Skip to main content

Black Elk Speaks

December 23, 2009
Book of the Day: Black Elk Speaks, as told to John G. Neihardt
Grade: B
First published: 1932
1-word review: Smoke
6-word review: Traditions change, by force if necessary.

We become eyewitnesses to the subjugation of a culture, yet Black Elk speaks plainly. This is the way it is. Our traditions are strong, and we fight for them, but we've had to adapt. We hope to preserve our culture, yet we realize the uphill climb that we face.

This is a narrative told mostly in the voice of Black Elk, a Lakota holy man who is there for Little Bighorn and Wounded Knee, performs with Buffalo Bill, and dies in 1950. Neihardt admits to making slight changes to Black Elk's words, in order to make the narrative clearer, but he still manages to make the story feel authentic. It is heartbreaking and spiritual, in equal portions.

Many Native Americans had to suffer to make room for white Idahoans. Are the potatoes really worth it?


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Freddy the Detective

December 11, 2009 Book of the Day: Freddy the Detective , by Walter R. Brooks Grade: A- First published: 1932 1-word review: Porcine 5-word review: Don't mess with the pig. Freddy the Pig awakes one morning to find Hambone, his best friend and longtime sty-mate, missing. He begins an investigation into the disappearance only to stumble upon the dismembered and eviscerated corpse of Hammy hanging in a meat locker. He proceeds to take revenge on those he deems responsible, doing to them what was done to his buddy. Blood flows as Freddy self-destructs in an orgy of violence. This is all rather surprising to find in a children's book. Warning to my more sensitive readers! Here's a gruesome picture of some of Hammy's remains, shown only in the interest of science. Here we have Idaho.
3 comments
Read more

The Theory of the Leisure Class

December 30, 2009 Book of the Day: The Theory of the Leisure Class , by Thorstein Veblen Grade: A- First published: 1899 1-word review: Conspicuous 7-word review: It's all pecuniary conspicuity, you materialistic bastard. This is an interesting, sometimes funny, frequently profound, take on our consumer culture. There's a certain desire to achieve material success just to show others that we have achieved material success. Furthermore, our motivation comes from seeing the success of others. These factors lead to what Veblen calls "conspicuous consumption." We like other people to notice our stuff. Then there are those who try to try to wow you with their stuff when their stuff isn't all that impressive. Veblen refers to these people as "Boise State fans." Just a little love tap.
3 comments
Read more

Disgrace

December 12, 2009 Book of the Day: Disgrace , by J.M. Coetzee Grade: A First published: 1999 1-word review: Brutal 9-word review: South Africa's still struggling in the aftermath of apartheid. A communications professor in Cape Town resigns his job after having a scandalous affair with a student. He visits his daughter on her ranch in the country, where they are viciously attacked and robbed in her home. The rest of the novel, in sparse and nearly perfect prose, deals with the aftermath of this attack, examining white guilt, police incompetence, and intellectual bankruptcy. Coetzee is a white South African who wrote a novel that depicts black on white violent crime in his country. As you may expect, this has generated quite some controversy, despite Coetzee's bona fide anti-apartheid status. Many critics have suggested that Disgrace should be read as an allegorical tale about the inadequacies of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a body set up in South Africa to exam
3 comments
Read more