Snow Falling on Cedars

Context: David Guterson was born in Seattle in 1956, and has spent nearly his entire life in Washington, in the area around Puget Sound. After receiving undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Washington, he taught high school English on Bainbridge Island near Seattle, writing at the same time for Sports Illustrated and Harper's Magazine. Guterson also published a collection of short stories called The Country Ahead of Us, the Country Behind and the nonfiction work Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense. He and his wife, Robin, have homeschooled all four of their…