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VOYA

A note by Carlson, editor of Cool Salsa (Henry Holt, 1995/VOYA February 1995), and an introduction by Helen Maynor Scheirbeck, author of several books on American Indian education, begin this collection of ten stories about contemporary Native American experiences. Scheirbeck writes of a renaissance-an ever-increasing access to American Indian film, visual arts, dance, and literature such as these stories by notable writers like Sherman Alexie, Joseph Bruchac, and Louise Erdrich. Themes of coming-of-age, finding oneself, and making sense of familial relationships are essential to most of the selections. Particularly thought-provoking tales that reminded this reader of how history, experience, and tradition interlock with the present include Joseph Bruchac's Ice, Greg Sarris's The Magic Pony, and Lee Francis's Summer Wind. Many stories include language that reads more like poetry than prose as in Alexie's story about a young man holding on to memories of a father he so desperately needs. Other lighthearted and heavily ironic stories include Cynthia Leitich Smith's A Real-Live Blond Cherokee and His Equally Annoyed Soul Mate and Richard Van Camp's The Last Snow of the Virgin Mary. The length of the stories makes them great for sustained silent reading opportunities. Fans of the aforementioned authors as well as Joy Harjo, Linda Hogan, and Susan Power will enjoy this collection. A short biography that includes select titles by each author and his or her tribal affiliation concludes the book, although information about the writing of the stories would have been a bonus. This collection is highly recommended, but mature language and situations might make it more appropriate for high schools.VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2005, HarperCollins, 176p., and PLB Ages 15 to 18.
—KaaVonia Hinton-Johnson

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-The young people's experiences in these 10 short stories will resonate with Native readers and inform and affect non-Natives as well. Joy Harjo writes about a boarding-school experience. Sherman Alexie talks about the slow painful separation and divorce of parents, and the needs of a boy to be seen/heard/taught by his father. Cynthia Leitich Smith shows an example of the everyday struggles Native people have with stereotypes, and the pain it causes on all sides. Richard Van Camp offers a glimpse into a life of addiction, loss, and the struggle to overcome poverty. Linda Hogan demonstrates the pride, generosity, and determination of an elder living on the reservation selling eggs and grain to make ends meet. Lee Francis shares a story of self-realization, oral tradition, and ways things are passed from one generation to the next. This distinguished anthology offers powerful, beautifully written stories that are thoughtful and important for teens to hear.-Marlette Grant-Jackson, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

"What a wonderful time to be an American Indian!" begins the introduction to this collection of ten excellent stories that encompass a diversity of experience. There's humor in Cynthia Leitich Smith's "A Real-Live Blond Cherokee and His Equally Annoyed Soul Mate" and Joseph Bruchac's "Ice" (in which desperate officials turn to Chief Thomas Fox to do something about the lack of ice on Lake George, a week before the profitable Winter Carnival). And there's friendship-in-dire-circumstances in Joy Harjo's "How to Get to the Planet Venus" and Greg Sarris's "The Magic Pony." Some of these stories have been previously published, but Carlson has brought together selections that stand apart as wonderful stories, and together as an introduction to contemporary American-Indian literature and experience. (A quibble: For a collection intended to deconstruct stereotypes, why put at its front two stories with both alcoholism and dysfunctional families as major themes? The issues would have stood out less if placed later in the collection.) Carlson addresses her outsider perspective in a note, and it is to the non-Native mainstream that this collection seems pitched. As such, it will make for engaging and dynamic use in the English or Social Studies classroom-as well as for rich individual reading. (editor's note, introduction, author bios) (Fiction. 12+)