Calling for a Blanket Dance

Found fascinating the insights into Native American lives, culture, ritual, and struggles!

I can't remember the last time I made someone angry because I did not want to put down a book. This one did it.

Despite the awkward and puzzling title, this novel had excellent reviews and prizes (my typical criteria for contemporary writing), and I was not disappointed.

The structure seems familiar (alternating points of view—think Faulkner and Woolf), but Hokeah does a masterful job of both keeping the reader wondering what’s going on and captivating her with fascinating turns of plot and charmingly bizarre characters and choices.

It’s not a pretty story—life in Oklahoma as Mexican and Native American was and is hard. But the warmth and love that continually shows up in the most unexpected circumstances makes this a powerful affirmation of… show more.

Ever Geimausaddle is part Mexican, part Native American. He is undoubtedly the main character. But to know him, we are introduced to his world. We learn the challenges facing his parents, his grandparents, his sister, and the various people that make up his community. By doing this, we are given a complex picture of how culture and identity adapt and survive in a way that resonated deeply with me.

Being of mixed ethnicity, I always struggled with the notion of belonging and home. Years passed in confusion as I tried to figure out my personal identity while reckoning with my… show more.