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The Girl Who Married the Moon: Tales from Native North America by Joseph Bruchac, Gayle Ross
pizzamyheart's review against another edition
5.0
I found this book via a group here on Goodreads. Most of my knowledge on Native American culture come from school history books and hollywood. Not the best resources. The Girl Who Married the Moon: Tales from Native North America is a collection of tales from the original Americans. Each tale is from a different tribe, and the stories are grouped by location.
Long story short, this was a great collection. What I found most fascinating was the level of respect many of these cultures had for women. Most of the folk tales I've read (mainly european) center around foolish women, or headstrong guys. A male is almost always the star in the story.
In this book, many tales feature women. Thought they're not always accepted as leaders of their tribes, it was fascinating to read the juxtaposition against European tales. The book was small, and the tales are short, but it'd make a great addition to any folk/fairy tale collection.
Long story short, this was a great collection. What I found most fascinating was the level of respect many of these cultures had for women. Most of the folk tales I've read (mainly european) center around foolish women, or headstrong guys. A male is almost always the star in the story.
In this book, many tales feature women. Thought they're not always accepted as leaders of their tribes, it was fascinating to read the juxtaposition against European tales. The book was small, and the tales are short, but it'd make a great addition to any folk/fairy tale collection.
emjay24's review against another edition
4.0
This was a book club selection at my office. When I was young, middle school through high school, I was very interested in, & studied on my own, both folklore and Native American culture, so it was kind of a flashback for me to read these tales. The stories are grouped by geography, with a little introduction before each part of North America, and all center on strong young women realizing their power. The book points out that women had/have an equally important role in Native American culture, with often even stronger powers. I liked this anthology and would have even enjoyed reading more commentary and analysis by the editor. For some reason it has been placed in young adult, but this is an all ages book, as it is made up of folklore stories.
slefebvre95's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
dollhousebooks's review against another edition
3.0
The stories focus on girls and women in Native American tribes - their strengths, weaknesses, characteristics, and roles. Each story is connected regionally but has unique differences to them. While some are closer to fables with a clear moral at the end, others are closer to creation stories. And just as with any collection of stories, some were stronger and more compelling than others. Some of my favorites were Arrowhead Finger (Penobscot), The Abandoned Girl (Seneca), The Poor Turkey Girl (Santa Clara Pueblo), and Where the Girl Rescued Her Brother (Cheyenne).
While each story was short, between two to six pages long, the authors did a great job retelling many of the stories with descriptive language and enough detail that helps the readers to visualize the setting, characters, and events. However, the collection could benefit from an added map of North America to aid in pinpointing the location of each story because many stories emphasize the importance of the land. A map would be handy for readers unfamiliar with North American geography.
I appreciated the educational aspect of this collection as well. The stories are organized into four distinct sections: Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest. At the beginning of each section, the authors include background information on each region. I found this to be very helpful in understanding more about the Native American tribes. Still, I would have liked a more in-depth explanation of the regions to provide more historical context.
Overall, this collection is an excellent introduction to Native American stories and culture. It is an easy-to-read book with a wide range of stories that will capture the attention of many young readers.
While each story was short, between two to six pages long, the authors did a great job retelling many of the stories with descriptive language and enough detail that helps the readers to visualize the setting, characters, and events. However, the collection could benefit from an added map of North America to aid in pinpointing the location of each story because many stories emphasize the importance of the land. A map would be handy for readers unfamiliar with North American geography.
I appreciated the educational aspect of this collection as well. The stories are organized into four distinct sections: Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest. At the beginning of each section, the authors include background information on each region. I found this to be very helpful in understanding more about the Native American tribes. Still, I would have liked a more in-depth explanation of the regions to provide more historical context.
Overall, this collection is an excellent introduction to Native American stories and culture. It is an easy-to-read book with a wide range of stories that will capture the attention of many young readers.
readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Murder, Self harm, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Chronic illness, and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal death and Child death
Starvation, neglect, broken bones.mactammonty's review against another edition
3.0
The stories were very interesting. I like that women are celebrated in these stories. The telling of the stories are a little clunky. I imagine that sitting around a campfire or in a circle while watching the story teller would give these stories the true vibrancy that they deserve.
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