Ceremony

Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko (1977) 244 pages

This is historical fiction from an Indigenous perspective. Tayo is a young man who has returned from WWII, from the Bataan Death March specifically, with serious PTSD. He has been raised by his Aunt and Uncle for many years. He went to serve in the military with his cousin, who is like a brother. His brother, the star athlete and perfect son, does not return from the war. Tayo doesn't fit in the Laguna Pueblo community, being only half Indigenous. The novel is not divided into chapters. There are section breaks and occasional poems. We jump from the present to different times in the past. Sometimes the memories are reflected through Tayo being drunk and sometimes through fever dreams while Tayo is sick. In the middle of the book I found it difficult to follow the changing points of view and time periods. It ends strongly though. Tayo seeks an Indigenous medicine man who helps him connect to his heritage. The man's healing ceremony helps Tayo in a way the white culture's medicine could not. Tayo's Uncle bought a herd of Mexican cattle that he expects will be better adapted to the desert environment on the reservation. The cattle escape and head back south before ever making it to the Uncle's farm (although they are already branded by Tayo's family). As he heals, Tayo goes on a quest to find the cattle and recover his Uncle's lost dream. The whole novel is a journey of self-discovery.

 

A selection of August graphic novels

 Middlewest: The Complete Tale by Skottie Young with art by Jorge Corona (2021) 560 pages

I first encountered Skottie Young's work as an artist in the Marvel Oz adaptations. When I saw the story synopsis of this adventure Young wrote I knew I would enjoy it. There are multiple homages to the land of Oz. Middlewest could be Kansas. There's a deep level and a surface layer. The story explores generational trauma and men with anger issues. But visually it is a thrilling fantasy world, not quite like our own. Abel's closest confidant is a talking fox, there are diesel-punk flourishes, and a found family in a traveling carnival. By about half way through, the story ventures in its own direction with less obvious Oz references. There is human trafficking of children as farm workers. As more characters become involved in the story, and with multiple characters who turn into violent storms, there are wide shots with a lot of chaos where it is hard to keep track of all the moving parts. However, the art by Jorge Corona with color by Jean-Francois Beaulieu really pops the majority of the time.

Climate Changed: A Personal Journey through the Science by Philippe Squarzoni (2012) 467 pages

Through references to films and other books the author let's us into his thought process on how to begin, end, and present compelling arguments in graphic non-fiction form. It is part memoir, but still the bulk of it is presenting the facts about human technology and its effect on the Earth's environment. The author is French and he interviews several experts from France, but they represent international nonprofits or governmental advisory boards in many cases. Climate change is true. It is time to stop denying it. We must reduce greenhouse gas emissions! But will Capitalist powers in the industrialized world get behind changing our way of life? There is a metaphor that the author describes about a parachutist who forgot his parachute that is very impactful. At over 450 pages, there are so many facts and figures, as well as sociological concerns to take in. The strongest message that Squarzoni conveys is that we are running out of time to stop or reverse the damage done to this ecosystem we share.

A Girl Called Echo Omnibus by Katherena Vermette with art by Scott B Henderson (2023) 224 pages

Issue #1 feels too short. You spend quite a bit of time with Echo in the real world, not just time traveling back to the 19th century. There isn't a fantasy or sci-fi method to her time traveling. It is more like she has a great imagination and a good history teacher. Echo seeks out other books about the Pemmican Wars period in her school library rather than just relying on the class's textbook. She's a good student although she has a hard time making friends. She loves rock music and has a shaky relationship with her mom. The art is good, but not super exciting. In issue #2, Echo begins to make friends in middle school and falls in love with a boy back in the 1800s. The Metis fight for their right to govern themselves when their territory is sold to Canada. Again with the history lesson we are given very brief highlights of major events, but I wish it was more in depth. I wish we learned more about the people and how they lived. I did not fully understand the political maneuvering. There are a couple pages that act as montages, but the writer and artist are trying to pack too much information into those pages. They should have been given more pages to tell the story. Issue #3 spends less time in Echo's modern day life with more pages devoted to 1885. The history is the real selling point and we get some continuity between issues 2 and 3. I like that the authors acknowledge the emotional trauma that Echo is experiencing as a witness to history. The resistance fighting can lead to death and loss, but it is necessary. The writer connects Echo to her ancestry directly in this one. Issue #4 is a pretty strong conclusion that wraps up the loose threads. Echo gains more control of when she travels back and forth in time. US history and Canadian history are fairly similar in constantly taking land from Indigenous people. There are no big surprises in this issue, but Echo is shown by people in her life (past and present) that despite the anger and pain her people have survived and have a future.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - The Scorpius Run by Mike Johnson and Ryan Parrott with art by Angel Hernandez (2024) 128 pages

