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Two Spirits: A Story Of Life With The Navajo
Twenty years after publishing his groundbreaking The Spirit and The Sexual Diversity in American Indian Culture, anthropologist Walter L. Williams publishes another book on Native Americans, teaming up with award-winning writer Toby Johnson. Together they have produced a work of historical fiction that is striking in its evocation of Native American oppression, but also of insightful Navajo philosophy, spirituality, and gender wisdom. Set in the Civil War era of the 1860s, this novel tells the story of a feckless Virginian who comes West and finds himself captivated by a crossdressing Two-Spirit male shaman, highly respected among the Navajo as spiritual leader and healer. Together the pair help the Navajo return to their sacred homelands. Full of suspense, plot twists, and endearing romance, Two Spirits will captivate readers with its positive approach to life and love and its wonderful ending. The novel is, at once, educational, entertaining, sexy, romantic, mystical, enlightened.
334 pages, Paperback
First published June 10, 2005
14 people are currently reading
428 people want to read
About the author
Walter L. Williams
12 books9 followersWalter Williams received his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and taught American Indian Studies at UCLA, and as professor of anthropology, history, and gender studies, at the University of Southern California. He taught at Buddhist monasteries in Thailand, and was also Fulbright Research Professor at Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia. He is now retired and living in a Maya community in southern Mexico.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 12, 2011
Originally penned by Walter L. Williams as the journal entries of fictional character Will Lee, Two Spirits is the tale of one man, one two-spirit male, and the whole population of Navajo that for several years, were forced to live on the Bosque-Redondo Reservation, an “experiement” by the US Government that was essentially one of the steps in the slow genocide of the largest indigenous American tribe in history. The story follows Will Lee, the son of a Virginian preacher, who after taking flight from his hometown after being caught doing a “sinful” deed with his best friend, makes his way to Washington in search of a government position that will take him far away to start a new life. He becomes the apprentice to the Indian Agent at Fort Sumner, the fort guarding the Bosque-Redondo Reservation, and after a long train journey west, finds himself in an arid desert devoid of life. Upon being summoned to Gen. Carleton, the General who instigated the enforcement, allocation, and herding of 12,000 Navajo halfway across the state of New Mexico, he is told that the old Indian Agent is dead and that he is now the new one. Alarmed that he has been thrust into a job in which he knows nothing about, he immediately tries to do the best job he can while not stepping on anyone toes. As Indian Agent, it is his job to be the liaison between the Navajo and the US Government, and he is appalled by the conditions in which they are living. While the soldiers are well fed and housed, the Navajo are malnurished and living in dire conditions. He has been told that the US Government has allocated money toward this “experiment”, all in an effort to encourage the Navajo to become self-sufficient and educate them out of the savagery of their nature. Yet, from what Will can see, none of this is happening. How can the Navajo become self-sufficient when they have no crops to harvest and no animals to produce wool? Where is the money going?
Will does everything he can to show the Navajo that he truly wants to help them and will do whatever he can to keep his promises. They are reluctant, however, and only after Will rescues several Navajo from a flash flood while the soldiers look on in silence, do they see that he is different from the Hairy Faces they have met before. The more they welcome him into their homes, the more fascinated he becomes with them. When they tell him their stories, and the story of the Long Walk, the horrific migration forced upon them by Gen. Carleton and his soldiers, he sees that they are not savages. And only from understanding how cruel his father’s religion was to him, does he understand that to the US Government, “savage” means unchristian. More than any of this, however, he finds that he is fascinated by what seems to be their spiritual leader, Hasbaa. Will later learns that Hasbaa is what the Diné (or, the Navajo) regard as a two-spirit person. With a male body, Hasbaa has the soul and spirit of a woman. To the Diné, two-spirit persons are considered a great gift to spread enlightenment and understanding, and as such, Hasbaa holds a place of high honor within their tribe.
As a battle rages within Will to reconcile his culture with the Diné culture, so does an enmity grow between Will and Gen. Carleton. The General seems to be harboring many secrets and also unwilling to listen to any grievances brought to him by Will, so much that Will starts to fear for his life and for those he has grown to care about. How can one man, still innocent in the ways of the world, start the course to affect change? And how can he do it in a way that will not only win Hasbaa’s love, but also deliver her people from the dying of their race?
