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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
I bought this book months ago and left it for that perfect time, because I felt sure it was going to be a good read but not a light read. The time came, and I was right. I would put this book in the category of George Saunders' Lincoln in the Bardo, Colson Whitehead's Underground Railroad, and Mohsin Hamid's Exit West, all books that grapple with the pitiless nature of dominant culture's sins bearing down upon innocents, steamrolling them or transforming them in its own image. All of these books are bearable because of the exquisite writing. All will stay with you, burrowed inside the bones of your conscience. All are testaments to the way that literature changes your understanding in a way that non-fiction doesn't often do. Oddly, non-fiction is in a way a distancer--what is told really happened, but it really happened at a time that is not now and to people that aren't you. Fiction--well, you are letting it inside you; you as the reader give it its reality, and so you give it access to who you are in a different way of knowing than you give facts.
I love reading about the urban Indians of Oakland, the Big City near my hometown of Livermore--not so near that I knew it well, but near enough that it was like a shadow on the horizon, always there, always the bigger, more dangerous, more complex place.
I love reading about the urban Indians of Oakland, the Big City near my hometown of Livermore--not so near that I knew it well, but near enough that it was like a shadow on the horizon, always there, always the bigger, more dangerous, more complex place.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the idea of a book telling about the urban native experience from many points of view, and I connected with many of the characters. However, I wanted more payoff from their connected stories and more resolution at the end. Was this lack of resolution a methaphor for the native experience and the continued struggle? Perhaps. But it still left me wanting a bit more from the book. Overall, this is one that I wished an English teacher was walking me through as I feel like maybe I missed some things, but I recognize its importance and beauty.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes