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mistyd's review
5.0
I loved reading the stories. I am so glad that she put them on paper to preserve them for future generations.
mattleesharp's review against another edition
3.0
There are obvious parallels to be drawn between Iktomi and Anansi in the West African tradition, though Iktomi is much more a of a bumbling idiot. Iktomi as a character is ultimately a lovable character in that he is a sort of stand in for our childhood selves: acting impulsively, looking out for his own interest above all others, ill-mannered. The lessons of these tales are universal. The translation is a little shaky. Another commenter below pointed out a story about peacocks that doesn't even feel possible given the ecology or whatever of the Americas at the time. Those kind of liberties in translation took me out temporarily, but others were very effective. I appreciated the effort made to make my particular edition of this book feel like a continuous narrative as much as possible. It felt seamless / almost like a novel at places. I think it is important for these voices to be heard. It's good to broaden your horizons and not treat a certain history as the only history. For that reason I think this is a book that is probably more important to read as a sort of global citizen than it is to read for any rich moral lessons that can be squeezed from the text itself.
themothermermaid's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
emdoux's review against another edition
3.0
Read: Iktomi and the Ducks, Dance in a Buffalo Skull, Iktomi's Blanket, Badger and the Bear, Warlike Seven, Iya the Camp Eater
annsantori's review against another edition
3.0
The rhythm and structure of the tales is not what most would be familiar with in traditional tales, so it's hard to enjoy them on the page . . . though I'm sure there are tellers who can/do perform these stories extremely well.