Developers begin to push into the Everglades and build homes, and Charlie’s way of life is about to end abruptly.

In Allapattah, Toby Tiger is a young Indian who is convinced that “the white men destroy all that they touch.” His parents died in a fire that swept through their hammock after white hunters tried to flush deer by burning their cover. Toby is angrier and clashes with white men more than Charlie. They are both fighting an uphill battle by trying to live in the way of their fathers in opposition to modern forces.

While both stories have a powerful message, they stand alone as well-written novels with compelling characters, and deserve to be read by as many Florida residents as possible. ( )

Book Description
Patrick Smith's fans have welcomed this volume containing two of his acclaimed novels.
Forever Island tells the story of Charlie Jumper, a Seminole Indian who clings to the ancient ways and teaches them to his grandson. When their simple existence is threatened by developers, Charlie fights back.

Allapattah is the story of a young Seminole in despair in the white man's world. Allapattah means crocodile, a creature that becomes Toby Tiger's obsession and that he must wrestle to set himself free.