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kappafrog's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Genocide, Incest, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, and War
annamay1021's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Abandonment, and Alcohol
marypaz13's review
- 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
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."
Graphic: Child death and Medical content
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War
cattpurrson's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
mandaazzi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation
shlymiller's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
biblio_'s review
- 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
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug use, and Physical abuse
biobeetle's review
- 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
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Terminal illness, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Colonisation
lilcoppertop's review
- 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
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation
msantiagocoyle's review
- 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
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Drug abuse