I must tell you, that this is the most daunting book that I’ve ever had to review. It is also, by far, the best. To review a novel that tells of an epic journey and love, one that made me cry in sympathy and joy, and most of all affected me deeply in a way that, for the first time connected me to a part of my heritage that my family has all but forgotten, is a great honor. This is a coming of age story in the journey that Will takes from a young boy in Lynchburg, Virginia, afraid of his desires and reluctant to make his own decisions, to the man of honor he becomes, who has a love and family to fight for. Yet at the same time it is a triumphant story of Hasbaa and the whole of the Diné, who suffered such horrible atrocities without ever losing their spirit.
The story is told in the third-person close POV of Will, opening at his arrival at Ft. Sumner with periodic flashbacks telling the story of how he came to be the Indian Agent. I describe the story as epic because we travel along with Will in his journey, most important of which, is his journey of self-awareness told in three parts. He begins the story as a doe-eyed child, still retaining his innocence even after the condemnation of his father before their whole town. He takes his first step out of childhood by making the choice to live, to run away and begin a new life instead of committing suicide. He arrives at Ft. Sumner fresh out of that childhood, yet with the idealism of a fresh-faced youth, untried and uneducated in the ways of the real world. For most of the novel he fumbles through this middle stage in his awakening, half in his own culture and half in the Diné culture. A part of him rebels against the evil in his own culture. Though he comes to believe that every story the Diné tell him of their persecution is true, he refuses to believe that he has the power to instigate the change that will return them to their homeland. He doesn’t yet believe in himself, and only with his acceptance of his own sexuality and of the way the Diné honor it instead of condemn it, does he allow himself to accept his burgeoning relationship with Hasbaa and his place within the tribe. This leads to my favorite part of the novel — the moment that takes him into the third stage of his enlightenment — wisdom and contenment. Here is a quote as this change took place during his solo journey through the desert:
This vision that Will has finally come to understand is the beginning of the culmination in his epic quest. Freed from the judgement of a angry God, he understands that he is one man, all alone except for those he binds himself to. This, as well as the love he has received from Hasbaa, gives him the courage to take charge of his own life and the bravery to do whatever is in his power to free the people who have welcomed him with open arms.
For the full review, please visit Reviews by Jessewave.
Will does everything he can to show the Navajo that he truly wants to help them and will do whatever he can to keep his promises. They are reluctant, however, and only after Will rescues several Navajo from a flash flood while the soldiers look on in silence, do they see that he is different from the Hairy Faces they have met before. The more they welcome him into their homes, the more fascinated he becomes with them. When they tell him their stories, and the story of the Long Walk, the horrific migration forced upon them by Gen. Carleton and his soldiers, he sees that they are not savages. And only from understanding how cruel his father’s religion was to him, does he understand that to the US Government, “savage” means unchristian. More than any of this, however, he finds that he is fascinated by what seems to be their spiritual leader, Hasbaa. Will later learns that Hasbaa is what the Diné (or, the Navajo) regard as a two-spirit person. With a male body, Hasbaa has the soul and spirit of a woman. To the Diné, two-spirit persons are considered a great gift to spread enlightenment and understanding, and as such, Hasbaa holds a place of high honor within their tribe.
As a battle rages within Will to reconcile his culture with the Diné culture, so does an enmity grow between Will and Gen. Carleton. The General seems to be harboring many secrets and also unwilling to listen to any grievances brought to him by Will, so much that Will starts to fear for his life and for those he has grown to care about. How can one man, still innocent in the ways of the world, start the course to affect change? And how can he do it in a way that will not only win Hasbaa’s love, but also deliver her people from the dying of their race?
I must tell you, that this is the most daunting book that I’ve ever had to review. It is also, by far, the best. To review a novel that tells of an epic journey and love, one that made me cry in sympathy and joy, and most of all affected me deeply in a way that, for the first time connected me to a part of my heritage that my family has all but forgotten, is a great honor. This is a coming of age story in the journey that Will takes from a young boy in Lynchburg, Virginia, afraid of his desires and reluctant to make his own decisions, to the man of honor he becomes, who has a love and family to fight for. Yet at the same time it is a triumphant story of Hasbaa and the whole of the Diné, who suffered such horrible atrocities without ever losing their spirit.
The story is told in the third-person close POV of Will, opening at his arrival at Ft. Sumner with periodic flashbacks telling the story of how he came to be the Indian Agent. I describe the story as epic because we travel along with Will in his journey, most important of which, is his journey of self-awareness told in three parts. He begins the story as a doe-eyed child, still retaining his innocence even after the condemnation of his father before their whole town. He takes his first step out of childhood by making the choice to live, to run away and begin a new life instead of committing suicide. He arrives at Ft. Sumner fresh out of that childhood, yet with the idealism of a fresh-faced youth, untried and uneducated in the ways of the real world. For most of the novel he fumbles through this middle stage in his awakening, half in his own culture and half in the Diné culture. A part of him rebels against the evil in his own culture. Though he comes to believe that every story the Diné tell him of their persecution is true, he refuses to believe that he has the power to instigate the change that will return them to their homeland. He doesn’t yet believe in himself, and only with his acceptance of his own sexuality and of the way the Diné honor it instead of condemn it, does he allow himself to accept his burgeoning relationship with Hasbaa and his place within the tribe. This leads to my favorite part of the novel — the moment that takes him into the third stage of his enlightenment — wisdom and contenment. Here is a quote as this change took place during his solo journey through the desert:
How have I ever failed to realize the sun is God?
It’s from the warmth of the bright burning star overhead that all life grows on earth. Even in this blazing heat, that’s obvious. The lush woods back home, the grassy prairies, this barren desert—the plants, the birds in the air, the fishes in the sea, and animals on the land—all are incarnations of the light pouring down from heaven. And, in us human beings, somehow, that life has become conscious of itself and has begun to imagine the source of life is personal, like a parent. But it’s not. The personality is in us. Not out there.
Will felt a wonderful relief that the sun was not personal. This God he glimpsed had no opinions, didn’t care a whit about what he did, didn’t judge or condemn. God just radiated life… I’m always in the presence of God, Will rejoiced, weary with travel and dazed by the heat and brightness. Beauty before me, beauty behind me, beauty above me and beauty below me. All around me is beauty.
This vision that Will has finally come to understand is the beginning of the culmination in his epic quest. Freed from the judgement of a angry God, he understands that he is one man, all alone except for those he binds himself to. This, as well as the love he has received from Hasbaa, gives him the courage to take charge of his own life and the bravery to do whatever is in his power to free the people who have welcomed him with open arms.
For the full review, please visit Reviews by Jessewave.
May 23, 2010
I had looked forward to reading this book, and it was a terrific disappointment. The scholarship may have been top-notch, but academic credentials do not necessarily give a writer the chops to make a story interesting.
November 28, 2010
This is a novel that admirably fits the category of ‘historical fiction’.
The history: Set in the rugged Territory of New Mexico in the 1860s, it tells the story of a tender love that blooms against a backdrop of shame, cruelty, corruption and death.
In 1864 twelve thousand Navajo (Diné) were forced to march from their homeland in Canyon de Chelly (now Nevada) to Bosque Redondo Reserve outside Fort Sumner; a distance of 325 miles in the dead of winter. More than three thousand individuals died en-route, and because the soil was so unfertile at the Reserve another quarter of the population may have died as a result of starvation.
This ill-fated scheme was the brainchild of General James Carlton, a so-called “Indian Fighter” who regarded the Navajo as “savages,” per se, and promptly set about embezzling money and supplies from them; making their existence even more precarious.
The fiction: William Lee is a young, idealistic and confused young man, who is literally cast out into the world after being caught by his fundamentalist father having exploratory sex with another youngster. Now disowned, he is assisted by a sympathetic member of the community and eventually sent to New Mexico as the apprentice to the Indian Agent at Bosque Redondo—more-or-less a banishment from the God-fearing, white society.
Unbeknownst to Washington or William Lee, the Indian Agent has ‘disappeared’ from his post, and Lee therefore becomes the acting Agent in his absence. Well aware of his inexperience, General Carlton sets about moulding his character by treating him like a novice clerk whose only function is to maintain the status quo of Carlton’s making.
