Lilac Moon: Dreaming of the Real West

by Sharon Butala

WHAT DOES IT MEAN to be a Westerner? What is the Western experience and, by extension, what makes up the Western soul? In Lilac Moon , Sharon Butala inspires, delights and challenges us to think about the West in fresh ways. Beginning with a day in the life of the real West, she transports us to her Saskatchewan ranch, where a soft lilac moon lights the vast rolling landscape. Then, in a series of wide-ranging chapters that ponder the question "What makes a Westerner?" she considers the myths, the history, the peoples of the three prairie provinces. From the pioneer past to Western stereotypes, from racial and ethnic inequalities to party politics, from rural myths to urban realities, Lilac Moon effortlessly interweaves strands of history, family, politics and culture. Butala’s intense personal connection -- her blended English/French roots run five generations deep in the Western landscape -- and her elegant style combine to create a book rich in insight and an abiding love for the vast region she knows so well. Published on the centennial anniversary of the entry of Alberta and Saskatchewan into Confederation, this is a book not just for Westerners, but for all Canadians who want to know -- and understand -- one of the seminal dreams of our nation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sociology

255 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Sharon Butala (born Sharon Annette LeBlanc, August 24, 1940 in Nipawin, Saskatchewan) is a Canadian writer and novelist.

Her first book, Country of the Heart, was published in 1984 and won the Books in Canada First Novel Award.

As head of the Eastend Arts Council she spearheaded the creation of the Wallace Stegner House Residence for Artists in which Wallace Stegner's childhood home was turned into a retreat for writers and artists.[14]

She lived in Eastend until Peter's death in 2007. She now lives in Calgary, Alberta.

She was shortlisted for the Governor General's award twice, once for fiction for Queen of the Headaches, and once for nonfiction for The Perfection of the Morning.

The Fall 2012 issue of Prairie Fire, entitled The Visionary Art of Sharon Butala was dedicated to Butala and her work and influence.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[MJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to read this one because the author lives in an area I've fallen in love with - in five years I've visited the nearby national park three times! I wanted to read about the area from the perspective of someone who lived nearby.

It was a difficult read. The author comes across as defensive (rodeos are still valuable, and don't harm the animals used), is at times apologetic, and at other times arrogant (we were here first. we're so tough. urbanites wouldn't understand the point of this cowboy poetry.). The book is more a collection of essays. Many held interesting information but I grew to dislike the author and this made it more and more difficult to get through the material. As someone who lives in one of the prairie provinces, and has lived in the rural west, I mentally started to separate myself from the author and her perspectives because I do not want to be identified as one of these "Westerners" that she describes. At one point she describes her art community as "Indigenous" to the area and then hastens to add that, of course, she means to include First Nations people in the use of that phrase. Her use of the term just reminded me of her "we were here first, my (insert appropriate ancestor) was born under a wagon!!" attitude in the rest of the book. This book was written recently enough that the author should have chosen a different word to describe a community of European descent.

I can see this book being used as a supplementary text in courses whose subject is the Canadian rural west, but I regret buying this book as a pleasure read. I have another book by the same author that I'm not sure I will read after slogging through this one.

[Lori Bamber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm sure that, these many years after it was written, Sharon Butala would love to update and perhaps revise some of these chapters.

That said, there were many places I found myself in tears because of the acuity with which she describes what it is to be from the prairies, from the farm, and ... Especially ... what it is like to live away.

At least 3/5ths of this book is heartrendingly beautiful, and the rest is, at the very least, interesting for the historical snapshot it captures ... "This is the way a thoughtful person interpreted the worldview of the Westerner around 2005."

I think that, if you aren't from the prairies, this book is probably not for you. But if you are, you will be richer for reading it. I'll treasure it, always, because it feels as if it explained something essential about me to myself.

[Dawn Bates · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are not many books which I do not finish, but the views expressed in this book towards other people and their cultures, especially the Indigenous communities in Canada, a choice had to be made whether I could stand the entitled arrogance and racism within the pages.

Butala may have won The Saskatchewan Non-Fiction Award and been nominated a Globe 100 Best Book of The Year, but I have no idea why, unless of course those on the voting panels are as equally entitled, arrogant and racist.

At various points in the book Butala admits to her prejudices, and even goes so far to appropriate multiple nation cultures - much like her ancestors who colonised the landscapes of the land which is now called Canada.

With sentences such as, 'Today we know clearly that this list is calumny, to have a different culture is not to be inferior per se." when referring to the term and descriptions of the word 'savage' actually speaks volumes as to how superior she thinks she is to others.

Then there is the use of words such as Amerindians, a word which was coined in 1902 by the American Anthropology Association and quickly discarded.

I got to maybe half way through this book and just couldn't bring myself to waste any more time on it.

Normally, I leave books for others to enjoy on trains, cafes etc, but this one will most definitely be going in the bin!

[Andrea Wall · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess it is slightly unfair I am writing a review for this book as I am slightly biased towards it because I had to read it for English 110 and it is really not my thing, but I will anyway.
There were very few things I agreed with in this book. Butala makes large blanket statements that are founded on little research and based mostly on her own personal opinion. She has grouped westerners into this monotonous group that I feel most would not want to be a part of.
She acts like she speaks for the whole west. Often saying 'and I feel I speak for all westerners...' This got on my nerves a lot. Because I didn't get the feeling she had really actually asked people what they thought, instead she took her opinion and made it the consensus.
Her tone and style were annoying; her sarcasm boring. Her few good points were lost on me because they were always followed by broken-feeling sentences and again those blanket statements that drove me mad.
I am proud she is a westerner writing about us in that non-cliche way. She is intelligent and not a bad writer. But not for me, and maybe not for a lot of people if my class is any sign of it.
I don't know. Maybe things have changed so much in the west in the last 8 years, or maybe it is because I am a different generation, but I just felt a lot of the points (besides the ones on indigenous people) were outdated and irrelevant. And I live on a farm so no one can say it's a disconnect caused by my urban living style.
Slightly thought provoking and annoying. Not for me, sorry!

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars - this book provides an interesting, albeit personal, reflection on western identity. The downfall of this book for me were the sweeping generalizations and frequent presumptions that all westerners have the same thoughts, beliefs and concerns.