The Circuit

The Circuit –by Francisco Jimenez

Short Stories based on Life

138 KB / 133 Pages

Footnotes / Endnotes: No

Suitable for eReaders: Yes

Grade 4 and up

5 Stars

This is a collection of short stories based on real life. Mr. Jimenez was born in Mexico, and came to California as a young boy with his parents. They were undocumented workers. Eventually he became not only a citizen, but a professor at Santa Clara University in California.

These stories, based on his own life, and the lives of his friends and relatives, give an immediate entre into the world of the migrant worker. How hard it was to make a living, how difficult to attend school, to make friends, to become educated. How impossible to keep promises made.

This is a collection of compelling stories, that will make you laugh, and make you cry. It tells about the people who pick the lettuce in the salad you just ate, the cotton in that tee-shirt you're wearing, the oranges in your juicer.

If you've never thought about who picks those cherries you're eating right now, this book will give you those thoughts. It is a delightful book, filled with love, tenderness, compassion, and passion. This book will introduce you to the people who work the fields, cook our meals, wait our tables, who go unnoticed unless it is politically expedient to see them.  

O. Henry wrote "Gift of the Magi" which is marvelous; Dr. Jimenez wrote "Christmas Gift" which will be the Star in your night! It is now August, and Christmas is a few days down the calendar, but now is the time to start buying those stocking stuffers, and this is certainly one you want get as many copies as you need for all those stockings you need to stuff!

Rocky Mountain High

Mountains of Stone –by Orland Ned Eddins

Novel, Historical

276 Pages

Footnotes/Endnotes: No

Suitable for eReaders: Yes

Illustrations: Yes

5 Stars

While researching the Wilson Price Hunt expedition of 1811, I came upon The Fur Trapper site, by O.N. Eddins, DVM. Dr. Eddins is a student of history of the Mountain Man and that era, and I found a lot of good information on his site. He also has a book, Mountains of Stone, which I bought.

Mountains of Stone is a novel of a young white man, who came to this country as a young boy with his mother and step father. They decided to homestead out in Ohio, and as they camped, he witnessed the murder of his mother and father by a Shawnee warrior. A boy of about 4 or 5, he had nothing but a broken knife, but he was going to get revenge. Before he could make the attempt the Shawnee was killed, and a Delaware picked up the boy and took him to his village, where he grew into the warrior known as Lame Dear's son, Broken Knife. The only thing taken by them from the campsite, which had been burned, was a metal box and its contents.

As Broken Knife grew and became a warrior the memories of his white parents faded. When Lame Dear was killed, and his village raided by white men in Indian clothing who killed his mother and Uncle, he went after his revenge, and then headed west.

He met a white couple, befriended them, and they took him into their lives and home, where old memories of his white family began to emerge. He learned to speak English again, and he learned the trade of blacksmith and gun repairer. And he became confused. Was he Indian? Or was he White? Where did he fit in?

He was in Saint Louis when the Lewis and Clark expedition came through, and signed on to help at least for a while, as a hunter. When one of the founders of Saint Louis asked his help to rescue his niece from the Indians, he did so, and realized he was more Indian than white. When he returns with the girl, her uncle wanted to pay him, but Broken Knife has little use for the money, so it is invested. Broken Knife shows him the box, and the papers, and asks him to keep them, and to pay a debt his (step) father incurred.

Broken Knife goes back among the Indians, makes friends of many from disparate tribes, and prefers not to kill, but will if he needs to. He marries an Indian woman who wants to learn English and 'white man ways'.

When word comes that his benefactor is looking for him, he takes his wife and adopted daughter to Saint Louis where learns who he really is, and is once again faced with a life-decision. Will he and his family remain, or travel to France?

As a young girl, my heroes were the Mountain Men, especially Hugh Glass, Jim Bridger, John Colter, and Joe Meek. I've read what I could about them through the years; I've traveled some of the same areas they have. At times, it's been hard to unlearn what I learned, and relearn the facts. This book has done nothing to disparage the Mountain Man; in fact, it makes him more human, more alive.

My one quibble (and believe me, it's small, and personal preference only) is I'm not fond of the few places where the character speaks in dialect. For me, it interrupted the smooth flow of the story. Fortunately, those places were few, far apart, and short, so I give this 5 Stars for the story, the writing, and the history.

It's a great read, and I highly recommend it! This book has also received acceptance by Native Americans on the Council for Indian Education Editorial Board. I can't think of a better reason to buy and read this book.

Addendum 2 Aug 13

I was so excited when I finished the book to get the review up, I had not yet seen the DVD that came with the book. There are, I believe, about a hundred photos that illustrate the mountains and prairies that Broken Knife saw. Also there is a Power Point slide show of several of the old Anasazi pueblos. This disc is free when you order the book from Dr. Eddins. It, by itself, is worth the price of the book. The photography is stunning. So please, go to the site above and order this book, and check the box where he asks if you want the DVD. You'll be glad you did!

It's the Truth. Honest. Trust me.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian –by Sherman Alexie

Novel

Grade Level: 7 and up

Footnotes/Endnotes: No

Suitable for eReaders: Yes, but**

Illustrations: Yes

5 Stars

I admit it, I've ben in love with Sherman Alexie's writing for years. Especially his poetry. I don't know why it took me so long to read this book, but I now have and truly admit, I love it.

Oh, there is a ** above, I'd best explain now, before I forget. I read this on my Kindle Fire, and there are several delightful illustrations, unfortunately, I could not expand them beyond postage stamp size, which is too bad, because they are wonderful. They are drawn by the protagonist, and add a great deal to the story. They should be seen full size.

Mr. Alexie is a member of the Spokane Indian Tribe, and this is his story, with a few changes. The hero of the story, Arnold "Junior" Spirit, is a young man struggling to find himself, and decides to leave the reservation and attend a 'white' school in town. He is the only brown skinned student. And the poorest of the lot, but he has an upbeat attitude and earns acceptance from his white friends, and enmity from his Indian ones.

This novel tells about those experiences, being half white while on the 'rez' and half Indian while at Reardon with a great sense of humor. Mr. Alexie is not afraid to tackle situations that the young people of today face, and he does it well. I can offer absolutely no hesitation in recommending this book. In fact, there are several study questions in the back, making this an ideal book for classroom reads.

Arnold is a very likable protagonist, as are most of his friends. He is fourteen, hormones are beginning to rage through his veins, he's discovered girls, one in particular. He competes on the basketball court, and when Reardon plays Wellpinit, his old Indian school, he is booed and beaten by his ex teammates who think he's a traitor. The first game. The next game is a bit different.

I laughed out loud in this book. Although I didn't cry, I was genuinely sad in a few places. I would love to have Arnold stop by for a visit, he's quirky, and fun, and not afraid of life. I strongly suspect Mr. Alexie is the same. I'd love to have him stop by for a visit, too.

For a good read from twelve years on, buy and read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I think it would make a great movie. Would love to see Studio Ghibli do something with it!

Enthralled with poetry

thrall –by Natasha Trethewey

Poetry

84 pages

Footnotes/Endnotes: Yes

Suitable for eReaders: Yes

Illustrations: No

5 Stars

For those of you who have not read Ms. Trethewey's poetry before, you are in for a treat! It is easy to understand why she was appointed Unites States Poet Laureate in June 2012.

These poems come from two primary sources – both common to all poets: art and family. She gives a very short introduction to the poems inspired by art, and though I have not seen the paintings she describes in actuality, after her poems I have seen the paintings.

She comes from Gulfport, Mississippi, and many of her poems are inspired by her parents, and growing up in that part of the world.

The poetry is beautiful, it sings with notes reaching deep sadness and full happiness. If you've ever wondered what kind of a poet becomes our US Poet Laureate, give this book a read. Her poetry can be read by anyone, it is not written for the "high brow," it is written for anyone who cares to pick it up and read it.

Not only is her poetry accessible, but I understand from some of my poet friends that she is, too. She has been reappointed as our nation's poet laureate. The poem that grabbed me when I picked up the book and opened it at random begins –

Enlightenment

In the portrait of Jefferson that hangs

            at Monticello, he is rendered two-toned:

his forehead white with illumination—

I stopped after that first stanza, thinking about several things, how enlightened he was for his time, how intelligent, and how dark. How he kept slaves; how he slept with one, Sally Hemings but did not acknowledge his sons by her even though they had his coloring and red hair, and barely his daughters; how his sons as his slaves helped build the university, but could not attend; how he would not free his children, but did help them 'walk' to freedom. Two-toned. Light and dark. Good and conflicted. Human.

Heroic With Grace

Heroic With Grace – Legendary Women of Japan – edited by Chieko Irie Mulhern

Nonfiction

322 pages

Footnotes/Endnotes: Yes

Suitable for eReaders: Yes

Illustrations: No

4 Stars

I bought this book primarily for the biography of Tomoe Gozen. I found the bios of the early women from Ancient Japan to be fascinating, but when I got into the bios of the more modern women, especially Hani Motoko, they did not hold my interest so much. Especially of Miss Hani Motoko. The author of that segment talked about what seemed like every educated woman during the Meiji period including the subject of her essay.

This book was published in 1991, and the later essays were written in the form of histories I so dislike – too many dates and dry facts, and not enough humanity.

If you are a student of Japan, this is a fascinating book, especially if you want to know how women were treated in ancient Japan. If you just want a fun read about some interesting women, well, I suggest Jessica Amanda Salmonson's trilogy about Tomoe Gozen that takes places in an alternate universe. A lot more fun. (Although the real Tomoe was pretty darned interesting in her own right!)

I gave it 4 stars because of the early essays.