Early in William’s experience he encounters a mysterious, but strikingly handsome ‘woman,’ named Hasbaá—in reality a Two Spirit, possessing both male and female spirits. Such individuals were considered a blessing sent by the Great Spirit, and possessed very powerful medicine for healing and other religious ceremonies. Of course William is unaware of any of this, and his confusion is only exacerbated when he discovers the Hasbaá has the body of a man. Nonetheless, Will and Hasbaá are drawn together, and the two of them eventually fall in love.
William then goes on to learn the ways of the Navajo, assisted by an old woman who acts as his interpreter, and at the same time he begins to learn about himself—ultimately accepting his homosexuality. His curiosity doesn’t end there, however, because he goes on to enquire into the discrepancies that are becoming apparent at the Fort—an inquiry fraught with intrigue and danger.
***
The question that always accompanies historical fiction, is: Is it history, or is it fiction? In fact the resolution between these two fundamentals is a very tricky business, indeed. The ideal, of course, is a more-or-less 50/50 split; provided the two are woven seamlessly into an integrated whole. Only then, in my opinion, has the writer achieved harmony.
If I have one criticism of this novel it is that the fiction does not always measure up to the history; seeming at times to almost be a contrivance to introduce a fact, etc. Moreover, the ‘old lady’ character who is charged with interpreting some very complex Navajo beliefs, while obviously needing to be wise, is far too articulate to be credible as a woman with no educational background.
Having said that I hasten to add the pluses far outweigh the negatives, and I therefore recommend Two Spirits: A Story of Life With The Navajo as an entertaining and fascinating tale of historical and sociological significance.
The history: Set in the rugged Territory of New Mexico in the 1860s, it tells the story of a tender love that blooms against a backdrop of shame, cruelty, corruption and death.
In 1864 twelve thousand Navajo (Diné) were forced to march from their homeland in Canyon de Chelly (now Nevada) to Bosque Redondo Reserve outside Fort Sumner; a distance of 325 miles in the dead of winter. More than three thousand individuals died en-route, and because the soil was so unfertile at the Reserve another quarter of the population may have died as a result of starvation.
This ill-fated scheme was the brainchild of General James Carlton, a so-called “Indian Fighter” who regarded the Navajo as “savages,” per se, and promptly set about embezzling money and supplies from them; making their existence even more precarious.
The fiction: William Lee is a young, idealistic and confused young man, who is literally cast out into the world after being caught by his fundamentalist father having exploratory sex with another youngster. Now disowned, he is assisted by a sympathetic member of the community and eventually sent to New Mexico as the apprentice to the Indian Agent at Bosque Redondo—more-or-less a banishment from the God-fearing, white society.
Unbeknownst to Washington or William Lee, the Indian Agent has ‘disappeared’ from his post, and Lee therefore becomes the acting Agent in his absence. Well aware of his inexperience, General Carlton sets about moulding his character by treating him like a novice clerk whose only function is to maintain the status quo of Carlton’s making.
Early in William’s experience he encounters a mysterious, but strikingly handsome ‘woman,’ named Hasbaá—in reality a Two Spirit, possessing both male and female spirits. Such individuals were considered a blessing sent by the Great Spirit, and possessed very powerful medicine for healing and other religious ceremonies. Of course William is unaware of any of this, and his confusion is only exacerbated when he discovers the Hasbaá has the body of a man. Nonetheless, Will and Hasbaá are drawn together, and the two of them eventually fall in love.
William then goes on to learn the ways of the Navajo, assisted by an old woman who acts as his interpreter, and at the same time he begins to learn about himself—ultimately accepting his homosexuality. His curiosity doesn’t end there, however, because he goes on to enquire into the discrepancies that are becoming apparent at the Fort—an inquiry fraught with intrigue and danger.
***
The question that always accompanies historical fiction, is: Is it history, or is it fiction? In fact the resolution between these two fundamentals is a very tricky business, indeed. The ideal, of course, is a more-or-less 50/50 split; provided the two are woven seamlessly into an integrated whole. Only then, in my opinion, has the writer achieved harmony.
