In a portion about the forced removal of children from their families to place them in Indian Boarding Schools (which were mostly shut down by 2007), Rick Overlooking Horse and You Choose Watson are caught running to escape the Bureau of Indian Affairs officers who are chasing them. Another boy is caught along with Rick and You Choose--Billy Mills, the fasted kid on the Rez, but even he is not fast enough to escape.
A paragraph or so later, there is a mention of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and an announcer is shouting: "Look at Mills! Look at Mills!" Billy Mills couldn't run fast enough to escape the Bureau of Indian Affairs, but he eventually won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics--for real.It is this mixture of real people and real events along with the fictional stories of Rick Overlooking Horse, You Choose Watson, Squanto, and Le-a Brings Plenty that gives the novel a quiet authority.
The problems and history of life on the Rez are not avoided or minimized, but they are not treated in the way one would expect. The problems are part of the story and part of the characters who inhabit the novel.
From early on, Fuller makes a point of how many Indians have filled the ranks of the military over the years from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and through Desert Storm. Squanto, during Desert Storm has reason to remember what Rick Overlooking Horse has told him:
"Remember this: There will be nothing to signal the start of your war. There will be nothing to signal its end. There's just your war. Only you will know it when it has started, and only you can choose when it will end."
The novel shifts from character to character and from event to event, and I loved Fuller's prose which kept me engaged the entire time. I've pondered this review for the last ten days or so and find myself unable to genuinely relate how good I think the book is. I've written entire paragraphs and deleted them. For infinitely better and more thorough reviews, check out Sam and Nancy's reviews on Goodreads.
In a flashback at the end of the book, Rick Overlooking Horse has been telling the "wonderful, terrible tales of how the whole world came to be," to young Daniel and Jerusalem Brings Plenty and Jerusalem asks, "how does it end?"
The old man replies, "It ends well. It doesn't end soon, but it ends well. All of it."
Don't miss this one.
NetGalley/Penguin Group.
Native American/Social Commentary. June 27, 2017. Print length: 288 pages.
This sounds like a must read. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Jenclair.
ReplyDeleteThere a boarding school (high school) in the city where I live that is still operational. I remember being surprised when I first moved here and discovered it was still in use.
I loved Fuller's writing which addressed all of the problems, but never got maudlin.
DeleteAlexandra Fuller got an honorary degree when I graduated from university, so I heard her speak. I have read her ever since. I definitely want to get this one!
ReplyDeleteI've had Fuller on my list forever, but this is the first book by her that I've read--and it was excellent!
DeleteThis sounds so interesting. It would definitely be an eye-opening book for me as I don't have a lot of knowledge about native american history.
ReplyDeleteI read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown decades ago and still think about it. Quiet Until the Thaw is fiction, but every bit as good.
DeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts and bringing this book to our attention, Jenclair. This sounds interesting and a book to look out for.
ReplyDeleteI can't recommend it highly enough. Fuller combines fiction and history and contemporary problems so well!
DeleteI learned a bit more about Native American history when I took Sociology classes a few years ago, and was appalled to learn of the way these original Americans were treated, in much deeper detail than I learned in high school years ago. I will consider checking this out, certainly.
ReplyDeleteooh, putting this on my TBR! Sounds great!
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