Shell Shaker

by LeAnne Howe

"A dangerous enemy has arrived on our shores with weapons of fire . . . He's a very different kind of Wasano, bloodsucker, he always hungers for more".—from Shell Shaker

The action in this debut novel alternates between 1738, as a Choctaw family prepares for war against the English, and the 1990s, as their Oklahoma descendants, the Billys, fight a Mafia takeover of the tribe's casino. In trouble with the law and in the fight of their lives, the Billy women must find a way, as their ancestors did, to join forces against a devious foe. Humor, toughness, and resourcefulness are the Billys' only weapons.

Until the Shell Shaker shows up.

LeAnne Howe, an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is a fiction writer, playwright, scholar and poet whose writings on Choctaw women are drawn from both personal experience and scholarly research. Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies, including Through the Eye of the Deer, Returning the Gift, Spider Woman's Granddaughters, and Earth Song, Sky Spirit, as well as in journals such as Callaloo and Fiction International.

Howe has read her fiction and lectured throughout the United States, Japan and the Middle East, and her plays have been produced in Los Angeles and New York City. She has also presented programs on recruitment and retention of American Indians at universities and colleges. Currently, she teaches in the English Department at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

In 1991, Howe received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to conduct research for Shell Shaker.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Indigenous, Native American, Magical Realism, Literary Fiction, School

227 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

LeAnne Howe is the author of three books, including Miko Kings: An Indian Baseball Story (Aunt Lute Books, 2007), and is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation. In 2006-2007 she was the John and Renee Grisham Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi at Oxford. She was the screenwriter for Indian Country Diaries: Spiral of Fire, a 90-minute PBS documentary released in November 2006. Howe's first novel, Shell Shaker (Aunt Lute Books, 2001), received an American Book Award in 2002. Her poetry collection, Evidence of Red (Salt Publishing, UK; 2005), was awarded the 2006 Oklahoma Book Award. Currently, Howe is Associate Professor and Interim Director of American Indian Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and teaches in the M.F.A. program there. She divides her time between her home in Ada, Oklahoma and her academic life in Illinois.

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

To my dearest department of English: thank you for making me read this book! I'm not sure if I would have encountered it otherwise, and it was excellent! I look forward to reading critical pieces about this work and reading more by Howe (yes, I know what I nerd I am).

Shell Shaker has a plot which is difficult to summarize. It is primarily about a female Choctaw family, the legends of their tribe and their struggles to deal with corruption in their tribe. I know that's really vague, but I don't want to give anything away! I'm impressed by how many themes this covers, including how Americans and Europeans treat American Indians, stereotypes we hold about them, spirituality, tradition, family. I could go on, but I believe you get the idea.

I will admit that this novel is confusing at first because the narration shifts between time periods that are about 250ish years apart. If you decide to pick up this novel (which you should), bear with it! It makes sense by the end. Howe has written a story about a family and people getting in touch with their past, among other things, and while that may sound cliche, the way it was executed felt original. I loved how by the end of the novel she tied up her plot without confining her characters.

Speaking of characters, I think Howe does a great job of developing them. She definitely made me love some, yet be incredibly mad at others. Major kudos there. I could definitely stand to read more about them, and not because she underdeveloped them! Also, I have to say that I enjoyed her writing. It felt very lyrical and poetic to me at times.

If you're interested in reading fiction about American Indians, pick this up. I don't think you'll regret it.

[Stas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious book. Blown away.
Gruesome. Just the right amount of magical/tribal realism. Humorous and deeply moving.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember reading this while having a glass of wine on Jerome's pontoon one summer. It's funny and complicated and intense. It's a mystery that takes place in contemporary times and the 1700's. It's about family and community and righting the wrongs of the past. I loved this book so much that I taught it twice and author LeAnne Howe came to speak to my classes once. It's a super book that no one has read. You should!

[Ai Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh this book was just absolutely gorgeous and incredible. The intertwining stories were just incredible--and easy to follow, which is something I often struggle with when reading books like this. But this was not only so clear and connected but it also was just so beautifully crafted? There were so many beautiful, beautiful lines and I blew through it so quickly because I just could not put it down. Such a gorgeous, amazing book, and I want so many other people to read it.