If I have one criticism of this novel it is that the fiction does not always measure up to the history; seeming at times to almost be a contrivance to introduce a fact, etc. Moreover, the ‘old lady’ character who is charged with interpreting some very complex Navajo beliefs, while obviously needing to be wise, is far too articulate to be credible as a woman with no educational background.
Having said that I hasten to add the pluses far outweigh the negatives, and I therefore recommend Two Spirits: A Story of Life With The Navajo as an entertaining and fascinating tale of historical and sociological significance.
Read
May 18, 2009When I was a teen I was deeply fascinated by the Native American culture. Two of my favorite books were Dee Brown's Buy My Heart at Wounded Knee (that I searched for a bit since when I was young the Italian version of that book was out of stock) and a book who tried to tell from a different point of view the spanish "Conquest", and for this reason the title was 2941 (1492 on the other verse). Unfortunately they were never light books, since it's not easy to write of the Native Americans and be light, there is so little joy in that period for them. More when you think that most of the tribes were peaceful like the Dinè (Navajo). For this reason I like this book, since it didn't take with lightness the matter, but it gave also hope to the story of the two main characters.
William Lee, ex southern son of a preacher, left his home in disgrace after that his father found him in a barn with a young male friend... and it was obvious that they were not only friends. With some luck from his side (or maybe not after he realized in what he ended up), he became apprentice for the Indian Agent at Fort Summer, only to find out that the previous Agent is vanished and he is now the new Agent. But this is not the only surprise for William: he went in the Indian reserve believing to find almost a lost paradise, where the Native Americans are leaving in peace and prosperity, thanks to the unselfish help of the white men. And instead the reserve is more or less a detention field, and the Navajos there are slowly dying from starvation, since there is no way for them to farm the land or the herd the sheep. And if they are not dying from natural causes, they are killed from the soldiers who instead of take them safe, are using them as personal play things.
Probably William didn't arrive at the reserve with noble idea of being a saviour, even if a bit of his father's lessons probably still are inside him, but now that he is there, he can't help to feel sympathy for this people, even more since among them he meets Hasbaa, a Two-Spirits, a man who has inside him also the spirit of a woman. Hasbaa considers himself a widow, since he lost his warrior's lover and to show his grief he chose to wear only as a woman and to renounce to all the physical joy that he can find with another man. Since no one among the Native Americans treats him in a different way or looks at him in a strange way since he dresses like a woman, no one outside the reserve knows that Hasbaa is a man. William is deeply surprised, but also fascinated, to see that there is a way for him to love a man, and live happy. I don't know if William decides to help the Native Americans to have a chance with Hasbaa or if he really wants to help them, but in a way or another, William makes his the right of his new people.
As I said, I like this book, because, even if faithful to the story, it's not a sad book. It was really an easy ready that will make happy the history lover as well as the romantic reader. I believe that Hasbaa is a really historic accurate character, and even if he is a very good romance hero, he still remain faithful to his time and period. This good blend between history and romance probably is due to the good mix of the two authors that arrive from different origins, but come together to write a very moving but at the same time tender book.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1590210603/?...
William Lee, ex southern son of a preacher, left his home in disgrace after that his father found him in a barn with a young male friend... and it was obvious that they were not only friends. With some luck from his side (or maybe not after he realized in what he ended up), he became apprentice for the Indian Agent at Fort Summer, only to find out that the previous Agent is vanished and he is now the new Agent. But this is not the only surprise for William: he went in the Indian reserve believing to find almost a lost paradise, where the Native Americans are leaving in peace and prosperity, thanks to the unselfish help of the white men. And instead the reserve is more or less a detention field, and the Navajos there are slowly dying from starvation, since there is no way for them to farm the land or the herd the sheep. And if they are not dying from natural causes, they are killed from the soldiers who instead of take them safe, are using them as personal play things.
Probably William didn't arrive at the reserve with noble idea of being a saviour, even if a bit of his father's lessons probably still are inside him, but now that he is there, he can't help to feel sympathy for this people, even more since among them he meets Hasbaa, a Two-Spirits, a man who has inside him also the spirit of a woman. Hasbaa considers himself a widow, since he lost his warrior's lover and to show his grief he chose to wear only as a woman and to renounce to all the physical joy that he can find with another man. Since no one among the Native Americans treats him in a different way or looks at him in a strange way since he dresses like a woman, no one outside the reserve knows that Hasbaa is a man. William is deeply surprised, but also fascinated, to see that there is a way for him to love a man, and live happy. I don't know if William decides to help the Native Americans to have a chance with Hasbaa or if he really wants to help them, but in a way or another, William makes his the right of his new people.
As I said, I like this book, because, even if faithful to the story, it's not a sad book. It was really an easy ready that will make happy the history lover as well as the romantic reader. I believe that Hasbaa is a really historic accurate character, and even if he is a very good romance hero, he still remain faithful to his time and period. This good blend between history and romance probably is due to the good mix of the two authors that arrive from different origins, but come together to write a very moving but at the same time tender book.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1590210603/?...
February 25, 2012
When I read this story, I took the description of Navajo life with a grain of salt. I didn't know how much liberty the author had taken, or if the descriptions were very accurate. I had before heard about Two Spirits and that the Native American's are said to have been more accepting towards transgenders and homosexuality.
I thought the story started a little bit slow, and that it took a while to get to the more interesting part of the story. I wasn't interested in Will's life before arriving to the reservation, I was interested about his life with the Navajos and Nadleh. But writing about how Will became to be who he was and how he came to the reservation gave depth to him and explained parts of the story later on.
Regardless if the information about Navajo life were true or not, it was interesting to read and think about the philosophy lessons that were given. Nadleh was a fascinating character to get to know and Dezba as well.
All in all, I enjoyed the story for what it was, a story and not a culture/history lesson. I did get irritated with the thoughts of Will written down in 1:st POV. I didn't think that those parts gave anything meaningful to the story and it just seemed ugly to me to have it liked that. But I liked all the characters in it, the way they were build and the depth of the most important ones. It's a good read, but nothing spectacular.
I thought the story started a little bit slow, and that it took a while to get to the more interesting part of the story. I wasn't interested in Will's life before arriving to the reservation, I was interested about his life with the Navajos and Nadleh. But writing about how Will became to be who he was and how he came to the reservation gave depth to him and explained parts of the story later on.
Regardless if the information about Navajo life were true or not, it was interesting to read and think about the philosophy lessons that were given. Nadleh was a fascinating character to get to know and Dezba as well.
All in all, I enjoyed the story for what it was, a story and not a culture/history lesson. I did get irritated with the thoughts of Will written down in 1:st POV. I didn't think that those parts gave anything meaningful to the story and it just seemed ugly to me to have it liked that. But I liked all the characters in it, the way they were build and the depth of the most important ones. It's a good read, but nothing spectacular.
November 10, 2013
The premise is intriguing and the writing is competent. But the story is simplistic and the progression of the storyline amateurish. I also felt there was too much explaining, verging on preachy. The characters are portrayed in a simplistic way, and without too much depth. As a result, their motivations and perspectives seemed flat. For instance, some older men to appear to simply leer at Will as dirty old men would, a rather boring stereotype. Other inconsistencies distracted, e.g., if Will is so inexperienced and naive, how could he have a dream that was as detailed and generally accurate? Also, I have to say that several of the M-M sex scenes were plain awkward and glossed over in such a way that I’d label it “overdramaticized but superfluous.”
January 15, 2019
What struck me most about this entertaining-enough historical fiction was that, although it depicts the devastating effects of a government-forced 1860s march by Navajo (Diné) of the South West United States some three hundred miles from their ancestral lands to a ‘reservation’ at Fort Sumner, neither of the co-authors appear to be native. I wondered if the dreadful spectre of ‘cultural appropriation’ had reared its often-ugly head in any criticism of the book. But I could find no record, and at the end of the book is a glowing endorsement from a Navajo academic. One can only suppose it’s totally accurate — knowing this makes for a fascinating text. As I read along I was struck by the remarkable detail of Diné myths, traditions, and ceremonies, not least the portrayal of reverence and respect paid to a ‘two-spirited’ character (to use a relatively modern English-language term for those who are born both male and female, in spirit rather than physically). The ‘two-spirit’ label has been taken up by today’s LGBTQ natives, but as portrayed in ‘Two Spirits,’ it’s a much more complicated and interesting phenomena than being merely gay, difficult to describe in a few words. Anybody interested in what a world would be like in an atmosphere of, not just tolerance, but respect for such ‘gender-fluid’ persons might enjoy this book immensely. Despite its rather unimaginative style, the story is totally involving and moves along at a good clip.
January 30, 2025
I was interested in learning about the Navajo people as I know little. The book is historical fiction, and I was glad that in its Afterward a Navajo scholar explained who was a real figure, and what really happened, as well as telling what led to the events in the book. I found the character Dezba most interesting; the old woman who is one of the tribal elders, yet is regarded as little more than a cleaning lady by the commander of the fort. A fascinating book that left me feeling sad despite its ending, but glad I learned something.
July 18, 2017
OH MAN GOOD BOOK! This book is a wonderful blend of historical fiction and gay romance, which is my favorite kind of book. It's hard to read sometimes because it's so awful what happened to Navajo and other peoples, but this story at least ends with a happy ending!
A++ would recommend to anyone who wants more gays and happiness with their history.
A++ would recommend to anyone who wants more gays and happiness with their history.
October 26, 2023
As an inveterate reader well launched on my eighth decade, I am continuously amazed by the incredible serendipity and synchronicity with which I’m gifted in the wonderful books I am discovering. One such example is the magnificent historical novel by Walter Williams and Toby Johnson, “Two Spirits: A Story of Life with the Navajo”. First of all, one of the two authors, Toby Johnson, is a person whose books dealing with Gay Spirituality and New Age thought have been extremely meaningful to me. This investigation into the “Two Spirit” tradition among indigenous people, especially the Diné, or Navajo, is even more relevant to me because two of my daughters are married to Diné men, and one of my granddaughters is espoused to another Diné woman. You can’t get closer to home than that!
In any event, this story is a fictionalization of a very real historical event, the internment of the Diné at the Bosque Redondo “reservation” (read concentration camp) at Ft. Sumner, NM, after the horrific “Long Walk”. This internment was a sociological “experiment” by General James Carleton which presaged the Nazi endeavors in an eerie way. As the novel begins, the protagonist, Will Lee, has fled his preacher-father’s “biblical wrath” upon discovering Will “in flagrante delicto” with his friend Michael. As a result of a fortuitous connection, Will gets a position as – supposedly – an apprentice to the Indian Agent at Bosque Redondo; he arrives only to discover that the agent is “gone”, whither no one explains, and that he is somehow supposed to look after thousands of desperate and starving Indians in impossible circumstances.
As the story develops, Will becomes close with a Diné family that includes the matriarch Dezba, elder Barboncito, and spiritual leader Hasbaá, a Two Spirit who mostly presents as female but is biologically male. Will falls in love with Hasbaá, and becomes determined to assist the Diné to escape Bosque Redondo and return to Dinetah. To do this, it is necessary to discredit Carleton and bring the attention of the authorities in Washington DC to the desperate circumstances of the people in the internment camp.
In the process, Will becomes immersed in the culture and spirituality of the Diné. What authors Williams and Johnson accomplish, besides a historically accurate though somewhat time-compressed version of the horrific imprisonment of the Navajo and other Indian groups at Ft. Sumner from 1863-68, is a deeply sensitive investigation of the “Two-Spirit” beliefs and practices, as sharply contrasted with the “Christian” attitudes towards same sex activity. It is also a powerful and unabashed explication of the extremely self-serving and profit-mongering ethos of the non-indigenous settlers and government authorities, including the army. In all, this is a splendid and extremely relevant novel.
