Waterless Mountain

by Laura Adams Armer

Winner of the 1931 Newbery Medal, this is an authentic novel about an eight-year-old Navaho boy's training as a medicine man. This deeply moving and accurate account of one young Navaho's childhood and spiritual journey is filled with wonder and respect for the natural world—a living record of the Navaho way of life before the influence of the white man.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Native American, Juvenile

212 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1931

About the author

Laura Adams Armer (January 12, 1874–March 16, 1963) was an American artist and writer. In 1932, her novel Waterless Mountain won the Newbery Medal. She was also an early photographer in the San Francisco Bay Area.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_A...

Reviews

[- The Polybrary - · Rating 2 out of 5]

~*Full review notes on The Bent Bookworm!*~

My first issue: I feel like that description or blurb is very misleading. “A living record of the Navajo way of life before the influence of the white man.” Um…I don’t see how that is accurate at ALL, when several of the main incidents of the story involve a slightly condescending but kind white man who runs a general store near the Navajo family. So what exactly is that blurb about? Hmmmm? Anyway.

This book was first published in 1931. The style of writing reflects the time, as it’s very slow-paced and nothing at all like the fast moving, action packed chapter books and MG novels of today. It’s thoughtful. There isn’t very much dialogue. I think that most middle grade readers today would lose interest, sadly. The subject matter is fascinating, but it’s not really presented in the most fascinating way. :-/ There’s a brief conflict that doesn’t even begin until the book is more than halfway over, and even that is resolved almost immediately and when it is, it just happens off somewhere else and Younger Brother (the main character) isn’t even involved!

The characters are not really fleshed out very well at all. I liked Younger Brother’s way of looking at the world, of his respect for all nature, of his desire to communicate with it, but I felt like the rest of the characters were very two dimensional and rather stereotypical.

Supposedly the view on Navajo culture presented in this book is pretty accurate – according to some white scholars in the 1930s. The book is written by a white woman. Which is all fine – you don’t have to be a member of a nationality to write about it – but I think the #ownvoices movement has sensitized me somewhat to people outside a culture writing about it, and I really object to the covert racism here. For instance, when the Navajo family makes a trip with the white store owner, to another store, the narrator says that “his father was curious but dared not go outside the door.”

I think the Newbury Award judges were trying to expand children’s view of the world by even selecting a book that portrayed Navajo culture in a positive light. I really do. However. Most white people at the time weren’t even…aware isn’t the right word. Racism at that time wasn’t looked at as anything particularly wrong, it just WAS. That doesn’t make it any more excusable, but from the point of view of a white intellectual in the 1930s, this book was probably a shining example of equal opportunity. So that said, I wouldn’t really recommend this for modern classes or kids, except as maybe an example of how racism creeps into even well-intentioned (?) writing. With all that going on I found it a little difficult to find things I liked about the writing, even if there was nothing particularly wrong with the style.

“I know this much, Little Singer. There are secrets we cannot name, songs we cannot hear, and words we must not speak.”

I did really enjoy how Younger Brother has such a respectful connection with nature. It’s not just him, but the rest of his family as well. At one point the narration mentions how even the youngest child isn’t afraid of bees, because she has never learned to be afraid of them. This was a real lightbulb for me. How many times are we afraid of something because we have seen someone else express fear?

Overall, 2.5/5 stars. When I initially finished I felt a little more forgiving, but the longer I think about it the more irritated I become by all the issues, especially the racism masquerading as not racism.

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Read for the Newbery Award challenge. It's really bothering me that this is clearly my edition, but mine has a different cover that IS NOT on GoodReads.

[Crystal · Rating 1 out of 5]

1932 Newbery Award Winner

Really not great. I found it boring and the writing stilted. It seemed she was trying to write in "Indian speak" or something. I also found it covertly racist. It wasn't in your face, but that is almost worse because then people think that they are actually getting a true picture.

Here are some of the things that were a problem. You will see that white people are fantastic if you read this. Page 7, "Younger Brother thought he had never seen so kind a face and he knew right away that the Big Man must be a medicine man. He could feel power shining through the blue eyes, and tingling in the fingers that touched his head." When Younger Brother experiences flight in an airplane he says, "Now I know that white men are mightier than Navahos. We can ride and shoot and work with silver, but we cannot fly." Also, in one instance, the Navaho are singing. This is how it is described, "The Navaho voices, in weird, falsetto tones, greeted the morning." p. 191 Is that really how they would represent themselves?

