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A review by lattelibrarian
Give Me Some Truth by Eric Gansworth
4.0
This book did not take me anywhere that I expected, and I loved it. As a white person who did not grow up in the 80s nor liked The Beatles any more than the very casual fan, this book was a little out of my depth in terms of...well, a lot. Told between two narratives, Give Me Some Truth shines some light on what it's like to grow up on a reservation in the 80s. Carson has grown up on the reservation for his life, and finds a renewed sense of purpose while preparing for the Battle of the Bands. Maggi, however, returns to the reservation, and discovers that she doesn't quite fit in with the rest of them--even though she knows all the same laws and understands the severity of race relations. And, they both really love John Lennon, so perhaps a first love is in store.
For seventeen year old Carson, that would be Maggi, and for Maggi, that would be Jim, the 30 year old white man who might be able to take her off the reservation in just a couple years. And, you know those characters that you know the moment they step on the page that you're going to dislike? Yeah, that's Jim. I mean, what business does a 30 year old man have to do with a girl half his age? He's even worse than the racist burger joint owner--at least the racist dude knows he's being shitty. Jim is somehow a victim of doublethink--both manipulative and knowledgeable of the power dynamic and helplessly in love. But alas, they are both necessary characters to this narrative. They're the kind of characters you love to hate.
In a similar vein, Carson is also a little unlikeable, though he's entirely necessary to the plot. He's your average seventeen year old who thinks he's done everything right in terms of romance--and doesn't get the girl. In fact, he gets a good ol' talking to by Maggi and his best friend Lewis, who he treats pretty poorly.
What isn't necessarily necessary, but is a whole lot of fun is the multi-media aspectof this book. Between the parts and interludes are Maggi's experimental beading artwork, and at the end of the novel is a playlist and discography of all the songs referenced to in Gansworth's book. I'd never seen that before, and it was a wholly creative move.
Overall, this book is long but worth it, especially if you're invested in Own Voices literature and Native American literature--there's a lot to be both learned and enjoyed, especially as a historical fiction and musical novel.
Review cross-listed here!
For seventeen year old Carson, that would be Maggi, and for Maggi, that would be Jim, the 30 year old white man who might be able to take her off the reservation in just a couple years. And, you know those characters that you know the moment they step on the page that you're going to dislike? Yeah, that's Jim. I mean, what business does a 30 year old man have to do with a girl half his age? He's even worse than the racist burger joint owner--at least the racist dude knows he's being shitty. Jim is somehow a victim of doublethink--both manipulative and knowledgeable of the power dynamic and helplessly in love. But alas, they are both necessary characters to this narrative. They're the kind of characters you love to hate.
In a similar vein, Carson is also a little unlikeable, though he's entirely necessary to the plot. He's your average seventeen year old who thinks he's done everything right in terms of romance--and doesn't get the girl. In fact, he gets a good ol' talking to by Maggi and his best friend Lewis, who he treats pretty poorly.
What isn't necessarily necessary, but is a whole lot of fun is the multi-media aspectof this book. Between the parts and interludes are Maggi's experimental beading artwork, and at the end of the novel is a playlist and discography of all the songs referenced to in Gansworth's book. I'd never seen that before, and it was a wholly creative move.
Overall, this book is long but worth it, especially if you're invested in Own Voices literature and Native American literature--there's a lot to be both learned and enjoyed, especially as a historical fiction and musical novel.
Review cross-listed here!