November 24, 2020
In local author Tony Tekaroniake Evans’s new book, Teaching Native Pride: Upward Bound and the Legacy of Isabel Bond, Native and non-Native voices tell the story of the federally sponsored Upward Bound program at the University of Idaho, intertwining personal anecdotes and memories with accounts of the program’s inception and goals, as well as regional Native American history and Isabel Bond’s Idaho family history.
Not only does Evans demonstrate a great competency for interviewing so many diverse individuals, but of bringing their voices to center-stage…he is a beautiful writer and wordsmith, with great command of the descriptive scenes he provides, weaving together personal narratives, Program history, and Native experiences and expressions. It is a great blend.”
—Rodney Frey, author of Carry Forth the Stories: An Ethnographer’s Journey into Native Oral Tradition
“This book offers a model of what to “do” with history, how to use history to heal young people’s alienation from the riches of their own heritage.”
—Kim Stafford, author of 100 Tricks Every Boy Can Do: How My Brother Disappeared“
This book is about an extraordinary person who took time away from her life and her own family to help others…She put her time, effort, and even her personal resources on the line to make sure those around her had an opportunity to better their lives…I am grateful that she cared enough to make a difference in my life.”
—From the Preface by Bill Picard, Vice Chairman of the Nez Perce Nation Executive Council
Tony Tekaroniake Evans is an enrolled Bear Clan member of the Kahnawake Mohawks of Quebec, and an award-winning journalist and columnist at the Idaho Mountain Express newspaper in Ketchum. He is also a memoir editor and the author of two books of nonfiction: Teaching Native Pride: Upward Bound and the Legacy of Isabel Bond (WSU Press 2020) and A History of Indians in the Sun Valley Area (Blaine County Historical Museum 2016). His forthcoming book, Memory and Destiny, the Life of Glenn Janss, will be released in 2021.
