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Three Threads Woven
*WILLA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST*
Wenona Black Elk is woven from three threads-Dakota Sioux, Navajo, and white. Her father trades his soul to keep the secret that he has created a child with a white woman. After asking his parents to raise Wenona, Joseph Black Elk is determined to never have anything to do with the baby again.
As a child, a stable family life eludes Wenona. She is shuffled from her Dakota Sioux grandparents' windswept farm in South Dakota to her great aunt's ranch on the Navajo desert. Her unstable father drops into her life at rare moments, leaving as quickly as he arrives. But Wenona faces more challenges than trying to figure out where she belongs-she is taunted by other children and called "half-blood." Her childhood is not easy, and despite all she endures, Wenona becomes a young woman with hopes and dreams. Unfortunately, she finds herself in an ill-fated marriage and soon after, her father unleashes a devastating blow.
Painted against the colorful backdrop of Dakota and Navajo culture, Wenona's journey carries her from prejudice to self-acceptance, forgiveness and the eventual realization that true family is found in the hidden depths of the heart.
Wenona Black Elk is woven from three threads-Dakota Sioux, Navajo, and white. Her father trades his soul to keep the secret that he has created a child with a white woman. After asking his parents to raise Wenona, Joseph Black Elk is determined to never have anything to do with the baby again.
As a child, a stable family life eludes Wenona. She is shuffled from her Dakota Sioux grandparents' windswept farm in South Dakota to her great aunt's ranch on the Navajo desert. Her unstable father drops into her life at rare moments, leaving as quickly as he arrives. But Wenona faces more challenges than trying to figure out where she belongs-she is taunted by other children and called "half-blood." Her childhood is not easy, and despite all she endures, Wenona becomes a young woman with hopes and dreams. Unfortunately, she finds herself in an ill-fated marriage and soon after, her father unleashes a devastating blow.
Painted against the colorful backdrop of Dakota and Navajo culture, Wenona's journey carries her from prejudice to self-acceptance, forgiveness and the eventual realization that true family is found in the hidden depths of the heart.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2009
33 people want to read
About the author
Lucinda Stein
14 books20 followersLucinda Stein loves good coffee, great books, and anything vintage. A school librarian for over twenty years, she enjoys sharing books on her book blog, spellboundcafe.com and on Instagram at lucindastein. Dry Run, Oklahoma was a 2018 Oklahoma Book Award finalist. Sanctuary: Family, Friends, & Strangers was a 2015 Colorado Book Award finalist. Three Threads Woven, was a 2010 WILLA finalist. Her story, Sulfur Springs, won First Place in the 2011 LAURA Short Fiction Award competition judged by Pam Houston. Her stories have appeared in Pooled Ink, The South Dakota Review, Fine Lines, and Women Writing the West online. Jadeite's Journey is her first YA novel. She is currently working on a second YA book.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 28, 2013
Wenona Black Elk is caught amongst her three cultures: Dakota, Sioux and White trying to figure out where she belongs. Her white mother cannot keep her, her father deserts her, yet she grows to become an independent woman with a strong connection to the earth and her faith.
May 19, 2013
This was a great read! I couldn't put the book down- I recommend it to anyone looking for a great story!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews