Buffalo Spirits

by Elizabeth Black

Selected from more than one thousand entries, this compelling debut novel begins with the sentence, "Going home is better than being home." Seeking spiritual rejuvenation, a Chicago journalist returns to her vanished childhood farm in Dodge City to reconnect with family, what family is left, and her childhood Familiar, a young Indian girl. In the process, she uncovers an old mystery dating back to the land of the farm before white people wrested it away from Native Americans. She also uncovers painful but necessary truths about her own heritage. Black beautifully and hauntingly depicts the majesty of the Great Plains. Elizabeth Black is a graphic artist and designer who has also written for every major Chicago newspaper.

350 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed, sensory language about the simplicity of growing up on the plains of Kansas. Who could ever find this interesting? Those of us with roots in this flatland, with similar preoccupations with the natural world of wind, buffalo grass, and meadowlarks will appreciate how the author slows us down to read about her childhood. Similarities to Kent Haruf without his technical skills in dialogue.

[J Melland]

engaging read, hard to put down. Ks author . Moves back and forth in time and viewpoint, tracing the effects of forced removal of indigenous people, irrigation and agribusiness livestock operations on western Ks in sometimes harrowing detail. highly recommended.

[Trish Remley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 3.5 for me. So much fact along with the fiction. Things I will remember - 1st the buffalo were killed to keep trains running on time & starve Native Americans onto the reservations, 2nd the ground was plowed for crops that are questionable, and now we are working on destruction of the water - the oggallala aquifer. A good weaving of growing up in a white farming family and the goings on in the 50's, 60's, 70's in western Kansas as well as around the country with the continuing effects on Native Americans.

[Shirleynature · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very passionate book alternating between two protagonists. Most of the story is told from the perspective of the author, a white woman living today. A few chapters are told from a Native American woman who survived the forced move to “Indian Territory” in Oklahoma. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes Barbara Kingsolver; their styles are similar. This very intense novel fits into many different fiction categories: Kansas history, Kansas environment, Native American history, autobiography, and spirituality. Also, this book won the 2003 Three Oaks Prize. Here is a link to a website about the book: http://www.buffalospirits.com/

The main character in this story is a journalist who grew up with a strong connection to the western Kansas land. Most of the book is told from her perspective-- a middle-aged white woman living today, but several chapters are told by a Native American woman who survived the forced move to “Indian Territory” in Oklahoma. Elizabeth Black is a local author. She won the 2003 Three Oaks Prize for this book.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book but recommend it with reservation to my Pennsylvania friends because it is about the Great Plains. The author does a wonderful job creating "place". Several in my book group found it hard to get into; but if you perservere, you will be rewarded.

[Lauren]

My friend sharon's dad's sister's book