This book is a combination of Native American folk tales retold by Joseph Bruchac, biographical essays, and selections from his personal journal. I have always been fond of folk tales, and have studied many Greek, Roman, British, French, Celtic, and Scandinavian stories and legends. I have also read a number of Native American tales over the years, but have read very little else about the beliefs and traditions of the many different Indian cultures. Bruchac’s book provides an excellent introductory glimpse into not only the Abenakis, but many of the Native tribes.
His stories dip in and out of various time zones: some are old, some contemporary, and one takes place in 1930. This nebulous relationship with time was hard for me to adjust to at first—I wanted to know when the event was happening, by golly! I wanted to place it in the context of dates and events. After the first several stories, however, I found myself adapting to a less linear context. This urge to have time defined is very WASP of me, and it is a measure of Bruchac’s literary skills that he was able to entice me beyond the European notion of time to one with fewer boundaries, where dates matter less than the eternal passage of the seasons. A fascinating read.
His stories dip in and out of various time zones: some are old, some contemporary, and one takes place in 1930. This nebulous relationship with time was hard for me to adjust to at first—I wanted to know when the event was happening, by golly! I wanted to place it in the context of dates and events. After the first several stories, however, I found myself adapting to a less linear context. This urge to have time defined is very WASP of me, and it is a measure of Bruchac’s literary skills that he was able to entice me beyond the European notion of time to one with fewer boundaries, where dates matter less than the eternal passage of the seasons. A fascinating read.
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