Play Book Tag discussion

The culture theme for November is...

Native American, nominated by BooknBlues, J.W., KateNZ, Kimber, Ellen, and Lyn!

I promise that I did not plan this to coincide with November Fall Flurries! lol. It had many votes in the mix with dwindling options, so the odds were in its favor.

This thread will be used for a couple of purposes:
• Announcing the culture (done!)
• Planning and discussing what books you would like to read (let the planning commence!)
• Reviewing your books starting November 1 . Books read and reviewed before that will not count.

Finally, if you want to read a book for the culture challenge in November, but it does NOT fit Native American, that is totally fine too! You can still review it here for one participation point. Books that DO fit the Native American culture will receive two participation points.

Will everyone please put at the top of their review the culture they are reading for, whether it is Native American or another culture just to help me with scoring and to serve as a guide for others who are reading your review. Thanks!

Previous months culture themes
January - Iraq
February - Portugal
March - South Korea
April - Italy
May - Brazil
June - Greece
July - Syria
August - Australia
September - Egypt
October - Spain
November - Native American

Clarification of Reporting Guidelines

The goal of the Expanding Your PBT Horizons Challenge is to read 12 books from other cultures throughout the year, which means you can read one a month or all 12 in January or any conceivable combination between the two. However, there are monthly culture themes added to the mix which makes for some unique reporting conflicts that the admins did not think of when posting the challenge. Thank you to Nancy for pointing it out!

The admins spoke and we tried to make this as fair and as simple as possible, so here are the three easy points to follow:

1) Each month there is a culture theme. If you choose to read for the theme—which is not mandatory—then you must read your book that fits that theme and post the review within the assigned month. You will receive 2 participation points per review and you can read more than 1 book, but each book counts toward your ultimate cap of 12 books for the year. *you can read more than 12 books if you like, but you only get points for this challenge for up to 12*

2) For books you read for the Culture Challenge that do not fit the monthly culture theme, you can do one of two things:

2a) You can post the books each month as you read them and simply label them as not fitting the monthly culture theme and stating what culture they fit. However, there are no "take backs" and once you report a book this way for 1 participation point, it counts to your total of 12 books.

2b) Alternatively, if you want to try to maximize your reads for the monthly culture theme, you can read other cultures throughout the year and wait to report them until late in December for 1 participation point each. An important point to this though is that even if you read a book in April and have been holding off on reporting it until the end of the year and then it happens to fit the December culture, you still only get 1 participation point for it because you did not read it in December.

Also, this only applies for the Culture Challenge. You should still write a review and post it in the monthly tag or nonmonthly tag folder in the month that you read it for regular PBT participation points.

Woot! Will also fit with the "American History" Tag.

OK, please forgive my asking when I know I have asked before. Nicole has been so kind to explain to us, and others have tried to explain it to me too, when you were looking to find a particular shelf to see if you have books that match, how do you do that? How do I find the list? I find it most useful for these horizons countries and populations. I bet I have a book that already matches, but how would I know otherwise? Again I apologize for having asked a number of times before. Maybe this one will be the one I learn it and I get it right.

Here's the link I'm looking at for this one - https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

It seems like you can use the https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/ part and then put whatever tag you're looking for at the end to get a list...

I was originally unsure, then realized I have several mysteries and thrillers that fit the Native American culture. Not just the Hillermans, but Michael McGarrity, possibly Nevada Barr, Craig Johnson, Thomas Perry, and C.J. Box. Definitely have books in my TBR towers.

I can think of a few that I would highly recommend that fit this tag:

Braiding Sweetgrass
Killers of the Flower Moon
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee

(the last two would fit the American History monthly tag too)

I think I'm going to read There, There if I can get it from the library in time.

Thanks to Nikki, I found a few on her list. But I need to research them to see if they make sense. But in general, Native American also matches with American History, and Fall Flurries November?

Here's four books on that she;f

There There
The Round House
News of the Wind
Molokai

There there matches as does the round house, and news of the world. I however didn't feel Molokai was a match. Shelved 5 times as native american. But that one is on my TBR. Thoughts?

Moloka’i is about native Hawaiians, which I could definitely see as fitting Native Americans.

I think a broad definition of native Americans includes native Alaskans and native Hawaiians as well as other native Americans.

I have a Louise Erdrich book I've been trying to get to for a few months "Tracks".

