Maintenance Manager Jerry McDonald recommends Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah.
I was delightfully surprised by this novel. It’s not easily categorized because of Oskar’s writing style or presentation. A window into life in the Oklahoma small town, but not an autobiography or true story…
…his characters are so real, I felt it was truly his family’s sharing of a historical account of Cherokee and Kiowa tribes’ lives from the 1970s to the present.
Each chapter is a different family member’s thought and experiences. Telling in their own words, with some Cherokee mixed in, I had no difficulty in understanding their meaning. When you get to really know each character well by hearing their side of the story, it makes it much more interesting.
There are several different types of dances. Some are for the benefit of one family, some are for honoring ancestors, some for someone coming of age. Blankets usually have colors of a certain tribe. Blankets are usually handmade and made to help healing. There’s no doubt the misery the adults and children go through, day to day, captures your soul.
No sugar coating here, it’s a harsh life but enlightens the reader the way each family comes together through dancing and honoring their ancestors’ ways.
Have ah’day oosdi! I’m definitely going to read more Oscar Hokeah.
