The Light People

by Gordon Henry Jr.

Book Overview

The Light People is a multi-genre novel that includes a series of nested stories about a tribal community in Northern Minnesota. Major themes include Oskinaway's search for his parents and the legal wrangling over the possession of a leg that has been removed from a tribal elder. Each story is linked to previous and successive stories to form a discourse on identity and cultural appropriation, all told with humor and wisdom. Taking inspiration from...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 087013664X
• ISBN13: 9780870136641
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Michigan State University Press
• Length: 236 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

suberb!

I have just finished reading the novel and must take the time to praise it. First, I have to say that I find the book far superior to Erdrich's Love Medicine. In fact, there is no comparison, except maybe that both present a series of stories that end up crisscrossing each other, although you don't see that until most of the half of the book. If I were to compare the novel to another, the one that comes to my mind, in terms of structure, is Silko's Almanac of the Dead, even if Gordon Henry's novel has a much narrower scope. Still I think he covers a lot of issues of contemporary Indian life: storytelling, museums, philosophy, anticolonial struggles, community, myth, Vietnam etc. Unlike Erdrich Gordon Henry is always grounded in specific issues, never falling into generalities. I highly recommend it.

Use your mind's eye and see a different world...

If you like Louise Erdrich's Tracks or Love Medicine, you'lladore this little novel by Gordon Henry. Like many Native American writers, finding a niche in the publishing world is difficult. With the publication of this one, publishers may be knocking on Henry's door for more. I hope so! Pay attention when you read this one, it isn't escapist fluff, there's meat on these bones (an insider's chuckle, for those who've already ready the book).