Bowman's Store

by Joseph Bruchac

In this book, a consummate storyteller unfolds his most personal and poignant story: his own. Bowman’s Store traces the journey of writer Joseph “Sonny” Bruchac from a childhood filled with an abundance of both love and secrecy, to the dawning of his career as one of the best-known authors and storytellers of Native American history and lore. Compelling, lyrical, and deeply moving, Bruchac’s memoir tells how he came to fully understand, and eventually claim, his Abenaki heritage, despite his grandparents’ unspoken pact never to discuss Grandpa’s Indian blood. Through experiences both painful and hilarious, Sonny finds himself drawn to all things Indian long before he learns of his grandfather’s hidden Abenaki roots. Bowman’s Store beautifully weaves themes from Bruchac’s intimate knowledge of Native American cultures with vivid autobiographical scenes to create a touching story about self-discovery.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Native American

392 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1997

About the author

Joseph Bruchac lives with his wife, Carol, in the Adirondack mountain foothills town of Greenfield Center, New York, in the same house where his maternal grandparents raised him. Much of his writing draws on that land and his Abenaki ancestry. Although his American Indian heritage is only one part of an ethnic background that includes Slovak and English blood, those Native roots are the ones by which he has been most nourished. He, his younger sister Margaret, and his two grown sons, James and Jesse, continue to work extensively in projects involving the preservation of Abenaki culture, language and traditional Native skills, including performing traditional and contemporary Abenaki music with the Dawnland Singers.

He holds a B.A. from Cornell University, an M.A. in Literature and Creative Writing from Syracuse and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the Union Institute of Ohio. His work as a educator includes eight years of directing a college program for Skidmore College inside a maximum security prison. With his wife, Carol, he is the founder and Co-Director of the Greenfield Review Literary Center and The Greenfield Review Press. He has edited a number of highly praised anthologies of contemporary poetry and fiction, including Songs from this Earth on Turtle's Back, Breaking Silence (winner of an American Book Award) and Returning the Gift. His poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from American Poetry Review, Cricket and Aboriginal Voices to National Geographic, Parabola and Smithsonian Magazine. He has authored more than 70 books for adults and children, including The First Strawberries, Keepers of the Earth (co-authored with Michael Caduto), Tell Me a Tale, When the Chenoo Howls (co-authored with his son, James), his autobiography Bowman's Store and such novels as Dawn Land, The Waters Between, Arrow Over the Door and The Heart of a Chief. Forthcoming titles include Squanto's Journey (Harcourt), a picture book, Sacajawea (Harcourt), an historical novel, Crazy Horse's Vision (Lee & Low), a picture book, and Pushing Up The Sky (Dial), a collection of plays for children. His honors include a Rockefeller Humanities fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship for Poetry, the Cherokee Nation Prose Award, the Knickerbocker Award, the Hope S. Dean Award for Notable Achievement in Children's Literature and both the 1998 Writer of the Year Award and the 1998 Storyteller of the Year Award from the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. In 1999, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas.

As a professional teller of the traditional tales of the Adirondacks and the Native peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Joe Bruchac has performed widely in Europe and throughout the United States from Florida to Hawaii and has been featured at such events as the British Storytelling Festival and the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee. He has been a storyteller-in-residence for Native American organizations and schools throughout the continent, including the Institute of Alaska Native Arts and the Onondaga Nation School. He discusses Native culture and his books and does storytelling programs at dozens of elementary and secondary schools each year as a visiting author.

Reviews

[Carol Surges · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the fortunate and unforgettable experience of hearing the author speak at a conference in the 1990s. He, of course, shared stories with us, masterfully building tension and surprise into his stories. The audience was under his spell the entire time. His memoir weaves Native stories and culture into his life occurrences, blending the two into a neatly composed and well rounded look at his difficult youth.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This autobiography was a moving story about unconditional love between Sonny and his grandparents, not fitting in with others, growing up, and the painfully strange relationship between Sonny and his mother and father. The hardships Sonny had to face with his father and mother growing up made me extremely grateful for my loving parents.

Joseph Bruchac writes about his own history from the time he can remember tagging along after his Grampa, hanging onto Grampa’s overalls, to when he is married and a father returning home to see his Grampa pass away. The book is an autobiography and as a result can be thought of as biased to Bruchac’s feelings and point of view. The Abernaki Indian and other Indian stories and lore in the book have been researched by Bruchac and passed down to him by other elder Indian Americans. Bruchac’s travels, research, publishing of Indian stories, and own writings lend authenticity to his retellings of old stories.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opened up a world I did not know before. Excellent and memorable chaactors

[Linda Spear · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would not have known about this book had it not been for my "old" Pitt friend Lisa Mitten, who happens to have Mohawk in her ancestry. Not even sure how this came up but we may have been discussing Bruchac's telling of The First Strawberries which I sent to her granddaughter. Anyway, no matter where it came from in our talking, I'm so grateful that she lent me this book.

What did I know about the "French Canadians" who were actually Indians? Were it not for Lisa, I'd still be fairly ignorant of different American histories. She really opened my eyes and taught me so much about Native authors and illustrators that a children's librarian needs to know.

