“The old teller has been on every journey
and she knows all the escape stories
even stories before she was born,
She keeps the stories for those who return
but more important
for the dear ones who do not come back
so that we may remember them
and cry for them with the stories.”

“You must be very quiet and listen respectfully.
Otherwise the storyteller might get upset and pout
and not say another word all night.”

Storytelling has been a hallowed tradition for Native Americans and has been that way for centuries. Silko pays tribute to that tradition, in this collection of stories, poems and striking, B & W, photographs. She also weaves in her own family's history, along with her own childhood experiences, listening to the tales told by her grandparents. This was my first time reading Silko, and it was a wonderful introduction. ( )

really interesting and valuable mix of original text (short story, poetry, memoir/family stories) and photographs and the retelling of native american stories that have been passed down for ages. the folktales help illuminate silko's writing and vice versa. the passage that stood out to me above all others is a description of white people that was also in her book ceremony:

"Then they grow away from the earth/then they grow away from the sun/then they grow away from the plants and animals./They see no life/When they look/they see only objects./The world is a dead thing for them/the trees and rivers are not alive/the mountains and stones are not alive./The deer and bear are objects/they see no life./They fear/They fear the world./They destroy what they fear./They fear themselves." ( )

A cross-genre work combining conventions of fiction, poetry, song, memoir, and documentary, this cinematic journey explores Native American legend and life in the twentieth century. The style of the work changes to fit each exploration within the text, allowing Silko's work to be an exploration of Native American philosophy and celebration even as it forms itself to be the memoir of a family, of individuals, and of a time. For anyone interested in Native American literature or cross-genre works, I'd highly recommend this. For others, this is something unique and worthwhile--an engaging journey outside of the normal read. ( )