Also, I'd like to propose that Canadian First Nations could "fit", as well? Or, am I stretching too far? I'm thinking, since First Nations people spread across the Canada/US border without it really being a border for them...? Or, is that too much of a stretch?

If I can do that, I might try to also fit in a Canadian one I'd like to get to at some point.

Nicole R wrote: "Moloka’i is about native Hawaiians, which I could definitely see as fitting Native Americans.

I think a broad definition of native Americans includes native Alaskans and native Hawaiians as well ..."

what about Aztec and Maya? :)

does anyone have any recommendations for a literary fiction... preferably from the 20th century?

At the moment, I'm looking at some of Louise Erdrich books and one other - chosen solely for the year they were published (for some other challenge I have)
If anyone has an input on them - I'd love a recommendation or warning:
Shadow Tag; The Antelope Wife by Erdrich,
or House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday

I have no opinion on Canadians, Mayans, or Aztecs. Whatever you all personally think fits the definition.

Nicole R wrote: "I have no opinion on Canadians, Mayans, or Aztecs. Whatever you all personally think fits the definition."

Thank you! I feel like the culture itself does cross our borders!

How strange - I was joking when I asked about the South American natives, but half an hour later, and I’m in a library to collect a reserved book, and the first book I noticed on display is ‘three letters from the Endes’ with a drawing of a Llama and what looks like a native person on the cover

Ok Nicole! I’ll buy that argument! Thank you!

Louise Erdrich here I come.

My F2F book group just read Fools Crow by James Welch. The entire group liked it, which is really unusual. Welch is Blackfeet and I felt like I was reading an oral history he was sharing with us. I highly recommend it.

Nikki wrote: "I can think of a few that I would highly recommend that fit this tag:

Braiding Sweetgrass
Killers of the Flower Moon
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee

..."

Nikki if you are in the US, I will happily send you my copy of There There if you can't be sure to get it. Just PM me.

For anyone looking for Native American crime fiction writers
http://www.dosomedamage.com/2017/11/c...

I've been wanting to read Tony Hillerman for awhile so it looks like it is time for me to read The Blessing Way.

I have a couple of Sherman Alexie books sitting on my kindle (The Toughest Indian in the World and Reservation Blues). If you have not read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian it was a five star read for me.

Other possibilities that are sitting on my kindle:
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
New Poets of Native Nations

Other recommendations from me include:
Mapping the Interior (horror)
Trail of Lightning (fantasy)

My Trim book fits Native American !!!

Other options:
There There
News of the World
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West

And of course there are the many novels by Louise Erdrich and Tony HIllerman.

For Canadian first nation peoples I highly recommend Mrs. Mike and the sequel The Search for Joyful

For those of you who read Killers of the Flower Moon, did anyone listen to it on audio?

I typically read my nonfiction books in print because I like to flip around and look back at dates and things like that, but this one sounds more like a narrative nonfiction that may be okay to listen to.

Any insight to that?

Theresa wrote: "Nikki if you are in the US, I will happily send you my copy of There There if you can't be sure to get it. Just PM me...."

Thank you, that's incredibly kind of you! I've just checked and it's on it's way to my branch already though - it was one of those popular books where it gave me a worryingly high-sounding number in the queue but they had an even higher number of copies :-) So actually the challenge is going to be to resist reading it before November...

Nikki wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Nikki if you are in the US, I will happily send you my copy of There There if you can't be sure to get it. Just PM me...."

Thank you, that's incredibly kind of you! I've just check..."

Great. If anyone else wants to read it and has trouble...I'm happy to ship anywhere in US - it's a hardcover although thin.

I think I will be reading The Vengeance of Mothers: The Journals of Margaret Kelly & Molly McGill: A Novel by Jim Fergus.
It also has a tag of American History

I have these on my TBR:

The Trail of Tears and Indian Removal
The Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American Legend
Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History

1st one is a short one, so that may win out for me

I'm thinking it will be my time for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

Also looking at Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI to hit the 'American History' tag also. Not sure if Part-time Indian will count for that since it is fiction?

I'm planning on finally reading one of Erdrich's books. It will either by Love Medicine or The Plague of Doves.

I saw someone with Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West and I loved that back when it first came out. Another oldie to recommend is Sacajawea. For modern day Native American life, I read There There this year and can recommend that one along with many other PBT members.

Nicole R wrote: "For those of you who read Killers of the Flower Moon, did anyone listen to it on audio?

I typically read my nonfiction books in print because I like to flip around and look back at dates and thin..."

I listened to the audio, NIcole ... three narrators. Here's what I said in my review:
The audio book is very well done, using three narrators: Will Patton, Ann Marie Lee and Danny Campbell. They are talented voice artists and they keep the pace moving.

Barbara wrote: "I'm planning on finally reading one of Erdrich's books. It will either by Love Medicine or The Plague of Doves.
..."


Erdrich also has a children's series, which begins with The Birchbark House. Definitely American History tag fits these books. I just finished book two in the series: The Game of Silence. (Haven't written my review yet, but it will be at least 4****)

Book Concierge wrote: "Erdrich also has a children's series, which begins with The Birchbark House...."

Of the two or three I've read by her, this is, by far, my favourite! It reminded me of a Native "Little House on the Prairie"-type read.

Book Concierge wrote: "Nicole R wrote: "For those of you who read Killers of the Flower Moon, did anyone listen to it on audio?

I typically read my nonfiction books in print because I like to flip around and look back ..."

I didn't even realize that Will Patton was one of the narrators! I like him. Sold.

I am hoping to read Where the Dead Sit Talking by Brandon Hobson.

My suggestions:

Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux

Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival

punxsygal wrote: "My suggestions:

Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux

Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival"

Oh! I second Two Old Women-loved this book!

punxsygal wrote: "My suggestions:

Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival"

I liked that one too - short and very bittersweet.

Elements of a Kill by Christopher Lane

Native American Culture

4 stars

Alaskan police detective Ray, a native Inupiat on a much needed break visiting his Grandfather, is called back to duty when a body is found stuffed into a section of pipe being laid on a new oil rig in Prudhoe Bay. Due to a blizzard settling in, the only help Ray has to solve this and the subsequent murders is the local deputy sheriff, Jim Bob, a Texan so wet behind the ears moss is growing. Ray also feels pressure to solve the murders or hand them off to others to solve so he can get back to Barrow in time for the wedding shower being thrown for his fiancé Margaret.

As Ray struggles to solve the murders with no clues other than certain native ritual aspect to the murder, and the complications of a suddenly missing corpse, little real cooperation from the oil men, and someone trying to murder him, Ray's inner personal conflicts reveal much about the current Native Alaskan conflict between tradition and the contemporary world. And also the interplay between native Alaskans and the oil companies and their workers, mostly brought infrom the lower 48 to work brutally long shifts at high pay. The author deftly weaves in the casual racism that Ray and other natives experience from the workers, adding great depth to this detective story.

There is a point just after halfway where the key clues needed to solve the murders are delivered on a silver platter, although Ray and Jim Bob take a lot longer to put it all together, and only do so after a life and deatb chase across the tundra and a confrontation with a jet about to take off. Much as I liked this book, the length of time it took Ray to put it all together after I had figured it out lost it a star. But I will absolutely read more in this series. And I really hope Jim Bob continues to assist.

The book has an excellent glossary and a bibliography for books about oil business in Alaska and native peoples and customs. Turns out the author has some first hand connections to Alaskan oil (his father) and Native Alaskans (his wife). It shows

7. Romany (Gypsies)

Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies and Their Journey / Isabel Fonseca
3 stars

The author is a journalist (she is not an anthropologist, though I had to check that). She spent time in various Eastern European countries in the early ‘90s (this was published in 1995), to talk to and get to know the Romani (aka Gypsies) to learn about their lives and culture. She also talks to other local people to find out their views of the local Roma (usually negative).

Overall, the book was ok. I didn’t learn as much as I thought I might. I have read a book by Ian Hancock, who is Romani himself, and I liked it better. Fonseca was a bit all over the place – the chapters didn’t really tie together. I guess each chapter was in a different country. I think I didn’t like her writing style. She included some photos of some of the various people she talked to. I suppose the most interesting to me was the chapter on the Holocaust. I’m not sure any stereotypes were quenched by reading this – she said it early in the book: they lie, they steal… I found it odd. If she was trying to fight stereotypes (as other reviews are saying), I definitely missed that. Oh, one stereotype broken: they don’t travel, nor necessarily want to always be travelling; they are just so unwelcome in so many places, they don’t have a lot of options. I’m still rating it ok. It held my interest, so that’s a good thing. It just wasn’t what I expected, and I didn’t learn as much as I’d hoped.

I'm reading The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present right now. I want to let everyone know that the first part provides a good overview of native american history, going back more than 10000 years. It mentions a few interesting archeological finds, and a little genetic research. It's interesting but dense.

BTW, I'm now on the bandwagon to change Columbus day to something else.

November: Native Americans

Tracks - Louise Erdrich
3 stars

This book is told by two different narrators: Nanapush, an elderly gentleman who clearly sees that the Indians are going to lose their land no matter how they may fight against the government, and Pauline, an extremely strange young woman who is driven by jealousy over the beautiful Fleur and deep guilt from an act she committed when she lived in the city. Fleur seems to be the focus of both narrators as she wields her magic powers over those she wishes to control. Numerous secondary characters fill out the stories but it all centers around the cherished land that is about to be taken.

I can't say that I enjoyed this book very much and was tempted to give it a 2 star rating. However, the traditions upheld by this group of people were interesting. I didn't understand most of the story and felt that there was way too much emphasis on 'coupling' and bodily functions. This was certainly not my cup of tea.

Native American

Tracks / Louise Erdrich
2 stars

This was set in the 1910s, I believe on a Native reserve. Not sure what it was supposed to be about. There was a girl, Fleur, who gambled with the men, then slept with and married someone. There was a nun (or maybe that was a different woman, not the nun?), who seemed to have a crush on one of the other women in the story. Other reviews tell me the book was set in North Dakota and about the Native land being taken away. Had no idea.

I was confused. I didn’t “get” it. “I” was used in the book, but part of the time “I” was male and part of the time “I” was female. I wasn’t sure if “I” was switching back and forth somehow or what, but a review I saw said something about there being two narrators, one an old man and one a young woman. Had no idea.

Nanapush was the name(?) of the old man “I”, but I don’t know if it was just a name or if it was meant to represent the native trickster/legend of the same name?

I should probably not bother reading any more of Erdrich’s adult novels, though I have enjoyed a couple of her children’s literature.

[Cross-post from American History]
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
The full title of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: an Indian History of the American West. The author, Dee Brown states, in the introduction, that "Americans who have always looked westward when reading about this period should read this book facing eastward." It is the story of Native Americans looking eastward to see wave after wave of white men coming to take their land, destroy their way of life and kill them with bullets, starvation, and disease. Nothing the Indians did changed the outcome, whether it was signing treaties or marching hundreds of miles to a dead piece of the earth known as a reservation. Any retaliation was answered with massacre. Although it is not easy to read and heartbreaking, this is an important book and as relevant today as when it was published in 1970.
There were 2 things about this book that I really appreciated. First, at the beginning of each chapter, the author presents a short list of historical events that occurred at that time. In 1860, in the first chapter, Congress passed the Pre-emption Bill which gave free land to settlers in western territories. In one of the last chapters, in 1890, Idaho and Wyoming are granted statehood. This really helped put things into a historic perspective. Second, the author uses Indian descriptions of the moons to denote the months. Moon of the Wild Rice is September and Moon of the Hard Cold is January. One thing that was missing and made it less accessible to me, was the lack of maps. Maybe that's just me, but I would have liked to visualize the tribes and their locations.

Native American

There, There by Tommy Orange



4 1/2 stars

This books tells the stories of twelve people. Their points of views and histories are different, but they all represent forms of modern life for Native Americans. They live in cities and some of these characters know only little of their own ancestry.

Most stories are related in some way and all have to do with coming to a Native America powwow being held in Oakland. Some characters are there for work, others to perform, while a few have bad intentions.

Tommy Orange ties the book together well at the end. His modern dialogue keeps the book moving quickly along. He captures emotions and thoughts of his characters. Loyalties and connections play a role. Orange tells of the past and tries to make known truths and struggles that many face with being Native American. This was an excellent book.

[Snap, Kelly!]