Fun adventure. This takes place sometime before the current third season, which is airing as I read this. Good art of new characters and old. The villain seems to have god-like powers. The full Enterprise crew, plus newly introduced aliens, all have important parts to play. A dangerous spaceship race is set up in this new Scorpius Sector and Captain Pike must figure out how to unite the competitors.

Stitches: A Memoir by David Small (2009) 329 pages

A blurb on the back cover from a critic at the Washington Post is spot on.      "[Small] employs angled shots and silent montages worthy of Alfred Hitchcock." The author's ability to show us his dreams and nightmares is amazing. His real life is so full of angry silences and repressed emotions. One dream while visiting grandma with Jesus on a crucifix repeating his grandma's words, "He was a Durn Little Fool!" is especially memorable. Alice in Wonderland provides some meaningful symbolism through Small's young life too, including his therapist being the white rabbit. The many surprise revelations of his troubled family are tough, but somewhat relatable.

The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix (2018) 176 pages

Good coverage of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life and some German history. I like the visuals too, a combination of realistic and symbolic. The rise of Hitler is described in detail. Then we learn about Dietrich's rebel seminary as Nazi's were coming to power and the German spy agency Abwehr (pronounced UP-fair) that contained many agents who were conspiring to stop Hitler. Each of three attempts to assassinate Hitler are described with high suspense. The author says, "This story is not primarily a work of scholarship but a work of art," but I commend his research. Very successful graphic nonfiction.

The Martian Chronicles

 The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (1946-1950) 182 pages

I listened to the audiobook on Hoopla narrated by Mark Boyett. This is a series of short stories that are loosely connected around Earth people colonizing Mars. Some short stories I would give 4 out of 5 stars, some I would give 3 stars, and some 2 stars. In my opinion it averages to 3 out of 5 stars. "There Will Come Soft Rains" is often considered a top example of Bradbury's work here. It reminded me of Percy Shelley's "Ozymandias" poem. In an automated home the owners and neighbors are gone. There is no one left to fix the technology or stop the flames when a fire starts. I got a kick out of the story "Usher," which is a homage to Edgar Allan Poe and Karloff, Lugosi, and Chaney. A wealthy man loves these horror books and movie that have been banned by those "protecting" civilized society. Fans of Tim Burton creations will enjoy this dark tale too. Some of the other stories express interesting thoughts about colonization. Some are quite dated. There are evidently editions of this that push the years that these stories happen back thirty years. This audiobook used the original text. So, all these events are imagined to take place from 1999 to 2026.

A selection of March graphic novels

 Alice Guy: First Lady of Film by Jose-Louis Bocquet with art by Catel Muller (2021) 400 pages

I have read several graphic biographies. They are often fairly slim and only highlight a few moments from the person's life. This one has over 300 pages to graphically tell the story of Alice Guy's life. Her childhood was fascinating and international. The episodes showing her early positions as stenographer/secretary does not ignore the sexism of the male workforce. Her work relationship with Gaumont who takes a photography shop in Paris into the emerging, innovative motion picture industry was stern, but supportive. Rather than documenting events or making magic trick films, Alice had ideas for fictional films and directed many, many herself, though only a few still survive. In the early days of film people were already experimenting with synchronized sound. Alice directed several early "music videos" too. She meets and works with Herbert Blaché who would become her husband. They go to America. They have two kids. He is unfaithful. They found their own film studio. She continues directing, but then fortunes turn. It is brief, but still fairly detailed in tracing her later life. The writer then provides 75 pages of a timeline and biographical notes. Overall an excellent book.

Guardian of Fukushima by Fabien Grolleau with art by Ewen Blain (2021) 144 pages

I also read the free comic book day preview a couple years ago and it stuck in my mind. I enjoyed reading the full graphic novel. The mythological elements mixed with the true story works well. The writing and the art complement each other so well. As the bonus material at the end sums up, it was a triple tragedy of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster at Fukushima in 2011. Naoto Matsumura caring for all the pets and farm animals left behind in the irradiated zone is so heartwarming. Based on the preview, I expected more of the story to be about the day to day life of caring for these living creatures that share our home. The final chapter actually involves Naoto being a spokesperson campaigning for less reliance on dangerous nuclear power.

The Library Mule of Cordoba by Wilfred Lupano with art by Leonard Chemineau (2021) 263 pages

Since I work in a library, you might expect this is right up my alley. You'd be right. I loved this comic adventure. I mean comic as in funny haha. Historical fiction with well-drawn characters. The twists and turns that the three heroes and the mule encounter on their journey/escape kept surprising me. Zealots in Cordoba in the late 900s begin burning books that do not fit their interpretation of religious texts. A librarian and two assistant copyists escape with about 100 books overloaded on a stubborn mule, the worst mule in the world. Cunning misadventures boosted by knowledge from these books helps the escapees survive and narrowly avoid capture or death. The storytelling is complex with multiple flashbacks and details about the time period. I think this was planned as a complete work, not separate issues/chapters that were later bound together. The art is incredibly emotive and humorous. The writer and artist obviously love books, and knowledge, and libraries. There is a fantastic afterword with a bit more history too.

The Outside Circle: A Graphic Novel by Patti Laboucane-Benson with art by Kelly Mellings (2015) 128 pages

The art work took awhile to grow on me. The Outside Circle is about indigenous/aboriginal men from broken homes in Canada. Once the main character Pete is in the prison infirmary and the In Search of Your Warrior program is offered as rehabilitation the story really takes off. The writer is a researcher of native counselling services in Alberta, so this is a real service she wants to share with the world. The men, many with gang affiliation, learn about their roots and learn to break generational trauma from residential schools and families being torn apart. There is a symbolic use of masks throughout. Pete imagines a mask covering his face when he uses violence. Later, the Warrior program has the men make plaster masks of their faces to contemplate their true inner person as they near graduation. Pete finds the strength to stop his gang involvement and reconnects with his younger brother, an uncle he never knew, and a daughter he had rejected. It is uplifting and inspirational.

Moon of the Turning Leaves

Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice, 305 pages

A dozen years after the breakdown of society caused them to flee to northern Ontario, the an Anishinaabe community has come to the conclusion that declining resources mean they must venture back south. They send a group of scouts in search of their ancestral land, a journey that is dangerous enough that no one has ever returned from it. As the six travelers make their way toward the Great Lakes, they encounter hauntingly empty cities, crazed gun-toting cultists, and even a handful of potential allies. But will they reach their destination? And if they do, will it be safe for the remainder of their community to join them?

A slow and thoughtful book, this post-apocalyptic tale will appeal to fans of Station Eleven and When the English Fall, both of which involve communities learning to cope with their new dystopian normal. This one, however, includes elements of the Anishinaabe tribal customs, which adds to the impact of the novel. This is a sequel (to Moon of the Crusted Snow) though I didn't realize that until after I read it — it easily stands alone.

African Trilogy

 

Big Book Challenge: The African Trilogy by Chinua Achebe 562 pp.

Things Fall Apart: This book takes place in the late 1800s in the southeastern region of what is now Nigeria. The main character, Okonkwo, is a powerful leader of his Igbo clan. He worked hard to create a new life after having a weak and lazy father who left him no inheritance. After the death of a young man by Okonkwo's hand, things begin to go wrong. The arrival of Christian missionaries to the area creates further conflict as the missionaries lure the people away from their traditional beliefs. As problems among the people escalate Okonkwo realizes that the society he once knew was lost. He commits suicide which is against the indigenous beliefs, leaving the white Christians to deal with his body. The parting shot by the colonizers was the comment that this story will make a nice paragraph in the book he is writing about area.

