Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - Calling for a Blanket Dance

Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah

10 reviews

kappafrog's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative sad 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

4.0

Incredible weaving together of stories to make a family quilt, centred around a Kiowa, Cherokee and Mexican-American man called Ever. The way we viewed Ever's life unfold from so many different angles before finally hearing from him directly was so perfect. And then, when we do get to him, he's focused not on himself but on trying to do right by all those people. Intergenerational trauma is shown not told very effectively. And yet the Kiowa and Cherokee and Mexican ways of centring family and taking care of each other the best they can shines through so beautifully. The blanket dance ended up being the perfect metaphor and perfect title.

This book is a lot heavier than what I usually read. The enjoyment for me was limited somewhat by how dark it got at times. I really admire this book though and want to read more by Hokeah. My favourite story in the book was probably Vincent's, and I loved Ever's and Opbee's too. Turtle's was the most opaque for me. Overall, Hokeah absolutely excelled at telling this multi generational story.

Content Warnings

annamay1021's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

marypaz13's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

"A house, like land, taught us how to belong and who we belonged to.”

Format: Hybrid -- Audio & Physical
Source: Libby
Narrator(s): Oscar Hokeah, Rainy Fields

**Read for book club**

Trigger Warning(s): Sexual Assault & Harassment, Drugs & Drug Addiction, Death of a Child, Cirrhosis, Death of a Loved One, Mention of Child Abuse & Abandonment, Mention of Depression & Mental Health

Themes:
• Homelessness
• Poverty
• Drugs & Drug Addiction
• Family Dynamics
• Generational Trauma
• Parenting
• Native American Culture: Cherokee, Kiowa
• Concept of home/belonging

Review:
Wow. Like, damn. This is raw. It's been a minute since I've connected to much with a book.

So, first, let me start with the way the book is written. It's written in vignettes around the main character, Ever. Each vignette is the perspective of someone in connection with Ever, and by connection I mean they have some form of familial connection with him. They are also told in chronological order of Ever's life, starting with his great grandparents. This reminded me of The House on Mango Street, as it too is written in chronological vignettes. It works here because of that underlaying theme of belonging. By having multiple people tell the life story of Ever, what he lived through from the outside perspective, gives that "Oh, I know that kid/yeah, that's my cousin" vibes. It's as if they are talking to you, the reader, and letting you know about Ever. I did part of the novel on audio, and sadly, the audio didn't vocalize the difference perspectives, which messed with my experience, but that's a me problem.

This novel tackles a lot of themes that fall under the umbrella of family and community. Being of mixed races, you don't really belong, but you're still an important part of the community. At the same time, outsiders are also welcomed and nurtured under this umbrella of belonging - as seen with Leander. Nested within this umbrella is also Native American Culture. They name various tribes, but the main ones are Kiowa and Cherokee. I learned a lot just from the summarized explanation (because I'm sure it's much deeper than what the novel relays).

Now, the reason why this hit home to me was because:
1. My mom's side of the fam is from Chihuahua, specifically Ojinaga, which it the Mexican border town across from Presidio. I've been to Presidio, and while I have been lucky to not encounter corrupt/racist officers, I'm not surprised.

2. I currently reside in Oklahoma, so I'm familiar with the towns mentioned in the novel.

3. Back to my mom, she's part Rarámuri (Tarahumara), which made me connect to the stories of individuals and the interconnection of families and community. My aunts always talk about people in terms of their relation to the family: "the son/daughter of blank who is married to blank of your grandma's side" -- crazy! I guess this is seen in various countries across the Americas, at least in Mexico.

4. The whole Spider program thing. There's a similar program to that where I live. A lot of the services mentioned in the book reminded me of that place. It helped me when I was a runaway teen. That whole part the novel also reminded me of people I knew in middle school, guys who actually went to juvie.

5. This quote and the story behind it:

"It came to her in her dreams -- the sadness. And the more I thought about depression, the more I realized it had always hit me hardest at night."

I won't talk about the background in the novel, because it's an important part (you know the whole family thing), but it also brought a lot of memories about my grandmas, one telling me that prayers before bed create a layer of protection and the other telling me that dreams are powerful and that I need to be careful.

This is Tulsa County City Library (TCCL)'s One Book One Tulsa for 2024.

Rating Breakdown:
Characters: 4
Plot/Storyline: 4
Pace: 5
Writing Style: 4.5
Narrator(s): 4
Overall Rating: 4.3 rounded down to a 4.25

Quotes:
"...'the rocks were earth,' Matthew said. 'Meant to remind us of our smallness'"

"It was my time, finally. My time to rotate home."

"Who is she without a home? Her house made her feel safe. It was where she kept her children safe."

"If she lost herself, what did that mean for her children?"

"But in the end, had I done enough? Can a failed father redeem himself with the hearts of his grandchildren?"

"We Cherokees followed our lineage through our mothers."

"When I thought of that house, I always thought of my mother..."

"Time, like masks, could make us reclaim the best of who we were and purge the worst of what we'd become."

"She needed to tell someone, it was so sad, so terrible, and maybe she needed to tell it to a mother."

"My nah'ee had been trained in group homes to place youth in holds. Never did he think his own daughter... He held her and let her scream. He let her cry. He let her kick him. He held her until she was too tired to kick anymore, until she was too tired to cry, until her muscles released their tension and she went limp in her arms."

"There was something about her smile, too, sweet and soft. I always thought those smiles were the best--the ones connected to children. It only told me the darkest of her depression was fading..."

"'Ah kaw'awn," for our children, hoping, praying they will understand, each will understand, how our forever home kept us intact."