[Michelle Boyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deeply entertaining story about what happens when Shell Shakers of the past unite with women today that are in need of help, especially when it comes to removing dirty politicians from office. Great story. A lot of traditional Choctaw information woven into a contemporary story. It took me some time to get into the story, but once I did, I could not put it down.

[Catie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I read it for my Women's Literature class and it grasped me by the hands and pulled me along a beautifully detailed account of history, repetition, and murder in the Choctaw community in Oklahoma. A fantastic fictional piece that I will most certainly read again!

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's so much *in* this novel - history, culture, politics - but all I ever felt reading it was carried along by a kinda-sorta-nah-not-really mystery novel. It's not quite right to say that it isn't a genre book - it has the tight pacing and just-one-more-page of great crime and suspense writing, but Howe takes what she needs from the form, and leaves the rest behind. In its place, she has a story of women, women at the centre of a community and a culture, navigating their lives in the modern constraints placed upon Indigenous peoples. The characterisation and plot were tight enough to carry me through when things got seriously trippy, never my preference.
There is a lot of culture and mythology in the book, but the book never wavers from being about the people at it's centre, whether in the 18 or 20th centuries. Howe never takes her gaze off what makes people tick, and who these women and men are. At the end of the day, she draws a bunch of people you can spend hours with.

[Koa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! kind of artsy (not in a bad way) but maybe that's b/c I haven't read much fiction lately. confusing at times it jumps between two different time spacesr, so it's not the kind of book you can just sit back you have to engage yourself with it. Once you get to the end the confusing part makes sense because there is a twist to the book which is definately a pay off. This book is fiction, but it discusses real issues the Choctaw peoples face. Self governance being influenced from the outside, trying to hold on to Choctaw identity in a modern world, Choctaw history, and recalling that traditional cultural base. had to read it for my Indigenous Politics class. I highly recomend the book. Written by Native writter about Native peoples.

[Ms. Traeger Traeger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is tragic and funny and uplifting and suspense-filled. It's complicated (I made a character family tree in the back flap of my copy to help), but absolutely worth the investment of time. The story alternates between a modern day murder mystery related to casino money on a tribal reservation and a murder that happened in the 1700's in the same tribe. In order to solve the modern mystery, the characters must resolve the problems of their ancestors. Author LeAnne Howe a professor and teacher as well as a writer and is also an enrolled member of the Choctaw nation in Oklahoma. Readers learn a lot about Choctaw history, culture and language while engrossed in the story of the Billy family.

[English Education]

A chronicle that hops between the 1990s and 1738, a narration about the Chocotaw nation and how one bad decision still follows a family of Indian's today. This novel is about reconciliation between family members and the past and the present as well.

Teachers will like this because it provides a different look into the lives of present day Indians and how many have become well off on their own. Furthermore the novel illustrates the family dynamic and the power of women within them and society.

Students will love this because it is female centered, how in most cultures are male dominated but this one is about empowering women.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story follows a clan of Choctaw women (mostly) in two timelines, the 1750's and the 1990's. It's mystical and reverent and an excellent tale to read on a rainy day with dark chocolate and wine. At times it's a little confusing to figure out just exactly who you're reading about, but the book is well worth the effort. I enjoyed learning about all the Choctaw lore.

[Sheila Rocha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Craft is good...the reflective angle of time is trite. If you like mystery novels, you'll enjoy this book, however, the author over indulges in multiplicities of the gorgeous woman. You see the female character in varying shades of lipstick, but you miss the heart of her being.

[Jnguyen921 · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is an awesome fiction novel...so suspensful and very hard to put down..A++++ rating

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for a Native American Literature class so I had some guidance in reading it and a lot of good discussion. But it is a good story and inspiring for women.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love LeAnne Howe. This book briefly had me accepting things I wouldn't normally consider like necrophilia as practical and sexy.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

So uniquely written and absolutely fascinating the way Howe connects the past with the present.

[Don Flynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mystery that takes place both in the past and present, steeped in ancient traditions and modern survival within a hostile society. The best Native novel I've read since Fool's Crow.

[Martha Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Native American novel that was by no means eurocentric. It was wonderful to read a book about something so far from myself.