Not only that but Lisa, Bruchac, and I all three also have Eastern European roots; Lisa's and mine Croatian.

But I digress. Joseph Bruchac is a writer of great quality and reading about his grandparents felt like a glimpse into not only their lives but also an introduction to stories from the Iroquois tradition.
And his grandfather's love and support were such an integral part of Bruchac's life.

Quite a book!

[Priscilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. There were subtle life lessons throughout the memoir. I recently found out from a relative that I have a smidgen of Native American ancestry...which has gotten me curious about it. I have a lot of respect for this people group. Joseph Bruchac’s memoir makes me wish I had known his wonderful grandfather.

[Joe Keefhaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this touching autobiographical book, author Joseph Bruchac recalls his early life growing up in rural New York State. Although his parents and sister lived just down the road, Joe always resided -- for reasons not fully explained -- with his maternal grandparents. His grandfather was an Abenaki Indian, but didn't publicly acknowledge it because of the negative attitudes many people held against Native Americans. Bruchac was greatly influenced by his grandmother and especially his grandfather and went on to be a great advocate of the Abenaki culture through his books and storytelling. Interwoven with his person story are stories of the Abenaki and other Native American tribes. It makes me want to read more of Bruchac's many books.

[Jane Barber · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is hard to read a book predicated on the false premise of Native identity. For me it became Bruchac's search into his past to prove a theory he had already settled upon. A very brilliant man, he could be a great ally rather than fabricating history. So for me, very sad.

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought was a very good book. It was very entertaining. Well worth reading.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quiet and humble memoir about an author growing up. It's a fascinating story of the unacknowledged Native heritage he had to discover for himself as an adult.

[Eden Silverfox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the biography of Joseph Bruchac, who is a Native American author of more than 100 books.

I've been a fan of Joseph Bruchac's since I read Skeleton Man for the first time, which was more than three years ago now. Since then, I've read a number of his books, but only over the summer, I found out that he had written a biography about his life.

I bought a copy as soon as I could and began reading it. I took my time though, which I normally don't do when I'm really enjoying a book.

Joseph, who his family called Sonny, lived with his grandparents and was actually raised by them. It's never totally revealed exactly why his grandparents wanted Joseph to live with them, but after reading the whole book, I'm thinking it is because of Joseph's father and how he was treated by him.

Each chapter of this book begins with a story, either a traditional Native tale, or one about his life.

The book doesn't talk much about his books, or even how he got published, what awards he's won, etc. It is pretty much about his life growing up and goes until he meets and marries his wife and they have their first son.

It's about what he learned from his grandparents, his family and just the world around him. I found myself relating to Joseph in many ways. He was shy and so was I. He loves animals and so do I. His grandmother could be overprotective and in ways, this stopped him from growing up, though it wasn't her intentional to stop that. She just wanted him to be safe. But I definitely know how it feels to have overprotective parents.

I have to admit that I cried while reading this book, a number of times. I felt pain when reading about his father and how he treated Joseph, the things he said to Joseph. But this book was also filled with love. Lots of love from his grandparents.

And of course, his biography is about his journey to discovering himself and who he is. It wasn't until later that he found out he was Abenaki. It was hidden and after he found out, Joseph began to reclaim his heritage.

My family also hid their Cherokee heritage. My family knows nothing besides we are Cherokee and I, too, am on my own journey of discovering myself and reclaiming my heritage. Knowing that Joseph Bruchac did this, gives me hope and really encourages me to continue on my journey. I really hope that one day I have the pleasure of meeting Mr. Bruchac.

And what more can I say of this book? It's wonderful; one of the best biographies I've read. If you're a fan of his, I think you should read it, if you like biographies, you should read it as well. And if you are on a journey of discovering yourself and your heritage, this will be a very encouraging read.

I highly, highly recommend this book.

[Vicki Carbone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruchac's book, which is a memoir, is also a loving tribute to his grandparents, chiefly his grandfather, who raised him. His parents, particularly his father, seem to be a horror show, but his grandparents -- well, I sobbed out loud in my classroom in front of a class of 9th graders when his grandfather died. He seemed to be one of those rare people who graced the lives he touched. I am forever richer for having known him, albeit through the words of his grandson. It is a beautiful, touching memoir about the formative years of a young man and his journey to discover his cultural roots. Read it. It's amazing.

[Rena Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruchac artfully begins every chapter with an Abenaki, or other Native culture story, setting a theme and purpose for the story he's telling about his own years of growing up with his grandparents.

I thoroughly enjoyed his book. He is an interesting and complicated person and his experiences infuse his writing with some of the challenges he's faced and survived.

Makes me want to read more of his work.

[Dana Carmichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Joseph Bruchac novels for YA. This autobiography is a loving description of sometimes abusive family relationships. His forgiveness for adult decisions that affected his childhood and punctuated with realistic descriptions of searing events.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Joseph tells stories of growing up while living with his grandpaarents and dwelves into his Native American Heritage. Free copy from publishers.

[Sharon E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story about a wonderful author’s childhood. Native Americans were the first and remain the best storytellers. Storytelling is an integral part of Native culture and I was not at all disappointed by Bruchac’s story.
Great job on storytelling and heroic activism, Mr. Bruchac. Aho!