Rachel's Children: Stories from a Contemporary Native American Woman (Volume 12) (Contemporary Native American Communities, 12) - Hardcover

Beard, Steve

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0759106894 ISBN 13: 9780759106895

Publisher: AltaMira Press, 2004

Synopsis

Rachel's Children is a true story, based on real events. It is an engaging and humorous account of a contemporary Ojibwa household and the woman and her children who are at its core. As their lives unfold, we understand how traditional beliefs and oral history help Rachel and her family cope as they encounter racism and educational discrimination in rural northern Michigan. When a white educator arrives in RachelOs household to learn about 'Indians,' she discovers the harsh reality of backwoods life. Beardslee is the queen of sucker punches―she writes in an unexpected combination of ethnography, theatrical script, and novel, echoing the Ojibwa style of storytelling. Her absorbing story about survival of the Native American family encourages a greater understanding of cultural diversity, and will be valuable for instructors in Native studies, multicultural education, womenOs studies, and anthropology.

About this title

About the Author:

Lois Beardslee has been a teacher and writer for 25 years. She is also an accomplished artist whose works are in public and private collections worldwide. She is the author of Lies to Live By (Michigan State University Press, 2003).

Review:

Using contemporary stories that put to test the values of the traditional stories, Rachel's Children is a collection of laugh-out-loud narratives and a searing indictment of racism in the United States. (Beverly Slapin, Oyate)

Rachel's Children is gripping. It starts at a gallop and reads fast, pulling the reader along. (Sault Area Arts Council)

I am not aware of any other book quite like this one, neither from the point of view of illuminating American Indian women's lives in such personal detail, nor of a more didactic approach that explores contemporary Ojibwa, or American Indian, issues. It is unique and refreshing in both style of presentation and content. . . . A number of times while reading it I laughed out loud because Beardslee had perfectly captured some of the crazy absurdities and ironies of life as perceived from an Indian point of view. (Susan Lobo, author of Native American Voices)

About this edition

• Publisher: AltaMira Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0759106894
• ISBN 13: 9780759106895
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160