Native American Books

THE SPIRIT HORSE is a terriffic book about horses. In the story, Running Crane is the only member in the tribe that has not ridden a horse nearly since birth. HE is teased by nearly all the other boys. Though he cannot ride like a pro (yet), the leader of the tribe still picks him out of all the other boys to be one of the children that will acompany the seven warriors on the horse raid. But not only do others laugh at him at camp, his long time enemy is comming as the third boy. Despite all the obsitcals, Running Crane keeps to his dream, to capture the spirit horse no matter what tries to stop him. I love the determination and spirit of RUNNNING CRANE. i have only had this book about a month and i have already read it at least 3 times THIS IS A MUST READ!!!!!!!! ENJOY!!!!

I've read Spirit Horse, and I've given it as a gift more than once. It's one of those stories that creates empathy for the protagonist with each chapter. At the end of each chapter, I could hardly wait to get into the next one to see how our young hero would handle the challenging situations. Ta daa! There's a rewarding--feel good conclusion, but I don't want to give away the end of the story.

Thanks Ned Ackerman!

Barbara Murray Klopp, Children's Author

Ned Ackerman has succeeded in telling a credible tale. The young reader (and adult ones like myself) are pulled in quickly to the challenge ahead of our young protagonist. Spririt Horse is less a horse story and one of how a boy finds courage and grows; the charcters are beliveable, the adventure compelling. It made me want to be a kid again.

This is my second time reading *Spirit Horse* and I have to say I was so not disappointed. The first time I read it, I skimmed over it because I wanted to read the action and adventure and didn't really care much for the details. But this time when I read it, I read everything and it gave me such a clear picture. This is a must read for everyone because it's soo good.

Running Crane was chosen to go along with Wolf Eagle's war party and it is a great honor to be chosen. But the bad thing is that Weasel Rider was also chosen to go along with the party. Running Crane doesn't like Weasel Rider because Weasel Rider always taunt Running Crane about how he wasn't able to ride a horse. (Everytime Running Crane rides a horse, the horse throws him off) Running Crane doesn't like the taunts and he dreams about this great spirit horse which runs very fast and is magnificent.

So Wolf Eagle and the party goes to steal horses and during their journey to travel to the Snake People's land (their enemy), Running Crane has to endure Weasel Rider's taunts. When they arrive, they hear how there's this great horse and if fits the description of Running Crane's great horse. They go to steal horses but something goes wrong and Running Crane is separated from the party. Now it is up to Running Crane to survive the wilderness and to tame that great horse, that was let loose during their mission.

This book is a must read because it holds a lot of knowledge and sense. I think everyone would enjoy this book!!! I know I have enjoyed it.

^_^ ~ Izzy

Spirit Horse captured and held both my interest and my imagination. I found myself (a 62-year-old white woman living in a large metropolitan area in Michigan in 1999) identifying completely with Running Crane (a young Blackfoot boy living on the plains of what is now Alberta, Canada, or Montana in 1770). Ned Ackerman succeeded brilliantly in telling his story through Running Crane and weaving into his story much of what makes us all human. Spirit Horse is very well-written and moves right along. I read the book straight through, and I know that I will read it again and again. Congratulations to Ned Ackerman on his excellent book. I believe that teachers will consider Spirit Horse a welcome addition to units on multiculturalism and diversity. I believe that the book's appeal extends well beyond the target age group.

This is a really wondeful collection of stories. Two-Rivers takes us from Sapawe, Ontario to the streets of Chicago with stories that are immediate and from the heart. He is a terrific writer who takes us on a great journey of distance, time, and emotion.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this book that brings back fond memories of my own Ojibwe upbringing. Two Rivers writes with a style that is raw and true to his Anishinaabe people. Gchi Migwetch Eddie!

I have known of E. Donald Two-Rivers' work since he started the "Red Path Theatre Company" of Chicago, and am glad he found the time in his busy schedule/career to write a book on short stories based upon the Native American experience(s).

