This book is a beautiful writing of the story of Ishi. I had to set it aside at one point as his family died and he was left alone. I was concerned he would be tortured. The book is one showing how Ishi mad the best of a terrible situation. ( )

I see where [[Ursula K. LeGuin]] gets her sensitive and beautiful writing style from, as well as her concern for the intricacies of culture and the tension between powerful newcomers and vulnerable indigenous peoples.

Her mother, the author of this book, does an amazing job of weaving together her own knowledge of the land and Ishi with the notes and comments of her husband, the anthropologist who became Ishi's close friend after he was discovered, ill and alone, in 1911. This plea for intelligent apprehension and respect of rights and culture is beautiful and heart-rending. The story is partly ficitonalized--for the bare facts turn to other records. It is told from Ishi's perspective, so some of historical details are missing, but the sense of a life lived in hiding and the reasons for it are very much there. ( )

The book is probably better suited for a younger reader but I think I appreciated it a little more now that I've been to the places described in the book. As with many books that try to write from the perspective outside the culture of the person who is writing the book I think the author tried too hard to avoid using any words or concepts outside of the Yuni language. There are times when it would have been better to let the narrator step in and fill the blanks. ( )

This is a must-read, although I would like to follow it up with a historical account of Ishi's life and "discovery," since this is essentially a novel and Theodora Kroeber never met Ishi.

Ishi was a native Californian whose entire tribe, the Yahi, was driven out from their home or killed during his lifetime. After a time living in solitude, he traveled west, was called to the attention of the anthropologist Alfred Kroeber, and spent the rest of his life living in the museum of the Berkeley School of Anthropology, dying in 1916. He is believed to be the last native Californian to live a traditional lifestyle outside European-American culture.

Theodora Kroeber tells this fictionalized account of his life with respect and sensitivity. Ishi is the hero of his own story, not a believe-it-or-not oddity, and she tries to imagine the significance he might have found in the events of his life. It's a beautifully told story, full of rich, but not overly exoticized, descriptions of traditional native life.

Alfred and Theodora Kroeber of course have a famous writer daughter, Ursula K. LeGuin, so anyone interested in LeGuin's family roots in anthropology should definitely read this. ( )

A story about survival. A native American alone, venturing into the wilderness learns to live and adapt on his own. ( )