In any event, this story is a fictionalization of a very real historical event, the internment of the Diné at the Bosque Redondo “reservation” (read concentration camp) at Ft. Sumner, NM, after the horrific “Long Walk”. This internment was a sociological “experiment” by General James Carleton which presaged the Nazi endeavors in an eerie way. As the novel begins, the protagonist, Will Lee, has fled his preacher-father’s “biblical wrath” upon discovering Will “in flagrante delicto” with his friend Michael. As a result of a fortuitous connection, Will gets a position as – supposedly – an apprentice to the Indian Agent at Bosque Redondo; he arrives only to discover that the agent is “gone”, whither no one explains, and that he is somehow supposed to look after thousands of desperate and starving Indians in impossible circumstances.
As the story develops, Will becomes close with a Diné family that includes the matriarch Dezba, elder Barboncito, and spiritual leader Hasbaá, a Two Spirit who mostly presents as female but is biologically male. Will falls in love with Hasbaá, and becomes determined to assist the Diné to escape Bosque Redondo and return to Dinetah. To do this, it is necessary to discredit Carleton and bring the attention of the authorities in Washington DC to the desperate circumstances of the people in the internment camp.
In the process, Will becomes immersed in the culture and spirituality of the Diné. What authors Williams and Johnson accomplish, besides a historically accurate though somewhat time-compressed version of the horrific imprisonment of the Navajo and other Indian groups at Ft. Sumner from 1863-68, is a deeply sensitive investigation of the “Two-Spirit” beliefs and practices, as sharply contrasted with the “Christian” attitudes towards same sex activity. It is also a powerful and unabashed explication of the extremely self-serving and profit-mongering ethos of the non-indigenous settlers and government authorities, including the army. In all, this is a splendid and extremely relevant novel.
April 22, 2025
Captivating and so well researched. I really enjoyed the story, the distances it travels with the characters. The peek into Navajo culture.
January 12, 2016
A touching portrayal of Diné life in Fort Sumner during the 1860's. Each protagonist is distinctive in both their voice and actions, and are all equally compelling.
Native Americans (and, in fact, indigenous peoples across the globe) have suffered many a great injustice, one in particular being the silence surrounding said injustices. Was it only myself who was unaware that Fort Sumner was the American equivalent of Auschwitz? I think not.
The events surrounding this horrific place, as well as everything else concerning the slaughter and abuse of the Native American people, should, by rights, be an intrinsic part of every national curriculum.
"Two Spirits: A Story of Life With the Navajo" leads the way in a mission to end this silence. Though this novel firmly rests in the 'historical fiction' sub-genre, everything is meticulously researched, and anything not true to life is reflected in a section at the back of the book along with any explanations needed.
I look forward to exploring more works by Walter L. Williams, and to expanding my knowledge of indigenous lives, as well as their histories and attitudes towards gender and sexuality.
Native Americans (and, in fact, indigenous peoples across the globe) have suffered many a great injustice, one in particular being the silence surrounding said injustices. Was it only myself who was unaware that Fort Sumner was the American equivalent of Auschwitz? I think not.
The events surrounding this horrific place, as well as everything else concerning the slaughter and abuse of the Native American people, should, by rights, be an intrinsic part of every national curriculum.
"Two Spirits: A Story of Life With the Navajo" leads the way in a mission to end this silence. Though this novel firmly rests in the 'historical fiction' sub-genre, everything is meticulously researched, and anything not true to life is reflected in a section at the back of the book along with any explanations needed.
I look forward to exploring more works by Walter L. Williams, and to expanding my knowledge of indigenous lives, as well as their histories and attitudes towards gender and sexuality.
August 27, 2008
The writing was mediocre. There were quite a few typographical errors throughout the book that should have been edited out, and I just didn't find myself connecting with either of the two main characters. They weren't very memorable to me.
I found the stress on the mysticism of the Native American people to be really heavy handed and awkward, especially in a scene towards the end. I thought it was just kind of convenient prop that was used to bring the very predictable plot to conclusion.
I found the stress on the mysticism of the Native American people to be really heavy handed and awkward, especially in a scene towards the end. I thought it was just kind of convenient prop that was used to bring the very predictable plot to conclusion.
April 18, 2017
This was one of the finest historical fiction novels I have ever read. It had the perfect blend of historical setting and detail, but with a strong plot that included racism, corruption, and (of course) love. I would recommend it to any reader (gay, straight, trans, whatever) who loves historical fiction.
April 20, 2011
Sad. A look at the darker side of American history.
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