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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Actual Rating 3.5
I had no idea that Federal prosecutors refused to prosecute major felony's on Native American Reservations. I am saddened and appalled that Native American reservations continue to be used by criminals as places where they can commit crimes against the most valuable and vulnerable people in our country.
This book follows Virgil as he tries to protect his nephew and come to terms with his culture and identity. There were some slow parts, but it is a solid thriller that surprised me in the end. The most important part of listening to this book was the vulnerable states of reservations, and understanding more about how they exist in real life. Definitely a eye opening and important read.
And yes it took me a very long time to listen to this because of a crippling reading slump that I've been in.
I had no idea that Federal prosecutors refused to prosecute major felony's on Native American Reservations. I am saddened and appalled that Native American reservations continue to be used by criminals as places where they can commit crimes against the most valuable and vulnerable people in our country.
This book follows Virgil as he tries to protect his nephew and come to terms with his culture and identity. There were some slow parts, but it is a solid thriller that surprised me in the end. The most important part of listening to this book was the vulnerable states of reservations, and understanding more about how they exist in real life. Definitely a eye opening and important read.
And yes it took me a very long time to listen to this because of a crippling reading slump that I've been in.
4.5 stars - I thought this had a great balance of humor, action, crime, and the inclusion of various social issues relating to the Native American community. I would absolutely read an entire series of these books, and I’m not going to lie, the end had me a bit teary-eyed. Really excellent crime novel!
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Winter Counts is a thrilling crime story with heart. I enjoyed this especially as it's a change from what I normally read. I felt compelled to keep reading to find out how the story would end. The exciting action scenes were the best, I think they were what kept me coming back. I was invested in the characters too, especially Virgil and his relationship with his nephew, but truthfully, the whole mystery and thriller elements were what I was interested in more. They were done with enough subtlety that I was piecing together the answers at the same time as the protagonist.
I also loved the message of cultural revival. Whether it's reclaiming pre-contact Lakota foods like buffalo and berries or a skeptic turning to ceremony for guidance, this was deep and heartfelt. It clearly shows how colonization and its many-headed approaches poisons a community by cutting them off from cultural traditions and knowledge. Weiden touches on the dangers of rejecting culture or hurting one's own community for profit. My one concern is the depiction of Latinx people.
I worry that this feeds into stereotypes of violence and drug dealing. There are no positive representations of Latinx people, nor do any Latinx people have a voice or back story. But there's a 'bad guy' who goes by Loco and he's a black tar heroin dealer who tortures government informants. Yikes.
Trigger warnings for: mentions of child molestation and rape, violence and assault, drug use and overdose, murder, torture, electrocution, gun use.
I also loved the message of cultural revival. Whether it's reclaiming pre-contact Lakota foods like buffalo and berries or a skeptic turning to ceremony for guidance, this was deep and heartfelt. It clearly shows how colonization and its many-headed approaches poisons a community by cutting them off from cultural traditions and knowledge. Weiden touches on the dangers of rejecting culture or hurting one's own community for profit. My one concern is the depiction of Latinx people.
I worry that this feeds into stereotypes of violence and drug dealing. There are no positive representations of Latinx people, nor do any Latinx people have a voice or back story. But there's a 'bad guy' who goes by Loco and he's a black tar heroin dealer who tortures government informants. Yikes.
Trigger warnings for: mentions of child molestation and rape, violence and assault, drug use and overdose, murder, torture, electrocution, gun use.
Really liked it! Reminded me a little of some criminal detective books I've read with some great /necessary information weaved in. I love reading fiction and learning at the same time.
While Winter Counts is primarily a crime thriller, David Heska Wanbli Weiden tried to do so much more with varying degrees of success. The actual crime thriller narrative unfortunately takes a bit of a backseat to explore more about the reservation and the characters we focus on. That’s not inherently a bad thing, and I did really enjoy these characters and this setting. However, with such a short book, the narrative didn’t get the focus it needed, and as a result it overall rings a bit hollow.
Now the ending, especially the ending of Virgil’s journey as a character, was very satisfying and pushes this closer to 4 stars, but I can’t ignore how boring parts of this book were. It’s a slow burn, but what really did it in more than the pacing for me was the more meandering nature of the plot.
Winter Counts is a good book overall and is incredibly educational in terms of what a reservation is like in modern times and the struggles Native people are STILL dealing with. In the end though, it had too many issues throughout for me to rate it higher.
Now the ending, especially the ending of Virgil’s journey as a character, was very satisfying and pushes this closer to 4 stars, but I can’t ignore how boring parts of this book were. It’s a slow burn, but what really did it in more than the pacing for me was the more meandering nature of the plot.
Winter Counts is a good book overall and is incredibly educational in terms of what a reservation is like in modern times and the struggles Native people are STILL dealing with. In the end though, it had too many issues throughout for me to rate it higher.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really struggled to get into the book at first. The secondary characters, Nathan and Marie, really helped. The main character Virgil was kind of flat and ‘cold’ as a character. I loved the detail of the Native American rituals and the tie in of ancestry. Around page 120 I found the pace picked up a lot and I felt much more connected to the characters. Good read. Important subject matter. Made me think about things I had not considered within reservation life.
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes