Blonde Indian: An Alaska Native Memoir (Sun Tracks)
An Alaska Native memoir that weaves Tlingit memory, family history, and the effects of colonization.
Work Information
It reads as a story of return that follows the knots between land and memory.
Through a difficult childhood, years in the city, and a return home, Tlingit stories and personal history fold into one another. Memory rooted in place becomes the memoir’s structure.
Review Summaries
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Readers note that its interweaving of personal history and place leaves a quiet but lasting aftertaste.
Book Information
- Publisher
- Univ of Arizona Pr
- Published
- 2006-08-17
- Pages
- 172 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 15.24 x 1.52 x 22.86 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9780816525379
- ISBN-10
- 0816525374
- Price
- 4304 JPY
- Category
- 洋書/Politics & Social Sciences/Social Sciences/Specific Demographics/Native American Studies
A member of the the Wolf House of the Kaagwaantaan clan of the Tlingit Indians tells the story of her early family life, her travels as a young woman, and her return home to Juneau, Alaska as an adult.
Reviews
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As in the title I assigned the story is a girl born in a native life and struggles with her white skin that tips her culture. Wanting to ignore her white blood she makes poor choices in her life and watches others do the same. Until age brings her back home to Alaska where she embraces her native culture and not only survives but thrives
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This captivating history is of a woman who grew up in my town and is about the same age as my kids so it was very familiar. She overcame so many of the hardships that Alaska Natives have to deal with after having a very rough start and is now a professor at the University of Alaska. A very inspiring story that will make you happy..
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I am only rating this as a 3 stars because I found the book a little hard to follow at times when the "story" wandered off into mythological glaciers, bears, wind, etc a bit too much making it hard to remember where the girl was in the story when the story returned to it. I certainly get what the book is about. It is a gritty story of an Indian girl that lived a life I would NOT want to imagine. It is a story of the terrible effects of TB and alcohol on the native peoples of our lands. Having Comanche and Cherokee grandparents I understand a lot of the context in the story concerning how devastated they were by the loss of their language,culture, and lands. That being said...I think the book was written by a remarkable woman that is lucky she lives thru it all.
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This was an amazing experience of a memoir! The Indigenous stories and the natural world woven throughout the author’s life story made this an incredible journey! Happy, sad, tears, cheers, it’s all here. I loved it!
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The book gave a interesting picture of life for an Alaskan native. It did a very good job of introducing the mythology and weaving it in with her personal history. Much of the language was very poetic and beautiful--particularly the descriptions of the land. However, some of the book was very hard to follow. The relationship between the characters became very unclear at times. I found myself wishing I had a family tree that I could refer to. Also, there were times in the book where I felt that I had read the chapter before. I think she did this to show how many of the lives of the people repeat themselves, but as I was reading on a Kindle I thought there had been a technical glitch. However, in the end I found myself thinking about the relationships of the characters--particularly that of the main character and her mother.