Arrow of God: This novel takes place in colonial Nigeria in the 1920s. It concerns Ezeulu, the chief priest of the god Ulu who is worshipped by several Igbo villages. Ezeulu comes in conflict with the white, Christian colonizers who want him to abandon his beliefs and lead the villagers toward believing in Christianity. After being imprisoned by the colonizers for failure to cooperate, Ezeulu returns home to wait for guidance from Ulu. Following the death of his son, the people begin to turn away from Ezeulu because he will not allow the yam harvest because he has received the message from Ulu. The missionary steps in and urges the people to have their harvest and dedicate it to the Christian god. It's a further progression in the move to control by the white missionaries. This book struck a nerve in me because of the attitude that non-Christian beliefs should be wiped out. But I think this was the best one of the three.

No Longer at Ease: This installment centers on Obi Okonkwo, grandson of the protagonist in the first book and takes place in the late 1950s prior to Nigerian independence. It begins with Obi standing trial for bribery and then flashes back to the events leading up to the trial. Obi was sent to England to attend college with a grant from the local Union of villagers who have settled in the city of Lagos. When Obi returns he has a job with the agency that gives scholarships for study in England to the local young people. He soon learns that his salary isn't quite enough to live in the style expected of him while paying back his college loan, paying rent, and car expenses. However, he refuses bribes he is offered by those wanting scholarships. Obi begins a romance with a young woman named Clara who is considered an outcast by the Igbo and wants to marry her. However, the objections of his parents conflicts with his plans. Things get worse when Clara gets pregnant and Obi must find the money for an abortion. Clara leaves him afterward. When Obi's mother dies he choses to use the money he would need for travel to the funeral to help fund the funeral expenses and doesn't attend. At this point he decides that the only way for him to make it in the city is to become one of the officials who accepts bribes. He gets caught which results in him being tried.

Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal & Sovereignty in Native America

 

 Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal & Sovereignty in Native America by Gregory D. Smithers (2022) 332 Pages

I read this book for a paper in my Cultural Anthropology class. Having anthropological historical and modern accounts of two-spirit people is incredibly important as there are very few that exist. The accounts span multiple cultures and tribes, throughout the southwestern and northern areas of the present-day US. The historical accounts that do mention two-spirit people are mostly from the white settler-colonial point of view, which mostly reflects ethnocentric biases and does not reflect the true lives of these people. Native Americans have always struggled with anthropologists and ethnographers in this way, and this book goes to the source and talks with those who are two-spirit and how they exist in modern society today, and historically. This book recounts historical archaeological evidence, oral storytelling traditions, art and written accounts. This reclamation of the two-spirit identity gives a voice to those Natives who have been silenced by the colonizers.

Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band

Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band by Christian Staebler and Sonia Paoloni with art by Thibault Balahy (2020) 168 pages

This is translated from a French graphic novel. Super fan Staebler was in touch with Pat Vegas, one of two brothers who were central members of Redbone. Even though Staebler wrote the book based on his research and interviews, the book is framed as an extended conversation between Pat and his grown daughter and son a few years after his brother Lolly died. It is not only a dual biography of Pat and Lolly, but a history of some key moments of indigenous life in America during their lifetimes. We learn how the Standing Rock pipeline protests are not just a current event, but an ongoing example of indigenous activism. The story is not told in straight chronological order. It flows smoothly as Pat's memories dart from event to event. However, the page layout and art are sometimes a little jumbled. The standard pattern of reading left to right and top to bottom is not clearly followed. So, speech "bubbles" and the flow of a conversation are often confusing. Still it was a pleasure to read about rock 'n roll history paired with the important message of the contributions and treatment of indigenous peoples in America.
 

Firekeeper's Daughter

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley, 494 pages

Daunis is still dealing with the unexpected death of her uncle earlier in the year when additional tragedies strike Daunis' tight-knit Ojibwe community — meth is taking its toll on the young people around Daunis, and she's soon swept into an FBI investigation that's trying to take down the makers and sellers of a particularly bad version of the drug. Meanwhile, she's also trying to get her start in college and stay connected with her community through cultural practices and hockey.

This is a wonderful YA mystery that sheds light on indigenous culture, hockey culture, and the nuances of life on and off the reservation. I loved this glimpse into Ojibwe culture, as well as the way Boulley and her heroine didn't shy away from some of the problems that are inherent to rural and Native American communities. Also? That cover is AWESOME.