[Kelsey Goldstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must say that the first chapter did a pretty good job of drawing me in. I love historical fiction, so the portions told from Shakbatina’s and the other eighteenth century Native Americans’ points of view were interesting to me. I was expecting to feel the same way about the “modern” portions of the story, but, unfortunately, I did not. As much as I appreciated the unique way that the story was told—flipping back and forth between the past lives of the characters and the present—I did not feel any sort of attachment to them. They felt very flat. I think this is perhaps because the author spent so much time working on making connections between the characters’ past and present selves that there was not enough time to really round them out. On top of it, the story had so many different characters and was told from several different points of view. This hindered my creating an attachment to any one or two characters. I felt very little sympathy for anyone other than the first character I was introduced to: Shakbatina. Even Auda, who has terrible things done to her and does suffer, seemed very “fake”. (I’m sure there’s a better word to be used here, but I cannot find it. I simply mean that she wasn’t fleshed out enough for me.) Rather than sympathy, I felt pity. I know it is easy for me to say that it’s stupid because I have never been in such a situation, but I have a hard time connecting with female characters who allow themselves to be led on, tricked, abused, and they choose to remain in that situation. Overall, I would have to say that I connected the most with Isaac Billy. His kind heart and quick wit were very endearing.

I wish I had enjoyed this book more. It was a fairly quick read, but I wish I’d relished the process. I am not a fan of “magic” books and this was one of those. I’m not against the supernatural, but this one was a little bit too over the top for me. I’m sure that there are those out there who love this book—more power to them. This one was just not for me—not terrible! Just not for me.

[Sam Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly this book has a lot of really good things to say and really interesting ways to talk about them, so the rating doesn't really do it justice. I think it would be more accurately a 3.5 or maybe a 4, only brought down by how difficult and rather impenetrable it was for me. The cycling of the narrative between several characters in the present day of 1991 and the past of the 18th century, while providing fascinating opportunities for parallels and connections to be drawn between the contemporary and historical characters, left the story feeling like it wasn't progressing but was rather spiraling in place. I really like the characters, events, and themes, but I feel like I can't properly rate this book higher than a 3.5 or so without like, reading it again. I think I would have to read it again to really grasp it.

Moments/themes I loved though:
The elements of theatre that were incorporated via the character of Tema Billy. Just a fun through line.
Via Tema, Auda, etc., the discussion of the tension between members of indigenous nations leaving traditional lands for success elsewhere vs. the maintenance of tribal institutions, practices, and culture in its environment.
The scenes in the past and the descriptions of traditional Choctaw rituals.
The thematic connection between this novel and Farid ud Din Attar's Conference of the Birds, a personal favorite Sufi poem of mine! It is brought up on like, two or three occasions, and the novel draws a parallel between Choctaw religion and Sufi Islam which was super interesting.
The characters are generally very distinctive and well written even if I didn't always know what was going on.

[Shelley Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It’s a belief the Choctaws have—that almost everything in life is meant to be shared. Especially tragedy.” This is a book that needs to be shared. If I believed in rating books by stars, it would be a five star novel—no, make it six or seven stars. The writing is sheer poetry, the kind that lifts you up and radiates grace.

This enthralling story opens in 1738, in a powerful Choctaw community on the edge of war. A mother named Shakbatina, Choctaw leader and Shell Shaker, prepares to sacrifice herself for peace, in order to save her oldest daughter’s life. The scene shifts to 1991, where Auda Billy works to expose the political corruption of Redford McAlester, the seventh Chief of the Oklahoma Choctaws. She has to work to free herself, too, from McAlester’s charismatic power, as the two are lovers. By the end of the day Redford will be dead, and Auda, and her mother, will be accused of his murder. Auda’s sisters and the wider Billy family gathered together to prove her innocence.

The Billy women are descendants of Shakbatina, who lived in a time of great change in Choctaw history. The unresolved issues of corruption and redemption in the 18th century intrudes upon the 20th century, and guides and influences the modern Billy women. The shifts between times and characters are so skillfully done. This is really one of the most beautiful books I have read in a long, long time.

