Play Book Tag discussion

Wonderful collection of interwoven stories following the lives of 12 Native Americans in Oakland CA.

The stories explore what being Native American in an urban setting means to each of the characters.

The author does a wonderful job of differentiating the dreams and challenges for each character. Some fully embrace their heritage, others reject that heritage, or are ambivilent, or are even surprised when they learn that they even have a Native American heritage.

Intersecting the Native American aspect, each character also experiences the downsides of modern urban culture - substance abuse, broken families, children raised by grandmothers, unemployment, quasi-gang activity, gun violence.

In spite of some of the themes, I found the overall book to be hopeful and heartwarming.

I read an article on line about how a high school class, almost all minority kids, in the New York City area, read this book and totally related to it because of their own experiences. The author was on a book tour The teacher contacted him, telling him he was a rock star to the teens. He came to the class and discussed it with them, and gave them free copies of his next book.

Robin - What a wonderful story - thanks for sharing it!

This is one of those love/hate books and I am on the love side it made my best of list the year I read it.

I read his second Wandering Stars and wish I had read them closer together, so Sue if you should certainly continue on to Wandering Stars soon.

Great advice - adding Wandering Stars to my TBR!

I really liked this book as well.

I really liked this book - it was such a hard-hitting read, but so powerful at the same time.