And at Christmas when the children come to the trading post - p. 64. "They were such wild little children they felt uncomfortable, even afraid" when faced with a tree inside a building. When a white woman is sad, the Navajo collect money and give it to her to help her child pay to come home. She says, "Didn't I always say the spirit of Christmas would win even a savage?" Savages - nice. They were compassionate human beings. She should be surprised by this? Ack.

Anyway, I was not impressed. In the foreword, we are told that the author was able to "come unusually close to these people in a very short time." I wonder how long she was there and how much of an expert she was to have spoken for a whole people like this.

There were enough red flags that I checked out what Debbie Rees had to say about it and she wasn't impressed either. http://collectingchildrensbooks.blogs...

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waterless Mountain follows Younger Brother, the middle of three children in a Navajo family — a boy who got to be 8 years old without ever having seen a white man or a chair — as he grows into adulthood. Younger Brother tends the sheep for his family, but he lives in a magical world — literally, in his case. He believes in the old Navajo religion and sees good fortune as a gift from the gods and nature. Laura Adams Armer’s book serves as a window into a world that existed for centuries in the American Southwest, examining the everyday life of a Navajo family of the time, as well as their cultural folkways and religion. I had trouble putting the book down!

Is the book a bit sentimental? A wee bit, but it’s never cloying; there is a hint of abusive Navajo boarding schools, and the book spends time on the tragic Long Walk of the Navajo. And there’s a foreshadowing of the plague that alcohol would play in the future of Native Americans of all tribes.

The book has not aged well for children; however, adults will delight in immersing themselves in the world of the Navajo people from long ago. Five stars for adults; two, for kids.

[Benji Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you're reading the Newbery Winners through from the beginning, not even a decade in you've already visited South America in Tales From SIlver Lands, China in Shen of the Sea, India in Gay Neck, Poland in Trumpeter of Krakow, Japan in The Cat Who Went to Heaven and now, in The Waterless Mountain, you're visiting the Navaho tribes in the Western U.S. Despite, the racism in many of the novels, it does seem like the librarians on the committees in the 20's and the 30's were being proactive about exposing children to new cultures. Really, the #weneeddiversebooks campaign has been going on, though subtly, for quite a while.

That being said, this book is nice at some points. It's interesting to see Navaho culture and customs through a young boy's eyes, but mostly it's just awful and unreadable. For a 200 page book, it reads incredibly slow. There's a little bit of action in the middle, but it is resolved very passively in a "Meanwhile while life was going on as usual, our villain was arrested somewhere else" kind of way. That's no way to write a book for children. I had lots of trouble getting through this book, and it seems from reviews that other adult readers did too. I could be wrong, but I don't think I know of any kids who would enjoy this.

While I appreciate the early Newbery committees making an effort to expose kids to new cultures, I wish that a lot of the books weren't so gosh-darned awful. Next book please.

[The Girl with the Sagittarius Tattoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was reading this, got bored, DNF'd it, then said to myself, "Self, you will not DNF this book just because it's slow and boring. It's short, it's simple: you can get through it." So I did.

This book is organized in short stories from the life of Younger Brother, a Navaho Indian boy. Each chapter stands on its own, sharing day-to-day glimpses into the life of the Navaho, sprinkled liberally with folklore and origin myths. Each vignette is written in a straightforward manner, with very little to tie each chapter to the last except that they are are told sequentially.

This book is charming and clearly written for children... children of a time when Roy Rogers and John Wayne were popular heroes. Even now, there is still merit to be found between the covers of this book for those seeking an escape into the uncomplicated innocence of the Native American old west.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really lovely story about a Navajo boy who is going to be a medicine man. Includes Navajo stories, ceremonies, and traditions as seen through the eyes of the boy, Younger Brother. This book takes place at a time when the Navajo way of life is about to collide with new technologies - they still walk or ride their horses everywhere, but some neighbors have cars. The boy is taken for a ride in an airplane and on a train, and he and his family go to a movie theater as well.

Perhaps a little too paternalistic view of the white owner of the trading post.

My copy is illustrated with paintings by the author. They are reproduced in black and white, though the originals may have been in color, I don't know. They are really well done, and some have almost a photographic quality. They greatly enhanced the book.

Reading the Newbery project, 1932.

[Kathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gentle coming-of-age book about the Navaho way of life in the 1930’s.

Although written by a Caucasian woman, Waterless Mountain was lauded by the tribe itself for her authentic portrait of and respect for the Navaho people, their heritage, and their beliefs. Laura Adams Armer’s affection is evident as she writes about Younger Brother and the path he chooses to become a medicine man for his tribe. We meet him when he is eight years old, and follow his insights and responses to his vocation into his teenage years.

Younger Brother learns from his wise uncle, who is himself a medicine man for their tribe, and who teaches him simple and complex songs and stories of the Navaho traditions. Younger Brother also has great love for and guidance from “the Big Man,” the white trading post owner, who shares “modern” wonders and solutions for the tribe’s problems with him.

There is a sweet serenity in the thoughtful growth of this young medicine man, augmented by the poetic writing of Armer. The only ostensible conflict in the book is with another young Navaho boy who tries to steal from both Younger Brother and the trading post. I worried that the Big Man would become an even greater antagonist to Younger Brother, but he stays a true friend to the boy and his tribe. The greater and sadder conflict we know will come between the Navaho way of life and the "modern wonders and solutions," because we know the future.

Many reviews say that this quiet book would not hold the attention of most 21st century middle-school readers. That might be true, since most are used to faster-moving, greater-action story lines. There is still value and beauty to Waterless Mountain, however, because of its innocent slice of Navaho life before it became too colored by the marvels of Caucasian culture. Perhaps reading and appreciating Waterless Mountain is a way that young readers can still honor the beautiful and gentle parts of mystical Navaho traditions.

P.S. Laura Adams Armer and the Navahos sprinkle Waterless Mountain with many memorable quotations. I recommend having old or modern technology handy to record thoughts like this:

"Most all people looked upward when they sang. Singers were like growing things on top of the earth. They reached upward to the sun. Everything that was alive and healthy reached upward and sang."

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Extremely dated. A Native American story written by a white woman in 1931. I will say that it contains beautiful descriptions of familiar landscapes in Southern Utah/Northern Arizona.

Newbery Medal - 1932

[Abigail · Rating 2 out of 5]

Younger Brother, called Little Singer by his medicine-man Uncle, was an unusual child, attuned from a young age to the deeper realities of the world around him, and observant of all its beauty, both natural and man-made. Marked out as a future medicine man himself, and tutored by Uncle in the traditional songs and beliefs of his people, the young Navajo boy came of age in the small circle of his loving family, living with them under the great Waterless Mountain. The rhythms of their daily life - Younger Brother's shepherding of the sheep, Mother's weaving, and her cooking for the family, Father's silversmithing - and the interruptions to those rhythms - Elder Brother's marriage to their neighbor's daughter, Younger Brother's epic journey to the far western water, in search of Turquoise Woman's house - are depicted here in a gentle, contemplative narrative that is suffused with a quiet joy.

The Newbery Medal Winner in 1932, Laura Adams Armer's Waterless Mountain was praised, at the time of its publication, for its lyrically sympathetic portrayal of Navajo religious beliefs and customs. As someone almost wholly unacquainted with those beliefs, I feel ill-equipped to judge Armer's depiction, from a factual standpoint. I found the book well written, and the narrative engaging enough, but there could be glaring errors of fact or tone here, and I would never know it. More generally, it's difficult to know whether Armer successfully captured a young Navajo boy's perspective, or whether her text is an outsider's imposition. Given the history of misrepresentation of America's indigenous peoples in vintage children's literature, it's tempting to assume that it was the latter, but it's impossible for me to judge with any certainty. I'd love to get the viewpoint of a Navajo reader on the subject! According to what little I have read of Armer, she was well-respected enough, by some Navajo elders, that she was allowed to reproduce a number of sacred sand paintings - a privilege not previously accorded to any outsider, from my understanding.

Although unable to come to any definitive conclusion, as it concerns Armer's depiction of traditional Navajo beliefs, I can say that her Euro-American characters, particularly the "Big Man," seemed unrealistically positive, giving a sense that white traders on Indian reservations were benign and benevolent forces for good, something that does not at all accord with my own understanding of the history. The inclusion of this kind of "Great White Trader" figure is problematic. I also think that, if this had been a genuine Navajo narrative, the feelings of the people, about The Long March, and their forced exile from their homelands, as well as Kit Carson's scorched earth campaign against them, would have been much more strongly expressed, and not as easily dismissed, in the brief exchange between Younger Brother and the Big Man, toward the end of the book.

I vacillated, in rating this book. It does have some good qualities, and I found some of the passages quite beautiful. But it is also, unfortunately, a little bit dated, and I'm not sure that it does what it sets out to do, in communicating a genuine Navajo worldview. The "Great White Hunter" theme, here transformed into a "Great White Trader," also gives me significant pause. In the end, I think this is one I would recommend primarily to Newbery completists like myself...

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know. There's some interesting insight into Navajo life and culture. Two big problems, though:
1. The book is slow-moving. And, for me, not so much in a "pleasant journey" kind of way like Criss Cross or Walk Two Moons or even The Cat Who Went to Heaven. Just not that much happens.
2. Much bigger problem: The book, while in some ways sensitive to Navajo culture, really is fawning in its love of white culture. The two white characters (and one especially) are superior beings who grace the Navajo with their wisdom and learning. There's a brief mention of some of the oppression of the Navajo in the past but it's skipped past quickly and there's no sense that white people in the book's present (early 1930s) are anything less than amazing.
So not my favorite, though I do always like glimpses of other cultures.

[Phil J · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first chunk of this book was really painful to get through. It read like summaries of legends instead of the legends themselves. It was just a lot of thumbnail descriptions of things. At one point, I accidentally read a chapter twice without realizing it.

After Younger Brother starts his journey to the sea, the book gets more interesting.

[Linda Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you want to read a book rich in the secrets of the ancient Navajo culture - this is the book for you. If, on the other hand, you want to read a book with a clear plot and exciting action, you might be disappointed with Waterless Mountain. This book won the Newbery Medal in 1932.

Waterless Mountain was written by a white woman about Native Americans. Much has been made about how a white character in the book (page 66) used the word "savages" to describe the Navajos, but it was just the viewpoint of a fictional white woman, not the opinion of the author herself. The word was probably used to show the attitude of some white people at that time.

The author, Laura Adams Armer, said she was a descendant of President John Adams. She became a well-known artist and photographer during the years she lived in San Francisco and Berkeley, California. Around 1919 she traveled to the Southwest and met Hopis and Navajos. She settled in there, becoming their trusted friend. Her novel is a testament to the great love and high esteem she had for the Navajo culture.

Waterless Mountain won the 1932 Newbery Medal and became a source of much needed revenue for Laura during the Great Depression. I was happy to learn that this great effort of hers served her so well and helped her survive during hard times.

I wish I could say I loved the book, but it was a very tedious slog for me. Learning so much about Navajo culture felt like a blessing, but sometimes it got too deep into legends and ceremonies, descriptions of which interrupted the flow of the story. It was almost impossible to detect a plot. I have a hard time loving fiction without a plot.

At least there was a likable main character. "Younger Brother" is what he was called throughout the novel. It was a coming of age story for this young man destined to become a medicine man for his people. He was a respectful and talented teenager developing into a young man who would carry on the Navajo traditional culture.

How I wish this book were more readable! The illustrations by the author and her husband are lovely.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was prepared to hate this and find it dull, but I didn't really. This story of a Navajo boy learning to become a spiritual leader is fairly engaging, and I enjoyed the boy's character and his interactions with white people, which are usually pretty funny (and sometimes sad). It has the racial and cultural problems you might expect of a Navajo book written by a white person, but they aren't as bad as I anticipated. I can let some of those go as being "it was a different time"ish, but what I can't let go and what drops it down to two stars is the figure of the all-knowing, kind, wise, Great White Trader.

I think this was probably used as source material for my dearly beloved Navajo Sister (which I think is probably a better, more realistic, less problematic book).

One passage made me catch my breath; did the author know what she was saying? It's at the trading post Christmas party:

The white lady at the post was very happy watching the children and had almost forgotten how lonely she was for her own little girl away at school in the city. Suddenly she remembered and before she knew what was happening, a big tear rolled down her cheek.

An old Navaho man noticed that she was crying and said to her:

"Little Sister, you cry because your child is away. We know what that means. When our children go away to school, the mothers cry also."

The white lady listened in wonder as the old man turned to his people in the store and spoke to them.

"My grandchildren, our white sister is sad. She cries for her child. We will all give money to have her child brought back."

Every Navaho gave something and the old man handed the collection to the white lady. (...)

...she said "Didn't I always say the spirit of Christmas would win even a savage?"

