Mix / Essays, Stories, Passages
224 pages
5 Stars
My only "complaint" was there was an end to the book. No matter how slowly I read, how I parsed the pages, I still came to the end. The saving grace is, it's my book, and I can reread it as often as I want—though there will still be an end.
This is a wonderful compilation of essays and stories and passages from the Master. We learn about his childhood, the influence of his grandparents, of the environments in which he was raised. We learn some of the Kiowa mythologies. We who read this book are blessed by the words therein, and the art that goes along with them.
Momaday is a poet, who carries that sense of rhythm and beauty into his prose. He tells of the oral culture and the book culture, and their differences. "Books are to be read; they are to be consumed and digested; they are to be turned over in the mind; they are to be taken seriously." This book is flavorful, there are textures to be chewed and savored before swallowing; there are textures that are smooth and delicate as flan. A well-balanced meal for your brain.
If I were to be sent to a desert island and allowed only 5 books for the rest of my life, this would be one of those books.
For those of you who want to know what the other books I'd take to that desert island: Errata by George Steiner (essays), Never in a Hurry by Naomi Shihab Nye (essays), Dune by Frank Herbert (novel), Places Left Unfinished at the Time of Creation by John Phillip Santos (memoir).
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