Wind from an Enemy Sky
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.32 (608 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0826311008 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 269 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-10-24 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
. From the Inside Flap A novel about a fictional Northwestern tribe
He is the author of several books, including Other Destinies: Understanding the American Indian Novel and the novels The Sharpest Sight and Bone Game, all published by the University of Oklahoma Press. Louis Owens, who is of Choctaw-Cherokee-Irish descent, is Professor of English at the University of New Mexico.
McNickle took three decades to write this and it shows I am told that D'Arcy McNickle took three decades to write this book. I was also told that it is based on a true story, even more significant today because of all the discussion of dam breaching and the terrible effect hydro-electric dams have had on the ecology.McNickle writes excellent prose, but what I like most about his novels is his grasp of human nature. Perhaps because of his mixed heritage, he allows that people often do all the wrong the things for all the right reasons. This is not a book of racial hatred, but of deep misunderstanding.This is a fair. A subtly told story of cross-cultural exchanges and betrayal There are no simple dualities in this story. Things don't simply stack up in white vs. red conflicts. McNickle has created a cast of white and Indian characters who line up across the spectrum of "purely" Indian and "purely" white. The motivations of each character are complex and frought with cultural misunderstandings, good intentions, and understandable anger and frustration. This is a novel about the complexities of understanding across cultures and languages, and a warning against the failure to do so.. Scott E Mantooth said haunting. This book is difficult to put down once you start reading, although you get the feeling early on that things will not end well for those in which the story revolvesnot by design but by misunderstanding (on both sides) and tragic neglect. This book is also on tape for anyone visually impairedwhich I have also heared (years ago)it's just as powerful and as haunting to hearthe last paragraph still makes me weep just thinking about itbut the story could not have ended any other way and be true to the spirit of its own narrative
At the same time, McNickle provides a sensitive portrait of the religious depth and human warmth of Indian culture. A tragedy of good intentions gone hopelessly wrong, Wind from an Enemy Sky tells the story of the Little Elk People, a fictional Northwestern tribe. The Indians respond to the building of a dam by trying to gain the return of a sacred medicine bundle. McNickle�s ability to depict psychologically complex characters of both races, such as Bull, the aging leader of the Little Elk, and Rafferty, the Indian Agency Superintendent, results in a convincing story and leads the reader to hope that tragedy can be averted. But although whites and Indians grow in their understanding of one another, the mistakes of the past compound to bring about the violent final confrontation, envisioned in the dreams of the mysterious Two Sleeps.. Through the eyes of Antoine, grandson of the tribal leader, we see the tribe attempt to overcome their demoraliz