The Mourning Road to Thanksgiving

by Larry Spotted Crow Mann

Larry Spotted Crow Mann’s groundbreaking novel, The Mourning Road to Thanksgiving, challenges the notion of a holiday deeply ingrained in American tradition and folklore both from a historical standpoint as well as cultural. The story is told through the experiences a Native American Nipmuc man who fights to change the future, while coming to terms with his own troubled past and the acceptance of his family. For Neempau, the ultimate remedy is to challenge and end one of America’s favorite holidays: Thanksgiving.

His heart-wrenching, daring, and sometimes humorous journey not only exposes the innermost core of Native American struggles, but also the complexities of the notion of race, tradition, and identity. This brilliant story transcends cultural differences and inspires new thinking while taking readers beyond the boundaries of the past.

It’s these very complicated issues that contemporary Native families struggle with for a holiday that most take for granted as a time for feasting and football. While this is a novel that highlights the contradiction of the history and tradition of two cultures, in no way does it exclude either from the well-told tale that Larry spins about one family’s journey to come to terms with Thanksgiving. Neither preachy nor dry, The Mourning Road to Thanksgiving is an engaging read—sometimes deadly serious, sometimes poignant, sometimes humorous, always relevant.

Genres: Native American, Fiction, Thanksgiving

220 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2014

Reviews

[Word Branch · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Mourning Road to Thanksgiving is both entertaining and topical and is a rare combination of humor, history, cultural differences and a well written story. Larry Spotted Crow Mann fearlessly takes on a sacred cow of American culture-Thanksgiving--through conflicting views of one Native American family. However, this novel is neither apologetic nor preachy in delivery, and Mann handles a complex issue with clarity and empathy.

Written as a young adult novel, The Mourning Road to Thanksgiving is an engaging book for adults as well.

[Donna Peake · Rating 4 out of 5]

No wonder he didn't like to celebrate Thanksgiving. Any teacher that would treat a child like she did should have been fired. Early childhood memories shape us all.

Great characters and when you are finished reading this book they will remain with you.

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a very long time to get through this book due mostly to life but also I wasn't very into the story so when I did have time to read, I would often read something else. However, that doesn't mean I don't think this book is necessary or important. Having books by Native authors that tell authentic Native stories is extremely important. I struggled with how I was going to rate this book because I don't want to take away from the importance of this work. For me, the writing was pretty basic and sometimes the story wasn't very engaging. But the message of the book is an important one. Neempau's story, struggles, and healing are all very real and need to be understood.

Overall, it wasn't a bad book. In terms of it's ability to engage, I think it is lacking but the overall message and importance of the story is a home run.

[Marcin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took my a while to warm up to this book and get used to its style. It did not read very natural at first as it seems to me it is written maybe not by a professional writer. The book is being told primarily from the perspective of the main character though there were some unusual changes of that viewpoint in some cases. Some of the dialogs at first also seemed a bit stilted but eventually I started paying more attention to the story which is quite beautiful and heartbreaking at times. I have gained a new perspective on the origins of Thanksgiving and how this and other western civilization elements are seen by Native Americans currently. It was definitely a book worth reading and even though most of it is a bit depressing, it's message turns more positive at the end, quite surprising actually.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good and evil will always be but it is the one we choose to focus on that will have the most influence in our lives.
What if we replaced the books and history learned in school with good books to read?
This is one of the best books I’ve read this year(and I’ve read many). I highly recommend this book. My thanks to Larry Spotted Crow Mann.

[Sandra VonniessenApplebee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick but meaningful read. A different way to think about thanksgiving and the historical and ongoing narrative we as non indigenous people have created. An excellent read before thanksgiving. Thank you for this gift of learning.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Native American perspective on Thanksgiving and forgiveness.

[Vanessa Ferragut · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely and inspiring story. Educational and heartwarming.

[Jenna Hendrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

They need to hire a new copy editor

[Diana Eberhardt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned some things about Native people, but the writing and characterization were bad.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were great and the author did a great job giving each one a special touch. The story and its messages really hit home for me. I think it is important for everyone to hear both sides of history. It proved that what we have been taught in history classes is not always correct. Also, there was a great learning experience for the main character that is a terrific role model for today's young adults.

The reason I only gave it four stars is because of the grammatical and spelling errors in the book. I find it really difficult to read books with these problems. It causes incorrect reading of sentences. With spell and grammar checkers there is really no reason for it to happen these days.

[Sally Atwell Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written by a native American, and I wondered when I was reading it, if some of what happened in the story had happened to him. The main person in the story, left the Nipmuc reservation at a young adult age, and rarely ever came back. He traveled around to various other reservations and cities around the USA. Twenty years later, he returned to visit his sister and her family. He hates Thanksgiving, and wants to end it right where it began because the story most of us has been told, is not at all true. When he is finally able to talk to an elder of the tribe, he was able to completely tell his story, and the healing process began.

[Nick Vantangoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

[Rachael Kosinski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very good message, but very poor writing and editing.