Culture: Native American

There There - Tommy Orange - 4 stars

It's difficult to review this without relying heavily on spoilers. The book gradually introduces the stories of a large group (I’ve seen it stated as 12, although I didn’t count) of Native American characters, ‘Urban Indians’ with connections to Oakland, California. The title comes from a Gertrude Stein quote about Oakland and how the place she remembered from her childhood had been erased by development, and one character links that to the Native American experience: “for Native people in this country, all over the Americas, it’s been developed over, buried ancestral land, glass and concrete and wire and steel, unreturnable covered memory. There is no there there.” (view spoiler)[I’d somehow naively assumed that the book was going contain a partial refutation of the Stein quote, and that at least some characters would find a ‘there’ to come home to by the end of the book. Although there were some moments of transcendence along the way, the ending felt bleaker than I’d expected, dominated, in my mind at least, by loss and missed connections, and I think this contributed to my slight disappointment at the end of the book. (hide spoiler)]

For most of the book I was convinced that this was easily going to be a 5 star read for me. The individual stories are compelling, exploring gritty issues with insight and empathy, and the short essay-like ‘Prologue’ and ‘Interlude’ are both powerful and shocking. The book effectively builds tension as the characters converge on the Powwow in Oakland, journeying towards what we are warned from the start could be a dramatic climax. When I actually got to the ending, it felt slightly flat though – by the time we actually reached the Powwow, the intense foreshadowing had robbed the actual events of some of their emotional impact.

One afterthought: I didn’t notice it while reading, but when flicking back at the end to check who somebody was, I was struck by the fact that although most of the book uses third-person narration, some chapters are written in the first or even second person, which I found intriguing – I’d love to know the thought processes behind those choices.

Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country
4****
Louise Erdrich

I have been aware of Ms. Erdrich's writing since Michael Dorris' The Broken Cord. I fell in love with A Yellow Raft on Blue Water - still one of my all time favorite books - in college. Moving on to Crown of Columbus, the writing was still familiar to me. As I kept reading her books, the further from her relationship with Dorris, the more her own voice was being heard. Each novel became more of an oral history to me than a structured and planned plait of a story like A Yellow Raft.

In this essay, Ms Erdrich describes a journey she took with her baby and the baby's father. She strives to give us context in the tradition of her people. As she becomes more connected to her ancestors, seeking out ancient art - the first ways to tell stories - to a sanctuary of books left to the Ojibwe people - Ms Erdrich takes us on a journey of finding your voice, your passion, and your history all at once.

I'm planning to read:

Our Stories Remember: American Indian History, Culture and Values through Storytelling by Joseph Bruchac

Culture: Native American Also fits the Monthly Tag
The Plague of Doves - 2 stars


I usually like Native American Literature. I had high hopes for this one as I've wanted to read one of Erdrich's books for a number of years. This was an award-winner and I expected to love it. The stories give a look at the history and the current lives of the Harp family partly through the reminiscences of the Grandfather, Mooshum and the current lives of whoever in now narrating the story.

I did listen to the audio of this book and the narrators did a very good job. There was a male narrator for the Judge and a female narrator for both Evelina Harp and Marin Wolde. I had some trouble with the beginning and then got into the story until the section on Marin which I didn't care for. I found it to be very David Koresh-like but the resolution was somewhat satisfying. Evelina's was the largest part of the story. I found the end pulled the stories together.

Although the title refers to the beginning of the story that describes The Plague of the Doves, the doves don't play as big a part of the story. It was difficult at times to keep up with who was related to whom but that may have been the audio rather than seeing the print of the names of the characters. If this is an indication of Erdrich's writing, I'm not sure I'll rush off to read another. This two star rating is just my personal experience and response to the story not an indication of the quality.

Native American
Fits the monthly tag!

Black Elk Speaks by John G. Neihardt - 4 stars

Fascinating biography and history, very readable. Through Neihardt, the Oglala Lakota visionary and healer Black Elk tells his story, focusing on the vision that he received when he was nine years old, and detailing his experiences in battles up to Wounded Knee, as well as his experiences with Buffalo Bill's show which took him through several states and eventually Europe as well. Very thought-provoking but also rather depressing considering the sad history of the Native American people.

From the notes afterwards by Raymond J. DeMallie I discovered that this version is an annotated one, peppered throughout by DeMallie's footnotes, which show the differences between the transcript of Neihardt's interviews with Black Elk in places where Neihardt attempts to interpret Black Elk's words and shape a narrative, inserting context in relation to historical events. He does show that Neihardt overall stayed true to his promise to tell the story in Black Elk's words. My only disappointment in this Kindle edition is that the pictures (mostly drawings by Black Elk's friend Standing Bear) are too small to be seen clearly.