Selu: Seeking the Corn-Mother's Wisdom

by Marilou Awiakta

Introduces the traditional life-giving story of the Corn-Mother, called selu by the Cherokee.

Genres: Poetry, Spirituality, Nonfiction, History, Philosophy

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Ray Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book nearly a month before I entered it into the Goodreads system. Readers not part of a Native American culture should be open to a conceptual framework wholly different from their own.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The book has some fabulous nuggets of wisdom, but the poor editing drove me nuts. I understand that the author was trying to relate stories in a Native American style, and her voice in those sections is beautiful. But the overall organization of the book is sloppy, chaotic and repetitious. I suspect the book's editor tried to convince the author of this as demonstrated by the "fax" addition at the beginning of the book, but that didn't even begin to fix the editorial issues within the book.

[Elisabeth M · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 100 pages blew me away. I was caught up into the enduring wisdom of a people who are both ancient and contemporary, brought to tears by serious problems that cripple our culture, stirred to go back and reweave, to heal, to search for earnest remedy.

I'm sorry to say that at some point after those first 100 pages, the book slowly lost my interest... seemed to lose its vision, its through-line. Although it did pick up again at the end, I would call this more "interesting" than "riveting." However, I'm not altogether disappointed. I can't discredit any book that affected me the way it did at its opening; and anyway, it allowed me to meet Corn Mother.

[hh · Rating 5 out of 5]

i admit first off that the writing in this is probably not 5-star worthy by some rubrics. i cannot say, though, how incredibly happy i am to have read this. in so many ways this book made me feel that i am on the path of coming home to myself. i will circle back often to selu. this book does a wonderful job of blending nostalgia with hope. remember, forgive. balance, understand. i want to sit in a field and listen to corn grow.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellent. It is a compilation of native american stories of the corn mother. I had the pleasure of meeting Marilou Awiakta at the University of Dayton during a native american summit and she is very charming and generous. She writes books for all ages.

[Alexandra Chauran · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fascinating but poorly organized. The poems and stories and accompanying explanations flowed unbroken in a way that made it terrible for reading in short increments. I was expecting a collection of myths, but this was not that.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was interesting. I didn't read the whole thing but liked the parts that I read.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marilou Awiakta's poetry is challenging and original. She is a Cherokee woman from Oak Ridge. Her parents were nuclear scientists.

[Jay Shelat · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a MASSIVE amount of extra information. The only reason this book is two stars for me is it has some awesome points about how men and women should function in society.

[Michelle Boyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, a discussion of Selu from a Cherokee perspective! This is a great work, something that I was so happy to accidentally stumble upon. I'm surprised that it had not been mentioned in any of my American Indian Studies courses.

Well written, captivating, and something that I just was not able to put down.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I forced myself to read "Selu: Seeking the Corn-Mother's Wisdom" by Marilou Awiakta because I had to read it for a class. I understand different cultures tell stories differently also and I wanted to respect that. I found this book confusing, boring, and uninteresting. I just couldn't get into it. I can't recommend anyone read this book. It just wasn't engaging at all in my opinion.

[Oji · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is awesome!! It was written by one of my early "teachers" and I was actually there for "Red Clay" back in the olden days. I always describe this book as a "must read" to my "students" as it is the best, modern day run down of Cherokee spirituality in my humble opinion.

[Ls Gentry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! I love the way it flows.