Good Luck E. Donald; and may the you always stay in the Gods' favor for Poety & Muse.

David Andrew Shawanokasic, Menominee

I knew Harold Ball. I wasn't his friend because, as this book explains, for most of his life he drove people away. I wasn't at the party that changed his life, but I know some who were. In fact, I know everybody in this book. Set in the city, on the rez or on the road, these stories read as real to me as the last time I stepped out the door or walked into a truck stop. Each person has his or her own fully realized voice. But what recommends this book most to me are the narrator's voices.

Many writers talk about cultural conflict, the Relocation Act or going back to the reservation, but few express it in more than one voice. Eddie Two-Rivers has the classic short story writer's gift for implication: "It was mid-afternoon-the time of day for sighing. That second when everything is just right and silence slices through time. A slight wind rustled the leaves of a nearby tree and the moment was lost to the past." (p. 54) He evokes nostalgia: "Timber supported the town and everyone in it. I remember it as a green, blue, and brown place: forest, sky, water, and sawdust everywhere. A great place for a kid." (p 221)

Yet he also has that educated awareness that summarizes whole decades in short, sociological parapgraphs: "Bill and Glenda thought of themselves as second-generation urban Indians. Their parents had moved to Chicago's South Side during the 1950s in accordance with the Relocation Act. They met at Red's, a blues bar on Thirty-fifth and Archer Avenue. It was love at first sight. They dated a couple of weeks then decided to live together. Their families disapproved so they moved to the more liberal North Side. Both had been raised in working-class homes. Both regarded their families as being provincial, not with the times." (p. 144)

But Eddie Two-Rivers also understands deeply the power of writing to heal communities and make each of us whole: "Everybody got something they do to make themselves feel better. Writing is my medicine." (p. 83)

You may see it in other writers; you can hear it here.

Ed Two-River's book Survivor's Medicine is an important contribution to the literary world both for Indians and non-Indians. The stories unfold to present a fresh perspective on the human condition in general, and the reality of American Indians specifically. As an educator, the collection of stories explores a spectrum of issues and themes that makes it a dynamic book for teaching in the classroom. Each story broadens the reader's perspective about the reality of American Indians' experience today and challenges the reader to consider and question his or her own perceptions. It grapples with history, politics, and culture in a way that is accessible and poignant to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Survivor's Medicine can be used with students of all academic abilities. The story "Slow Walker: Hero of the Mud Flats Battle" which tells the story of childhood lessons and lifelong memories fought out in the bush in Canada, can be read to a third grade classroom or in a college literature class. I highly recommend this book for educators at all levels and encourage Native educators across the country to use this book with their students. Mr. Two-Rivers is a wonderful and rare role model for young Indians today. I anxiously await his next book.

I like to travel and to observe the cities, landscapes, the plants and animals and the human inhabitants of the countries I go to. So does Levy-Strauss, and he is a fantastic observer, much more sharp-eyed than I could ever hope to be, and a highly entertaining writer. In this classic he talks about a wide range of observations from a number of corners of the world, but mainly about South America.
The book deals with Levi-Strauss' time as a teacher in Brazil and his trips into the South American hinterland; his escape from Nazi-occupied France; His later expeditions to visit remote tribes in the Amazon; and an assortment of observations about such diverse topics as the frustration of the traveler to never encounter the true, pristine state of a culture, the Indian caste system and the division of public and private space in different parts of the world. The book is full of fascinating anecdotes: My favorite one is how a native chief from observing Levy-Strauss grasped the social importance of writing, but not its role in information storage and transmission. He bluffed to impress his underlings and drew freshly invented line configurations on a paper. This leads Levy-Strauss to observe that from the invention of writing to its universal knowledge a few millennia passed, during which it did not serve to liberate the masses, but to control them. Such wide-ranging philosophical associations are frequent and were very enjoyable to me. The book is, however, definitely not only a collection of anecdotes, but in parts a very detailed description of the life of some of the native tribes he visited in the Amazon. Drawings of artifacts, patterns used in body-painting and photographs supplement the text. We are given both anthropological descriptions of the lifes of these peoples, their social organization, attitudes and material culture, as well as Levy-Strauss' personal experiences when living among them, sometimes his friendships with members of these tribes. Of course these people were strongly affected by the contact with European civilization, often to the worse. We also learn about these developments. There isn't really much direct explanation about his theoretical approaches to anthropology. This is the kind of book which made me wish that I could have been an expedition member of Levy-Strauss' team. Highly recommended.

