Painted Turtle: Woman with Guitar

by Clarence Major

A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year

This novel, narrated by Baldy, a Navajo/Hopi guitar player, tells the story of Zuni folk singer Painted Turtle, from her childhood experiences on the reservation to her performances in cantinas in the Southwest. First published in 1988 and long out of print, this work from Clarence Major follows Painted Turtle as she seeks to assuage the spiritual sicknesses that have shaped her uneasy relationships with family, friends, and her tribe.

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Currently a professor of twentieth century American literature at the University of California at Davis, Clarence Major is a poet, painter and novelist who was born in Atlanta and grew up in Chicago.
Clarence Major was a finalist for the National Book Awards (1999). He is recipient of many awards, among them, a National Council on The Arts Award (1970), a Fulbright (1981-1983), a Western States Book Award (1986) and two Pushcart prizes--one for poetry, one for fiction. Major is a contributor to many periodicals and anthologies in the USA, Europe, South America and Africa. He has served as judge for The National Book Awards, the PEN-Faulkner Award and twice for the National Endowment for The Arts. Major has traveled extensively and lived in various parts of the United States and for extended periods in France and Italy. He has lectured and read his work in dozens of U. S. universities as well as in England, France, Liberia, West Germany, Ghana, and Italy.

Reviews

[Jmolentin]

So well researched and presented I really liked that the song lyrics were included.

[Priscilla Herrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Painted Turtle: Woman with Guitar, by Clarence Major, tells the story of Painted Turtle, a Zuni folksinger, as narrated by Baldy, a Navajo/Hopi guitarist. It is a tightly written, well developed story in the Native American tradition of magical realism. Originally published in 1998, Painted Turtle was published in paperback in 2015 by the University of New Mexico Press.

The surprise to me is that the author, Clarence Major, is an African-American poet, writer and visual artist, and professor emeritus of twentieth-century American literature at UC, Davis. While this is the first of Major's novels I've read, it will not be the last. I was lucky enough to win this book in the Goodreads First Books giveaway. I entered this particular giveaway because of my interest in Native American literature.

The narrative is so convincing I was sure the author had at some time lived on a southwestern Indian Reservation, that he had played cantinas and bars while trying to establish himself as a professional musician (or at least, one who could manage to support himself through his music), and surely he had known young Native American women struggling to live in Indian Country and the United States of America, without losing their souls in the process.

No matter that Major is not, himself, a Navajo or Hopi or even a Zuni! He presents two fully developed characters and tells their stories - who they were before they met, and of their journey together. In the process he shows the hardships of reservation life, and the rich cultural traditions. A discerning reader will gain some understanding of the most (socioeconomically) disadvantaged among us, and will appreciate the strength and perseverance of the human spirit.

[Kim Hampton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway. I had a hard time understanding parts of it, but I liked the characters. The ending seemed unfinished.