[Kaylee Palomino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first novel about Native American culture, and people who are looking to diversify their reading and library collections, this is great for understanding Native American literature. Howe does an excellent job of explaining Choctaw culture through her detailed descriptions. She executes her switching from past to present very well, while also clearly showing the reincarnation of kindred spirits within a family lineage. Not only does Howe center her novel around Choctaw culture, but she also centers it around the strength and leadership of women. One thing that I find very unique in Howe's writing style is that she does not specifically write for one single audience. She allows her novel to be accessibly read by fellow Native Americans, as well as people who are not included in Native culture. She invites outsiders into Choctaw culture while creating a space for those who already understand, identify with, and participate in the culture.

[Jan Cole · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this for Let's Talk About It, Oklahoma. We haven't had the discussion yet and I hope it adds to my understanding. The plot jumps from the 1700's to the 1990's with murders of two chiefs of the Choctaw tribe. At least that's what I think was happening. A lot of Indian words and phrases are written in with no definition so there were many gaps in my understanding.
Many times the story would revert to a dream state with symbolic animals. The Mafia was included. It's violent and gave me nightmares.

I finished this because I felt like I needed to for the book group but I'm sorry I wasted my time.

[Melissa Walcott · Rating 4 out of 5]

[POSSIBLE SPOILERS] - READ AT OWN RISK

Upon finishing the novel, I am content and pleased with the structure of the novel and overall history that I have learned contrasting with Cherokee history. I really enjoyed the way LeAnne Howe structured Shell Shaker with glances of the past and how she blurred the lines between reality and the spiritual world presented in the religion of the Choctaw. The characters were also excellently written and I not once found myself bored or detached from the story. My favorite parts were when we were transported to the time of Shakbatina and the spiral of events following her sacrificial death.

[JP · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page turner. Wonderfully narrated historical fiction that weaves between time periods of early colonization and the present day in Choctaw territory/ Oklahoma and Mississippi with an epic mystery of love and murder; clan wars amid colonial takeover; the modern day life on the reservation that results from all of that; and of a history that is repeating itself in the spiritual realm of our heroine and her loved ones, characters which really came to life in my mind as I read.
I learned quite some about the history of the Choctaw nation, cultural practices and language. Things unknown to me prior.
I sped through it; a lean and very juicy novel!

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved the way Howe worked the parallel storylines and characters, and it was super cool to learn more about the Choctaw nation generally. The middle of the book started to go a little off-the-rails for me once timelines were starting to blur--not that I didn't care for this device, it just seemed like it could have used a bit more finesse. I also had a hard time taking the legal drama aspect of the plot seriously--coming from public defense, I found it wildly not at all how the legal process works...I suspect even for the Choctaw Superior Court. That said, the characters and overall gist of the plot sparkle enough to overshadow some of the drawbacks.

[janna ✭ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

This was incredibly beautiful and poignant, I really enjoyed it! I loved the way it blends history with the present and though that aspect got a bit confusing sometimes, I think that was done intentionally, so I didn't mind too much. Also loved that this book makes reference to Palestine (and the IRA, as well). Someone brought up this reference in class and it made me so happy because it was the first time throughout my entire degree that we discussed Palestine in any of my classes. Really impactful novel, glad I read it.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took me a bit longer to read than normal...but that might simply be pandemic reading being a thing. I really appreciated the way LeAnne Howe wove together the stories from different timelines and the characters she created. This felt like it was very community centered in a way or that it focused on the love a family had for each other. I'm glad I read it for a class and I think it would be great for discussion in a class.

[Amy Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel makes an indelible impression, and it is so, so good. This book was recommended to me over a decade ago and has been sleeping since then on my bookshelf, waiting for the right moment. When the moment came, I tore through it in two days, totally transfixed at Howe's storytelling--powerful, intimate, surprising. The way Howe approaches the ideas of legacy, birthright, redemption, and healing over the centuries simply blew me away.

[ceci 🍎 · Rating 5 out of 5]

i am so appreciative for my native american literature class requiring me to read this book because it is definitely not a book i would have picked up myself. in 2025 i want to expand my reading pallet, especially diversify it with poc authors and stories. shell shaker was not only a great story about the choctaw tribe but about sisterhood and healing generational trauma.