I often review works which I have read long ago. Upon beginning to write about them I invariably discover how much time I gave to something which seemed so worthwhile at the time, and which I have almost completely forgotten. I then ordinarily do some catch- up learning about the book. And my review becomes an amalgalm of distant past and most recent present impression. And meanwhile the heart of the book is forever unknown to me and lost. And my review is only a minor tracing an impression both of the book itself and what of my mind knew when reading through it.
This certainly applies to my reading of this particular work, ,the one work of Levi- Strauss which I remember reading with any degree of real understanding and pleasure. His making of a life and career as an anthropologist which are a good part of the first part of the work interested me then.
The long travelogue and explorations into Amerindian society and mind, interested me less.
I understand though that the real voyage is into and along with the mind of Levi- Strauss itself, a mind much more complicated than I was ordinarily used to meeting and ingesting .
I do remember however the somewhat majestic tone, the tone of restrained sadness of quiet mourning which seemed to go through the work as Levi- Strauss met with worlds being lost and deterorating , in part through their meetings with the very kind of Western mind he himself exemplified. It is the mind destroying the object in the process of knowing it , as the Western explorers of these tribal societies transformed them out of their own natural state by meeting with them.
For Levi- Strauss and this I remember, the ' primitive mind' is not ' primitive at all' and may be in its linguistic complexity and social structure far more intricate than the ' civilized ' as it were sophisticated worlds we believe we live in.
I read this work as a way of being acquainted with a great mind, a mind which to my mind proved to be quite elusive and even distant.
But clearly the exploration made by Levi- Strauss of his own inner and external worlds is one which calls to the curious human mind and heart in its quest for understanding ' of the other'
Montaigne took a trip in the Brazilian jungle in the twentieth
century, looked in the mirror and saw the face of Levi- Strauss.

One way to gauge who's in among fashionable academics is to read the catalog for the "Writers and Readers' Documentary Comic Book" series. Sartre has an entry, and so does Derrida, and Lacan. Thirty years ago, you would have expected to find an entry in this index for Claude Levi-Strauss. No more. Translations of his principal works appear to persist in print, but the sales numbers are look low, and he seems almost to have disappeared from the trendy book reviews and such. This is perhaps a matter for at least idle curiosity: Levi-Strauss is surely no more abstruse than his magisterial contemporaries - but no less so; one is perfectly willing to be relieved the obligation of ever picking him up again.

With one exception. In style and temperament, Tristes Tropiques is so different from almost everything else Levi-Strauss wrote that it is hard to believe it is written by the same man. Oh, the primitive tribes are there, and a brief personal intellectual history, that offers a bow to Freud, and Bergeson, and Saussure. In my own copy, which I first read about 1980, I even have a pencilled notation "structuralism" - this at page 375 (Pocket Books edition, 1977). But there is almost none of the portentous vacuity that you had to cope with in the so-called "serious" works.

What you get instead is Levi Strauss the raconteur, full of travelers' tales. He dines on roasted parrot, flamed with whisky. The termites make the earth rumble. Virgins are made to spit in pots of corn, to provoke fermentation - but "as the delicious drink, at once nutritious and refreshing, was consumed that very evening, the process of fermentation was not very advanced." You almost expect the anthropophagi and the men whose heads grow beneath their shoulders, that you meet in the Voyages of Sir John Mandeville, Knight.