Content Warnings

biblio_'s review

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

lilcoppertop's review

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

lyndsay_bibliophile's review

Go to review page

emotional funny reflective sad slow-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

5.0

This book is an experience - filled with characters so real you'll find yourself laughing with them one minute and hurting for them the next. A must-read for anyone who appreciates a slow burn.

Hokeah's storytelling is pure magic - raw and honest, weaving in humor and tenderness. The shift between voices takes some getting used to initially. Each voice is distinct, each narrative contributing to the story of a family grappling with love, loss, and historical trauma.

I found myself relating to each character, seeing echoes of my own loved ones in their struggles and triumphs. Vincent stole my heart with his quiet wisdom, but every character resonated in a way that felt deeply personal.

Content Warnings

eve81's review

Go to review page

hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

gigireadswithkiki's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Calling for a Blanket Dance was such a heartbreakingly tender read into the life of a part-Cherokee, part-Mexican man named Ever, as told from the perspective of his many many family members (and eventually, from his own). I really loved how this book refuses to shy away from the many societal issues that continue to affect Indigenous communities, from methamphetamine use to rampant poverty to military indoctrination, all as a direct result of the U.S. government's continual abuse and neglect.

The beginning of Ever's story is heartbreaking, showing the myriad of ways in which the circumstances of his life continually work against his success. And yet, as the story continues, we see this young man discover himself and his purpose; though he is by no means perfect, readers see the ways in which Ever shows up for his kids and his community on a steadfast and continuous basis.

At times, the narrative felt like it prioritized telling rather than showing the events that occur in the book, but other than that I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend to others, though not without checking content warnings beforehand.

Content Warnings

just_one_more_paige's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This is the fourth Aspen Words Literary Prize 2023 longlist read that I've gotten around to this year. Even though the shortlist has already been announced, I'm still planning to read the ones that have seemed most interesting to me, regardless of whether they moved on or not. I don't think I have it in me to read it in full this year, but I had seen a lot of great reviews for this one, so I knew this would be one I would pick up. And since this one did, in fact, make the shortlist too, I was that much more excited to experience it myself.

Through a multigenerational story-telling voice, Calling for a Blanket Dance takes us through the story of Ever Geimausaddle's life. From traumatic childhood events to his father's failing health and his mother's struggle to support the family, from his time spent in the military to his experiences as a single father to children whose mother struggles with addiction, from his second partner and their struggles starting their own family to his work with at-risk indigenous youth, from his own issues with rage to his re-connecting with his Oklahoman and tribal and Mexican family and roots, Ever fights to create a life that is, for him (if no one else), full...of stability, of helping others, of family and a place to call home.

Well, this was a really interesting written format and style. Each chapter is narrated from a different perspective, all but telling a sequential story of the life of the focal character, Ever. Even more unique is that, for many of them, they are telling a story of Ever, but in relation to or in observation of a third person or perspective; so each piece of Ever's life that that we get is even once more removed, with the narrator being more minimal/tangential in comparison to the story they're relating. Though as time passes and the chapters continue, the narration becomes closer and closer to Ever himself, or interactions with Ever himself, until the final chapter, which brings the book to its finale with a chance to speak of himself in his own voice.It was so cool how, by the end, I really did have such a full understanding of Ever, even with hearing most of his story from a this remove. It really does a great job showcasing how our relationships with others, the way we treat and interact with them, are the most truthful way to see who a person actually is (an incredible "actions speak louder than words" message) I don't know if I’ve never read a character portrayal like this before.

Thematically, Hokeah addresses a number of difficult topics, like intergenerational memories of trauma and addiction, the way that changes genetics, and the way memories from before you actively remember live in the bones/body. This is then compounded by the way violence and addiction and job/housing insecurity and other traumas are often an everyday reality in indigenous life. There were a few moments at the end, particularly Ever's final chapter, that I found particularly compelling to read after just having finished Evicted - the incredible focus on housing as the point around which family stays stable and centered and together hit a lot harder in that context. There was also, threaded throughout, a subtly affecting look at the efforts people are making to help change things and create better spaces and environments for future generations than they had. I find that often, reasonably and understandably, stories like this one focus on how the previous generation's trauma irrevocably harms the next in un-overcomable ways and the cycle continues. And while this novel recognized that too, it also provided a touching look at the way even the most individual, the smallest (on a population scale, not as far as their impact on a person), changes/choices/efforts can make such an incredible difference in the direction the future takes. And I loved that.

As I was reading, I thought this was a solid read. Good writing, absorbing content, but (at least for me) not particularly special or standout. But then, the second to last chapter, when the cultural and societal connections, the community support and paying it back/forward, the effort and importance of lifting up family and tradition came to the center stage, mixed with a full circle narrative in a very touching and filling way, and my feelings about the quality of this book took a big jump. It highlighted the best of this indigenous community (that’s always there, if not always used or see in the positive light it could be), shifting the focus in a way that gave needed depth to the impact of the novel. While this is probably not a new favorite, in general or of the Aspen Words long/shortlist, I that late shift really brought things together in a satisfying way and made this book so much more, for me.

“One day, he always told her, over and over. But 'one day' said everyday sounded more like 'never.'”

"When we’re faced with our own mortality the only strength we have left is laughter.”

“There was only one thing worse than wasted potential: the people who didn't give potential any expectations.”

“I suppose Ever was right about small expectations: they rise like water.”

Content Warnings

caseythereader's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

5.0

- CALLING FOR A BLANKET DANCE tells the story of Ever over decades of his life and through the eyes of his relatives.
- The way the many voices of this book weave together is masterful. Each perspective gave more dimension and life not only to Ever but to everyone and everywhere in his life.
- It's alternately uplifting and heartbreaking, watching these characters hurt each other while struggling to break cycles of trauma, but ultimately coming together to try again because their love stretches back generations.

Content Warnings

More...