[Natalie Brunner · Rating 1 out of 5]

I went into this book with fairly high hopes after reading Winter in the Blood (another book focused on Native American culture). I was disappointed in Winter in the Blood's negative portrayal of Native Americans and was happy to read that Armer described their culture and character in a more positive light. However, that was one of the only things I liked about this book. Waterless Mountain was very slow and boring to me. I also found it difficult to understand the deeper meanings of many of the Native American cultural practices. The book dragged on and I never got into the plot.
Although I was not a huge fan of the book itself, I have to admit Armer is a talented writer. Her use of imagery and the descriptive words she chose were well-thought out and majestic. Although the Native American customs were hard for me to follow, I think her use of imagery in describing them did them justice. I am not sure if I would recommend an adolescent reading this book in school because he or she may not enjoy the plot line, but I believe excerpts from the story would be very beneficial to study in schools. It gives student a different perspective; they can see through the eyes of a Native American. An important lesson can be learned from this novel that should be included in the classroom. For example, Mother says, "Little children are all right, whatever the color of their skin." (143). This quote allows one to see the innocence and lack of bias and prejudice in children. This can lead to a classroom discussion about why and how our biases and prejudices change from when we were children.

[Thomas Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

For such an old book, this is quite respectful of the Navajo people. It is about a boy, known mostly as Younger Brother because saying people's names too much makes the names lose their power. There is one bad guy in the story, but it's not really about that. It's about a boy growing up and learning about his people, and at the same time the reader learns about his people. It is a sweet story, and it makes you think. It was fun to read.

I could see how some people would call this book racist, but I think that for the most part it is not. I think that the way these peoples' lives were described is incredible, not inferior somehow. Just because a people think and act differently than we do, it is not racist to express the positive aspects of those differences. If you think this book is racist, you should try reading some of the other books from the time period. Try 'Floating Island' or 'Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo.' for example.

[Lynette Caulkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this older Newbery! Rounding up from a 4.5. Armer has given us a very nice infusion of Navajo culture, and surprisingly for a 1931 book, the tone is not rampantly patronizing. You won't get swashbuckling adventure with this book, but you do get a relaxing read that follows a thoughtful young Navajo boy across a few years and reveals to you the backstory of Navajo beliefs and cultural heritage as he learns and tells the stories of his people. You get glimpses of early-20th century interaction between back-country Navajos and Euro-Americans, as well as the disjoint felt by the Navajos when thrust into city culture. The best thing about this book is entering their world and seeing it, learning about it, enjoying it for its own pace and intrinsic worth, and never feeling like it's being weighed against another cultural paradigm.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book and I have a long history. I was an advanced reader, and my teacher for both first and second grades, Mrs. Hartman, really wanted me to read this book. She loved it. The problem was that even though I read at a high enough level, I was still a first- or second-grader and this book seemed really boring.

This book is more of a series of events than one with a definite plot. A few of the incidents are somewhat exciting, but it describes the life of a young Navaho boy in Arizona at a time when cars and trading posts, calico and velveteen, coffee and Dutch ovens, have come onto the scene, which the Navahos happily incorporate into their traditional lifestyle.

Younger Brother is a Medicine Man in training, by temperament, rather than by assignment. When he's younger he tends the sheep, but ultimately he makes a journey to the west to see the wide water where the Turquoise Woman floats on her island home. Along the way, the bulk of the book is traditional ceremonies and stories, and the regular life of Younger Brother's training and his relationship with his Uncle, the Medicine Man.

A major character is the Big Man, who lives at the trading post and is good friends with the Navahos; he speaks their language and they like and trust him. He's also more advanced than most in his attitudes about the Navahos.

. . . there stood a dark green tree all blooming with little fires. On the very top a great star glittered. It was really enough to frighten any child of the woods who had never before seen a tree of fire, but when a terrible-looking fat Yay jumped right in front of the tree and jingled little bells, all the children began to cry.
Younger Brother was braver than the rest and he looked at everything. . . . Such queer things grew on that tree that it was a long time before Younger Brother recognized it as a spruce.
When he did, he remembered the spruce boughs gathered on the mountain. He remembered how the stars shone through the trees at night and how a big star once rested on the very top of a dark tree. Then he began to feel at home. This must be the white man’s way of using the sacred spruce for a ceremonial. 64-65

[And then after the Christmas party]
“Did I always say the spirit of Christmas would win even a savage?” [said the Big Man’s sister]
The Big Man put his arm around his little sister, smiled and answered:
“Didn’t I always say that these people traveled the trail of beauty?”
Younger Brother still watched the Big Man’s face and deep in his heart he knew that all medicine men are beautiful, white or brown, and he knew that spruce trees meant health and happiness to everyone who understands. 66

The final scenes of Waterless Mountains describe a long spiritual celebration, in which there are many ceremonies, including sand painting, singing, dancing, and sweat baths for a patient (I didn't quite understand why there was a patient for this festival since I thought it was about finding some precious masks that had been lost). In the earlier days, when it's a smaller group, they celebrate a Eucharist of sorts:

Younger Brother watched every motion of the two children [at a ceremony]. He saw the little boy pour water from a wicker jar into a gourd. He saw the little girl put four handfuls of corn meal into an earthen bowl. . . . The masks were to be fed.
The boy put a little of the corn meal mush on the mouth of every mask and tasted some himself four times. The little girl also tasted and so did Hasteen Sani and Uncle, Younger Brother, and everyone else in the lodge.
It was a love feast, promising new life to the tribe. Younger Brother, who knew so well the legends of his people, felt the power and the peace that comes through fellowship with men and gods. 182

Several days later, when many Navahos have come from all over, they say prayers that I'm curious about. The author, Laura Adams Armer, apparently spent a lot of time with Navahos, and I'm fascinated because their prayers seem very similar to Biblical prayers:

While all the thousand spectators sat silently watching, and the thin smoke of the cedar fires rose toward the stars, Uncle spoke softly, line by line, the ancient prayer of his people.

You who dwell in the House of Dawn
And evening twilight,
You who dwell in the House of Cloud
And darkening mist;
The house of rain
Strong as man;
The house of rain
Soft as woman;
You who dwell in the House of Pollen
And of grasshoppers,
Whose door is made of the dark mist,
Whose trail is the rainbow,
Where zigzag lightning
Stands high above,
Where virile rain
Stands high above,
You who dwell there, come to us.

This is so reminiscent of Psalm 91: "Psalm 91
You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence;
he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler." The next part of the prayer is very similar to Celtic prayers:

Absolute silence hovered over the thousand Navahos gathered to hear the holy words of their fathers. The dancers kept up the hypnotic rhythm of their feet and swaying heads, throughout the long prayer that ended with a plea for the happiness of the tribe.
Hasteen Sani, standing solemnly in the firelight, spoke the last words:

In beauty I walk.
With beauty before me,
Behind me, above me
And all around.
It is finished in beauty.
It is finished in beauty.
It is finished in beauty.
It is finished in beauty.

190-191

A portion of a Celtic prayer is similar in cadence and content:
May Christ shield me today.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit,
Christ when I stand,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

For people interested in respectful Native American lore and traditional practices at a time of transition, this is a really wonderful book. I'm not sure how many children would want to read it all the way through, as it has a slow but beautiful pace, and a strong element of Native mysticism that, although I found quite appealing, wouldn't be to many children's liking. It might work as an assigned book, read together, perhaps with some hands-on activities to keep it a little more interesting; at least, I would have enjoyed it as a child, and it would have made the book come alive and much more appealing.

[Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading waterless mountain by Laura Adams Armer. I found it to be a relatively quick and easy read. The reader is able to follow the life of Younger brother and is journey into adulthood. We are in his head straight from his early childhood and are able to learn his way of thinking. I find that this book may be very inspiring and thought provoking to young readers, as they get to experience Younger Brother’s growth and maturation over the years. Adolescent readers are given the opportunity to connect their experiences to some that may be wildly different than their own.
The author’s writing style is extremely descriptive, which allowed me to easily visualize each scene. Being able to picture a story unfold is especially helpful for readers who often find themselves struggling to keep up with the plot. In terms of art, the descriptive language used in this book would lend itself nicely to a text-based art lesson.
In terms of accuracy, the depiction of Native American culture in this novel seemed to be very stereotypical which, is not especially surprising for a book written by a white woman in the early 1930’s. Although the author seems to have a clear interest in and appreciation of Native American culture, the stories within this book do not seem as impactful or through as they could have been if written by someone within the culture itself. For example, Grandfather and his acquaintances were idolized throughout the book, taking on a sort of “white savior complex”, though I remember them once referring to the natives as “savages”.

[Hugh Kinsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Waterless Mountain. It was a bit slow, and a bit long and longwinded, but it was nevertheless a relaxing read. The author paints such vivid images I can imagine them with immense detail in my mind. At points when the weather is described, I can feel it. This is also a much more, in my opinion, honest description of Native American life. Compared to the last book about natives we read, "Winter in the Blood," this is a much more positive and natural view of natives. The interplay between the natives and white United States citizens, most notably the "big man," is overwhelming supportive and respectful. The story also depicts the natives, with their arguably odd rituals and beliefs, as nothing but happy and generous. The themes of family and belief are the two most important in this story. We see great character development of "younger brother" and how his experiences bring him closer to his family as well as allow him to grow to become more independent of them. His sense of purpose and adventure are able to connect with those of adolescent readers who will read this. This connection will cause them to care about what happens to younger brother in the story, to pay more attention to what happens to him (the plot) and the many symbols used and depicted throughout the story (symbolism). This emotional investment will help adolescent readers improve their literacy skills in detecting and interpreting the significance of symbolism used in works.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

1932 Newbery Medal Winner.

I thought it was a lovely tribute and celebration of the Navajo culture, legends and songs. It's easy to see the love and respect the author has. And the illustrations by the author and her husband are wonderful.

Definitely slower, but this book is about the journey, not the destination.

The use of the word "savage" on p. 66 was startling, but I think it's supposed to be. It illustrates how inappropriate such words are; which is so refreshing after reading words like "savages", "heathens", and "half-breed" in most of the other Newbery winners up to this point.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that I judged this book by its cover. I did not think that it was going to be interesting, but it was. It was the journey of a Navajo boy growing up in about 1930. He lives with his family and honors and respects the traditions of his people however their land is getting intruded upon by white people and he travels between the two worlds.

I liked the style and all the tradition and the way that the boy saw the world. I think that this book is really enjoyable.

[Kim Novak (The Reading Rx) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Newbery Medal winner of 1932

At the time of its publication, Waterless Mountain was likely lauded for its diversity and inclusion. Following a young Navajo boy’s coming of age, it likely introduced young readers to cultural ideas they had not thought of. The aspects of spirituality and nature really are quite beautiful. In an age of much better Own Voices stories, the book has not withstood the test of time. Some scenes are quite cringeworthy. But if studying the evolution of children’s lit, this may lend some historical perspective and open discussion on how even books with good intentions perpetuate racism.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story of an unrushed childhood. A lovely reminder to mothers to allow their children to grow up to be what they are supposed to be. Also a reminder that quietness, alone time, and responsibility are important at all stages of development. I loved how “Grandfather “ was so respectful and consequently respected. I only wish there really was such a man.

[Sarah Milner]

DNF pretty quick - it’s not #OwnVoices, and not something I’d recommend in a Readers Advisory. I’ll find something better with a Native author

[Falina · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, it's weird to read (and judge) a book about a culture written by someone outside of that cultural group. But I liked this, and thought it was respectful, especially considering the time it was written (the 1930s). The Foreward talks about the spiritual aspects in the book apologetically, but I think they were the best part.

[Magdalene Monahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that Waterless Mountain was a much easier read than books that we have read on Native Americans over the course of this semester. I like that the hot topic issue was not based on a clash between Native Americans and white settlers or the white man but rather it was more centered around Native American life. Armer acknowledges such social issues, but her primary purpose was to focus on Navajo culture. She shows Younger Brother and his people pursing a traditional way of life as the twentieth century swirls around them. I thought it was interesting how this tribe was working so hard to preserve their culture in the modern era.

[Barb Middleton · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bunch of Native American stories not worked into a plot very well along with a main character that isn’t that interesting. Read Lois Erhlich’s Birchbark House instead.

[Sylv · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waterless Mountain is a sweet and genuine book that creates a sense of innocence, discovery, and curiosity of the world around the main character of Younger Brother, a young Navajo boy who aspires to become a Medicine Man like Uncle. This warm and light tale of the journey of learning of Younger Brother’s vocation, is beautifully written through the use of extensive personification and imagery. The author, Laura Adams Armer, creates a bold, and clear image of the world that Younger Brother sees. You can imagine walking on the same path as Younger Brother and Uncle. You can imagine the animals that Younger Brother so often refers to as family and gives nature the respect that it deserves. You can imagine the Yucca leaves that surrounds him and his family and the aroma of nature. It is a story that exhibits the appreciation of the Navajo culture and exemplifies the discovery and crossroads of two different cultures during a tumultuous time of technology in the making.
However, this is a novel that gives the reader a glimpse of the Navajo culture, rather than telling a dramatic story with a complex plot. If you are looking for a novel to find appreciation or knowledge of the Navajo culture in a fictional text, this is a great novel to read. One that may work in an academic setting to introduce a unit on Native Americans, rise of technology or relationships, particularly in a social studies class. In my English class, I would use this for students to use as an example of historical fiction, since they would have to write a historical fiction narrative, or use it as a model example for figurative language. This would help students understand such skills and/or topic, with an added bonus of the language being easy to understand.
That being said, this is not an exciting novel, in my opinion. There really isn’t much of a climax or falling action that intrigued me and kept me truly interested. The use of simple sentences sometimes made it too “choppy” when reading, and the names and titles of characters and animals can be hard to keep track of. Teenagers would probably not enjoy this story so much because of the lack of suspense, and the abundance of descriptive narrative (setting-wise) that may lose teenagers when reading, similar to "The Lord of the Flies" intense descriptive narrative (setting-wise).
Overall, this novel is an easy read and filled with wonderful imagery that helps the reader create an image in his or her mind, has characters that are very delightful, and a main character that takes you on his innocent journey to learning about his vocation of being a Medicine Man.