Laced through it all, you get a kind of austere sadness which is either (a) a tragic view of life; or (b) a kind of self-indulgent posturing, depending on your temperament for skepticism. "Every effort to understand," he says, "destroys the object studied in favor of another object of a different nature." Or: "Anthropology could with advantage be changed into 'entropology', as the name of the discipline concerned with the study of the highest manifestations of [a] process of disintegration."

Well, call me anything the like, they say, as long as you call me for dinner. It might even be an elaborate con. But so, for that matter, might the stories of Herodotus were you get the same mix of the eclectic and the tolerant, the surreal and the sly. Herodotus, we may note, is one of the first great works of Western literature. Let's hope that Levi-Strauss is not one of the last.

This is Levi-Strauss most readable book, and it is a fantastic introduction to the "why" behind his interest in structuralism. There are hints of the various methods and approaches that he uses in later works, but this book shows why he was to develop structuralism in later works. The writing is clever and eloquent, and various conclusions he made about cultural diversity address contemporary concerns in a highly articulate and responsible manner. Read this book before delving into the other writings of one of the 20th Century's most important anthropologists.

Tristes Tropiques, surely one of the great books of the twentieth century, is Levi-Strauss at his intoxicating, idea-overloaded best and an elegy for a world that colonialism and then globalisation have doen their rational best to annihilate.

Levi-Strauss, like most thinkers who come up with new ways of describing the world-- those who Richard Rorty calls "inventors of philosophical vocabularies"-- has of course been mis-read and his ideas mis-applied, as we see with the much-hyped "creation" and then "demise" of "structural anthropology." The real pleasure of this book, which mixes fascinating accounts of Levi-Strauss' travels in Brazil in the '30s with autobiography, and adds chapters on the Maya and ancient Hindu (Indian) civilisations, is in its sheer mass of artfully arranged detail and its endless, provocative play of ideas.

Levi-Strauss stays conversational, descriptive and straightforward, avoiding academic jargon and obscure references. He assumes you know the basics about people like Freud, Marx, Darwin and the Buddha, and then shows you a trip through largely non-industrial societies which unfolds from anthropological description into deep philosophical speculation on the meaning of society and life.

In Brazil, Levi-Strauss watches an illiterate but canny chieftain use his anthropological fieldnotes to intimidate his illiterate tribesmen subordinates, and speculates on the parallel origins of writing and slavery. In Matto Grosso, he meets a butcher fascinated with elephants, since "he could not imagine so much meat in one place." On the banks of the Amazon, a non-industrial tribe is dying, hypnotically lost in the symbolic intricacies of an ancient social system that makes its citizens inbreed. In India, Levi-Strauss watches Islam and Hinduism-- the "locker room" and "mother" religions-- wage symbolic and then real war post-Independence.

The book starts as anthropology, turns into philosophy, and ultimately becomes a critique of the West, driven by "reason" and technology to shake off what Levi-Strauss calls the "thick blanket of dreams" with which non-industrial civilisation arranges the Universe into Meaning, which remains for the industrialised world the greatest and unanswered question.

But Levi-Strauss does not idealise the primitive. His point is that through the study of those and that which are different, a kind of "ideal model" of society-- one which will never exist-- can be built in the imagination, and people can evaluate their world by reference to this community of mind.

This is a remarkable book-- easy to read, engrossing, and endlessly thought-provoking.

This was the first Tom Brown Jr. book I read. Than I read, The Journey and than, The Quest. I have also read several other Tom Brown Jr. books but these 3 are my favorites. I have read each of these books at least 3 times and learn more each time I read them. They will keep you grounded in reality and your spirituality.
I could not recommend it higher and would encourage everyone to pass on this vital information to family and friends before our ignorance and greed destroys us.

This book it truely incredible. It will make your re-evaluate your life and the way you live it. I think everyone should read this book at least once, if not once every year, just to get grounded again. A definate must buy!

I am thrilled with how fast the book arrived and the excellent condition it is in. Will definitely buy from this seller again.

In 1988 I happened upon the earlier edition of this book by Tom Brown, Jr. It was one of those books that seemed to "jump off" of the book-store shelf and right into my hands. In this book Tom describes his childhood adventures of meeting and learning from an old Native American medicine man named Stalking Wolf who was also called "Grandfather." It is still today one of my favorite books, worn and dog-eared. Tom's explorations and the instructions he received from Grandfather helped me return to that core connection with my Native American relations and to renew my pilgrimage into Native American spirituality.

After reading Tom's book I telephoned him to ask about his survival training program. He described a program that sounded far too rigorous for me at that time in my life, so Tom recommended I contact the Sun Bear Tribe that offered a softer and easier program started by the late Sun Bear, a Native American medicine man.

That began a pilgrimage to a wilderness program and then to a life changing vision quest, all of which has deepened and enriched my personal spiritual life.

This book holds a honored and holy place on my bookshelf. I am sorry it is out of print.

The Rev. Dr. Prentice Kinser III, author of LIMITLESS LIVING, A Guide to Unconventional Spiritual Exploration and Growth

As a long time Tom Brown fan, The Vision: The Dramatic True Story of One Man's Search for Enlightenment, keeps with the spirit of the previous works I have read. It is my feeling the author has a true message he wishes to impart on our society, one that leads to a better understanding of our relationship with nature and life itself.

This book delves into the author's message of a return to a intimate relation with nature and putting our lives on a natural path of harmony with the planet on which we live and must share with all living entities.

You will not be disappointed in the message, and the paths opened leading one to a better understanding of the way to achieve these goals. I highly recommend this work to anyone seeking these truths.

I really enjoyed this book and felt like I was there with the author. I read it and immediately re-read it. It provided information to me regarding my spritiaul path in this lifetime. We have to cut through the crust of life to find our true path in life. We have to know and believe in our feelings, and trust our feelings in our spirit.

Reading this book, especially the passage, "When something is shown to you, the universe opens up . . ." it reminded me of William Blake's, "To see the world in a grain of sand; and a heaven in a wild flower; hold infinity in the palm of your hand; and eternity in an hour." The author must have had a direct experience with something of the heavens, and how furtunate we all are that she returned to tell it.

Outspoken and direct, this book is a must read for anyone needing a complacency check. It challenges us to re-examine our own spiritual journey in a new light. Well done!

I had the privilege to attend a spellbinding reading of this work by the author at Golden Braid Bookstore in her hometown of Salt Lake City about a year ago. Everyone there was capativated by her enormous spiritual presence. Her book, a succinct, creatively-written version of her extensive dissertation work, is so visual that the reader feels as though he/she is along for the journey.

Agreed. The naysayer's clearly did not read the book at all! How do I know this? Dr. McWhorter clearly discusses the critical, patriarchal views in Chapter 7 entitled "Fear is the Real Satan". Interesting that it was male energy who submitted unaccountable negative reviews that clearly gave themselves away as not having read her brilliant work at all. I, for one, am anxiously looking forward to the day that Dr. McWhorter writes and publishes her next thought-provoking, insightful book.

That's what this first book in the Father John O'Malley series is about. This is an excellent mystery with a wonderful storyline as well. Ms. Coel's characters are believable and she keeps the plot moving along at a really nice pace. I really enjoyed this look at the life of the Native American on the Indian Reserve and also it gave me a chance to learn a little more about the Arapaho history. Father John is a wonderful character, and I look forward to reading more of his adventures in future books. And he and his sidekick Vicky have lots of motives to follow up on when an Indian tribal chief is found knifed in his tipi.

Margaret Coel's mystery novel debut is a well-crafted, compelling thriller about how the ghosts of the past continue to haunt the present. I cared about all of her protagonists, but what's more, I also cared about the fates of minor characters. I wanted to know if Ernest would get his act together and reunite with his family and if Homer Lone Wolf's baby would live as much as I wanted to see all my questions about Harvey Castle's murder answered.

