Culture 4 – Indigenous and Native American Lit
1. FRY BREAD by Kevin Noble Maillard
Bibliography
Maillard, Kevin Noble. (2019). Fry bread. Roaring Book Press.
Plot Summary
Fry Bread is the story of food and tradition. Fry bread is a food that has been made by native people for generations. The recipe is passed down and unique to each tribe and family. It is thought to have originated with the Navajo.
Critical Analysis
The story is written as a free-verse poem. The author tells the story of fry bread through the use of senses: what it looks, feels, tastes, smells, and sounds like. At the end of the story, the author includes extensive notes on each of the main sections of the book. He also includes a recipe so that the reader can try making fry bread on their own.
Fry Bread offers a contemporary look at an old tradition. There are many cultural references in this short picture book. The subtitle of the book is “A Native American Family Story”. Inside the front and back book cover, Juana Martinez-Neal has included the names of hundreds of Native American tribes. Children with a variety of skin tones participate in the making of fry bread, showing the heritage and spirit of this tradition. Different tribes are mentioned in the section “Fry bread is Nation”. The author includes a lot of Native American history at the back of the book.
Review excerpts
- Booklist: “Maillard and Martinez-Neal bring depth, detail, and whimsy to this Native American food story, with text and illustrations depicting the diversity of indigenous peoples, the role of continuity between generations, and the adaptation over time of people, place, and tradition. Fry bread becomes a metaphor for resilience...”
- School Library Journal: “This warm and charming book shows and affirms Native lives. The informational text and expressive drawings give it broad appeal, making it a first purchase for all libraries.”
Connections
- The author’s Fry Bread recipe is in the back of the book.
- The concluding author’s note gives background and context to the story.
2. HEARTS UNBROKEN by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Bibliography
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. (2018). Hearts unbroken. Candlewick Press.
Plot Summary
Louise is a Native American teenager attending a small-town high school in Kansas. She begins to find her voice through her newfound passion for journalism. Louise tries to figure out when she wants to stand out and when she wants to blend in. She navigates the waters of romance, friendship, and social politics while simultaneously fending off racist threats.
Critical Analysis
The YA themes present in this text are identity, racism, and relationships. Louise begins the story as newly single and trying to forge a social identity apart from her super popular football-playing ex-boyfriend. She discovers a passion for journalism and taking on interesting, challenging topics. She longs to make a difference and isn’t shy about ruffling feathers. After enduring some slut-shaming herself, she decides to tackle sexual bullying as a topic. She becomes bolder as the story progresses. Culminating in a Louise that has no problem speaking her own mind and does not hide any part of herself. Louise also navigates romantic relationships and friendships too. She puts her ex-boyfriend out of her mind and moves on to another boy from her class that she has much more in common. Their relationship develops from friendship to budding romance, to committed love.
This story also tackles racism. Louise’s little brother Hughie tries out for the school’s production of Wizard of Oz and beats out older students to be cast as the Tin Man. He is thrilled, but many in the community are upset at Mrs. Qualey’s casting of minority actors in lead parts. All of the actors of color become targets of racist threats. Throughout the story, Louise deals with other forms of racism from her boyfriend saying that she’s not an “Indian Indian” to hearing about his mother disapproving of her other son’s new fiancé to school sports signs using imagery offensive to Native Americans.
From the beginning of the novel, Louise’s Native American heritage is mentioned. Smith creates tension between Louise and her environment right away. The reader can feel that Louise is proud of her heritage but isn’t sure how others will react to it, so she is sometimes reluctant to bring it up in the small Kansas town. Louise’s skin tone and the skin tones of her mother and brother are described. In one scene, a stranger doesn’t realize that Louise is Native because she is so light-skinned and she makes a catty remark to her mother, who is darker complected. Smith also devotes much time to teaching the reader about Frank Baum’s racist views towards Native Americans. She concludes the book with sections titled, “Cokvheckv Omvlkat Enakes”, “Mvskoke”, “Mvskoke-English Glossary”, and “Mvto”.
Review excerpts
Connections
3. THE NIGHT WATCHMAN by Louise Erdrich
Bibliography
Plot Summary
This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is based on the author’s grandfather’s life. Thomas Wazhashk works as the night watchman at the jewel bearing plant where his niece Patrice “Pixie” Paranteau works. The plant is located on the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota. When a new bill threatening their tribe’s existence begins to make its way through the United States Congress, Thomas knows he must act. He uses his position in the Chippewa Council to launch a defense. He and a team of people travel to Washington D.C. and testify before Congress in support of their tribe and people. Meanwhile, Patrice is on her own journey to find her missing older sister Vera. She goes to Minneapolis in hopes of finding her. Wood Mountain, a local boxer and friend, helps her. This is a story of love, friendship, and perseverance.
Critical Analysis
While this is a work of fiction, Louise Erdrich used transcripts and other historical documents to serve as the basis for many events in the text. The audiobook was narrated by the author herself. It begins with a note from the author about the inspiration for the book. There are 96 chapters, with the final chapter titled Thomas, which is the character that she based off of her grandfather. Immediately following that chapter is a note from the author about what the book was based on, followed by credits, and a thank you from the author.
There are numerous cultural references in this book, as it was based on real events in the history of Native people and America. There is frequent use of authentic language, references to the conditions in which the people live and why they live that way. Contrast between the hair and skin tone of the white teacher with the hair and skin tone of the others in the town. In one scene, a character remarks to the white teacher that the woman he has feelings for doesn’t like him because he smells funny after he had noticed a different smell from them. There are strong themes of social justice in this novel. The author strives to teach the reader about how the current conditions of Native Americans have come about.
Review excerpts
Connections
4. FOX SONG by Joseph Bruchac
Bibliography
Bruchac, Joseph. (1993). Fox Song. Philomel Books.
Plot Summary
Fox Song is a beautiful story of a young girl mourning the passing of her great-grandmother. The story begins in the morning when she wakes but doesn’t want to open her eyes. She wants to go back to dreaming of her Grama Bowman. She goes from memory to memory remembering the lessons from her great-grandmother. In the end, she finally gets out of bed and walks out of the house. She breaks into a run outside and heads for the tree her grandmother would sit at. She sings the song she taught her, and a fox appears.
Critical Analysis
Joseph Bruchac hooks the reader from the opening scene. He doesn’t explicitly state that Grama Bowman has passed until a few pages in, instead using that mystery to draw the reader into the story and allow them to connect with the grieving main character. Her memories serve as mini-stories that pull the reader deeper and deeper into her grief and longing. He uses the fox as a symbol of her grandmother’s love and presence and the fox song as a vehicle for her remembrance.
Through Grama Bowman’s stories, Joseph Bruchac teaches the reader about the way Native Americans view the land, the animals, and their relationship with each. By the end of the story, he has taught you about the relationship of children to their great-grandparents as well. Paul Morin’s beautiful illustrations honor Native Americans’ respect for the natural world.
Review excerpts
Connections
- Visit TeachingBooks.net for author interviews.
- Further reading: Buffalo Song by Joseph Bruchac.
No comments:
Post a Comment