[Miz Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a recent transplant to Arizona and having studied the traditional oral histories of indigenous peoples of North America (though not the Navajo specifically), I was quite interested in reading Waterless Mountain. It is also one of the few Newbery books from these two decades that I had no memory of ever having read or had read to me.

It is the story of Younger Brother who is following the path of a medicine man of his people. Younger Brother is eight years old when the story starts and he ages throughout the story to at least 12 years old (the exact passage of time in terms of years is not always clear). It is really something of a gentle coming of age story very much anchored in the traditional culture of the Navajo. The omniscient third-person style in which it is written has the effect of emotionally distancing the reader from the characters and very occasionally it allows a paternalistic viewpoint to slip in. On the whole, however, the book is remarkable for its time for the respectful manner in which Navajo people and their traditional worldview are treated. I particularly appreciated and enjoyed the manner in which traditional stories, dreams, and mystical happenings were treated as part of history and everyday reality. In other words, a traditional Navajo worldview was presented rather than a Western one, which tends to regard such things as "just" stories and fantasy, drawing more distinct lines between fact/fantasy and history/story. As such, I found the book to be a rare gem and an incredibly valuable artifact.

However, I doubt very much that many children would be enticed to read the book. Those children (well, really I'm thinking tweens and teens here) old enough to actually appreciate the cultural aspects of the book are likely to be put off by the youth of the main protagonist as well as the slow-moving contemplative narrative. Though Younger Brother does indeed have quite a number of adventures, it is not what I would call an action-packed novel. It might have some potential as a read-aloud but mostly I think it's value, in 1932 as well as today, is for its distinction in presenting a respectful account of Navajo life and worldview in the early twentieth century. Given the other books we have been reading published both before and after this one that present racist views of Native Americans, I think that this is indeed a distinction worth noting. And one that makes it a valuable historical document, if nothing else. (Though I personally did really enjoy Younger Brother's story of his spiritual journey quite a bit on its own merits as well.)

[Cory Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although Native American literature is not a genre that I generally choose, I did enjoy the ambiance of this book. I found Younger Brother to be an enjoyable character, and I appreciated his gentle perspective. I also enjoyed the way in which each relationship that he formed within the book was meaningful; each character had an important role and helped Younger Brother to grow more as a medicine man and as a person. I found it interesting that even the weather and animals were personified as well. This gave everything within the book a sense of life and vitality, which of course was extrapolated by the presence of water at the end of the story. I think the overarching theme of this book is the idea of life, and the ways in which everything is connected. Similarly, the book underscores our connection to the past as well; Uncle's character reiterated this idea throughout the book. Also, the way in which plants healed humans and pollen brought good fortune to the people connected human life to plant life. Even the death of the handsome husband during the flood was brought full circle when Younger Brother saw him portrayed in the movie. I found Younger Brother's relationship with the Big Man endearing; when Big Man entered the story, I anticipated him to be a negative character who would perhaps exploit the family, but he was ultimately a source of protection and nourishment for them, which gave me a sense of relief. All throughout the story, I waited for Big Man to change, but I was glad that he remained a positive force within the book.

The most difficulty that I had with this book was that at times the personification of animals and weather were a bit confusing. I understand that these animals such as Yellow Beak and the Pack Rat were important figures within the book, and I also understand that the personifications coincide with Native American beliefs, but I found them a bit hard to follow. However, I do feel that in a classroom context, this book would be an ideal work of study for figurative language! Because of the personification, the great deal of imagery and symbolism, this book would be useful for review of such items.

All in all, I greatly enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the positive relationship that the Native Americans had with the Pelicanos, and the characters which Armer featured. I also enjoyed the simplistic sense of family, and Younger Brother's voyage to the sea. I rated this work 3 stars only because of the confusion that I experienced, and because Native American Literature is not my genre of choice. However, this book contains many good qualities that made it a worthwhile read.