Coel lets her readers in on who the villains are fairly early in the novel, but the story remains compelling because you want to learn about the motives behind their actions. What terrible information did Harvey find in his historical research that someone would kill him for it?

Coel also excels at capturing the quiet dignity of the Arapaho people and at describing the Wyoming setting. I grew up in Wyoming, and her writing stirred memories of the bleak, oddly beautiful landscape I once knew so well.

This is a first in a new series set in the Western US. It centres around an Arapaho reservation. The principal characters are a Jesuit priest and an Arapaho lawyer. The story itself is well written, the plot moves along at a good pace. The clues are fairly given, allowing the reader to follow along with the protagonist. If there is one thing that I found a little sterotypical was that all that the white people, with one exception, are out to rip off the Natives. I have no doubt that this goes on and went on. Yet, it would be better to have a mix, such as in the Tony Hillerman works. Still, an excellent read and an author I would continue to read.

Margaret Coel hits all the right notes in this first book of her series which takes place on an Indian Reservation in Wyoming. Father John O'Malley has been sent to the reservation after his battle with alcoholism during his previous post in Boston. His struggles with drinking have given him insight into the alcohol problem which is so prevalent among the Arapahos that he serves. Just before a festive powwow is to begin, Father John discovers the dead body of Harvey Castle, one of the tribal council members. He teams up with an Arapaho attorney, named Vicki Holden, and the two begin an investigation in order to protect Harvey's nephew who has been accused of the murder. Coel creates interesting characters, and both Father John and Vicki have past problems which give them more depth than many characters in mystery stories. Coel also does a good job of portraying the Arapaho culture and adds interesting details about things such as funeral customs, "Indian time", and the "moccasin telegraph". I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

My mom gave me six Margaret Coel novels, all about Father John O'Malley and Vicky Holden. Let me say, that at the time of this review I have already started the second book and it is even better than this one.
First off, the characters are realistic, painfully so. Real problems and real life issues insert themselves through-out the story. Yes, there is a murder on the reservation but Father John O'Malley has to worry about everything from a new assistant to his fight against the bottle.
The detailed pages within these books allow me to feel the wind off the plain, smell the food at the powwow and see the colors of the sky. A mixture of Rex Stout and Zane Grey!

As a teacher of the gifted I find reader's theatre a creative avenue for teaching literacy and creative dramatics. Aaron Shepard does a great job providing interesting, well organized scripts with a rich selection of myths, folktales, and legends. I greatly appreciate this valuable resource!

I love all of Aaron's books. As a future teacher who believes today's students don't know enough of the world's folktales, I know I will be using this book in my future classroom. I especially like the story of "The Sea King's Daughter." It is a wonderful story and Aaron Shepherd has done a wonderful job of adapting it and the other stories in this collection for readers' theater. I can't wait to see what he will do next.

Do you want an engaging activity to use with elementary students that fosters reading, performing and listening skills? Aaron Shephard's book is a wonderful resource for K-8 teachers to use in the classroom. This book has a variety of texts adapted for Reader's Theater from all parts of the world. It has been a great addition to our reading lessons!

The grade and school where I teach stresses folktales, legends and myths. I also wanted to try to get this in a "Reader's Theater" format. This book does just that! Bravo!

As a teacher of children with learning disabilities, I rarely find an activity that relates to the standards, a child's IEP, and is one that students rave about. This is entertaining as well as educational.

"Indian Shoe" is the book that shows the light at the end of a dark tunnel. There is life and hope after a disaster! This book is a story of a beautiful relationship between a boy "Ray" and his grandfather. The author of this book, artistically, pictures the current lives of Native Americans in the mind of the readers. Although there are complexities in this book, there is a unique simplicity and a calming tone to it which makes it a "good read". The reader will go through different emotions including sadness and humor while reading this book.
The six tales of this book make it an "easy read" as well. As a teacher and a school librarian, I recommend this book to my student. It also makes a great gift from a grandfather.

In this collection of six tales about a boy and his grandfather, Ray Halfmoon goes to live with his Grampa Halfmoon in Chicago after Ray's parents were killed in a tornado. They used to live in Oklahoma, and still visit Uncle Leonard and Aunt Wilhelmina once in a while, but Ray can tell that Grampa Halfmoon is very homesick and would like to go to Oklahoma more often. In the title story of these six tales, their beat-up old pickup truck has finally broken down --- there's no way it will take them to Oklahoma. Ray can't do anything about the truck and he can't afford to buy a bus ticket, so Ray is trying to figure out some way to help ease Grampa's homesickness. Would a new pair of Seminole moccasins help? Does Ray have enough money to buy them?

These short stories are written for younger readers who like rhythms and repetition in what they read. The book is divided into episodes about the lives of Ray and his Grampa Halfmoon. It shows their love for each other, and how they try to do things to help each other. Ray learns the lesson of sticking with things that he starts. And both he and Grampa have to figure out how to help the animals they're taking care of during the Christmas holidays when the electricity goes out. Eventually, Ray learns what the biggest thing in life is --- even bigger than the biggest bass in the lake.

--- Reviewed by Tamara Penny

Indian Shoes is an astonishing achievement that captures, in lyrical and sometimes magical language, the spirit and love that bonds Ray and his Grampa Halfmoon. Divided eloquently into episodes that explores their relationship and how they must bond their hearts and souls in order to retain their trust and faith and love in each other, Indian Shoes, in simple, yet powerful language, is a must read for all ages. From easing Grampa's homesickness, to figuring out how how to save the animals during a Christmas power outtage, these characters are complex-driven, fighting to retain the courage and love they have for each other while still maintaining their spiritual Native American connections. Heartfelt, almost poetic in its language, and full of moments of humor and pathos, Indian Shoes is a perfect read!

My daughter (age 6) and I loved this book, which is about the relationship between a young boy and his grandfather. What was nice about it was the unexpectedness of it. It was not the usual school or historical stories written for this age group. Rather, they are just quirky unusual tales. I also think it is great that Ms. Leitich Smith presents Native Americans not only as traditional, ritualistic people who sit around telling allegorical stories, but as a living, breathing group. As such, this book is the perfect antidote to the usual "Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims" fare. My daughter lost her grandfather a few years ago, but Indian Shoes captures the essence of that relationship and is wonderful! We won't soon forget Ray and Grandpa Halfmoon.

Indian Shoes does more than just reflect contemporary Native families, it captures the relationship between grandparents and their children's children regardless of their heritage. If you're looking for a book that grandparents and children can share together you've already found it.

Subtle, funny, catch in your throat poignant, this book is one to own.

The book was a book of triumph and struggle. It tells the sad story of native americans and how they were frced of of there land because of the white man( power to the people . it is a great book and i highly recomend it..

The book was very good because it combines action and adventure and sadness the book was so good i read it two times and i always liked it so i read other books by the auther but i liked it best of all.

I read The Journal of Jesse Smoke. The author of Jesse Smoke, the owner of the journal. The book is historical fiction. It is about about a boy named jesse Smoke. He is apart of a Cherokee tribe. Jesse Smoke is Cherokee and has 2 sisters and a mother. His father had died and he does the work around the house. He owns this journal and wrights in it, it mainly takes place in camp Cherokee when he is captured and brought there. Many die there, he makes friends with a soldier named Will who gives information in camp. They get to leave when they pay for a pass to leave Camp Cherokee. I liked this book alot. I recommend it to people who like history. It is also recommend for people who like Indians or Cherokees. It is also for ages 12-adult. This book is good for people who like to read peoples journals.

Through the eyes of a young man, we were able to see the tragedy that the Andrew Jackson administration orchestrated in behalf of the Cherokee nation as well as many other Southeastern Indian tribes. We were able to feel the hurt and know the injustice of a peaceful people uprooted and driven, in the dead of winter, to a reservation in what is now Oklahoma. We were able to feel the hopes and dreams of a boy and a people shattered by greed, politics and military might. This is a classic which should be in every school library in the country. Yes, I have that drop of blood in my veins that makes me a bona fide Cherokee. I am proud that the legend of a proud, industrious, creative people still remains in our hearts.

The Journal of Jesse Smoke
If you like historical fiction then I think you should read The Journal of Jesse Smoke because it was very exciting. It was exciting when the soldiers came to take all the Indians away. I thought that was interesting because then a white man tried to steal a house when a soldier beat him up. Then they went to the fort. Many died. They called it the Trail of Tears.
The Journal of Jesse Smoke is about how the Cherokee and the Creek Indians have to live in forts. They think it is very unpleasant. Then a lot of Indians die. Most of them are very weak or and ill.
The soldiers wanted the Indian's land so they came and kicked them out. Some of the Indians refused to go so then the soldiers killed them. I thought that was very mean and sad.

11-19-2002
Amozon.com

I was on a vision quest in my life looking outside and was taught by elders and others to look within and with the help of this Book and Hyemeyohst Storm and other books he wrote I was able to learn more and feel more in touch with the earth medicine of Nature and its often looked over healing power The Power of One "Nature" may we all find our way to a place of peace and serenity within and share it by being.. JG

The Red Road curves through a parallel universe with only tenuous ties to contemporary reality. Storm speaks to the wanna-be warrior in all of us, with humorous vignettes spiked with hidden awareness, as he looks back at the valiant fool he was, beginning his quest before he even knows he was on it, missing all the clues to his personal Grail. (The sign said "Stop", he looked at it, but he couldn't see the message for the word...) Conservative Native Americans shun this guy for letting the cat out of the bag...But for the rest of us waschisus, this is as close to understanding life on the Res as we'll ever get. No matter what your path to personal enlightenment has been, any spritual trekkie will enjoy this guy's experiences. Great read!!!

This is a book about more than the guru-guided personal search for self-understanding of a half-breed, more than a remarkably profound exposé of the life-philosophy (not religion) of the native american peoples. More even than a confirmation of the inner validity of other ancient systems of thought and knowledge to be found in other parts of the world, for example in Scandinavia. This book is exactly what it claims to be: the revelation of A WAY, an approach to life and the problems of identity, balance and peace, second to none, and applicable to everyone, where ever in the world they may live, and whatever religious and cultural tradition they may formally adhere to. Something that if widely spread, and attended to in the right way, might just ... just ... (to coin a heavily misused, but in this context really appropriate phrase)"save the world". In other words, not without subversive, but highly life-enhancing social and political connotations. My advice: Read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest. And then practice, as best ye may. Good luck, and may the Spirit give you strength in the quest for yourSELF.

I found this book over two years ago and I have yet to finish. I can't bring myself to accept that it will end, so i've been doing everything i can to avoid turning that last page. It's that kind of book. There are so many layers of brillance and value to this amazing piece of artwork. Athough it is psychologically complex and methaphysically profound, it is Storm's simple love for the Earth and his masterful, unassuming language that set this book apart. The characters have a fully developed humanity to them that is unparalleled. Truly destined to be an all time classic. This is more than a book.

This book speeks to me about the inner turmoil and multitude of voices that haunt the uninitiated and estranged males in our society. To not belong, to be cut off from community is a plague on our youth and spirit. The feeling of isolation leads to antisocial behavior, unhappiness, stupidity and violence. Herein is the story of a disenfranchised man and how, with a mentor and female partner, he finds strength in the Self to command and conquer the demons of a disfunctional conformist society. This is a primer on taming the destructive, finding peace and living with beauty. Great insights for all!