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I liked it particularly because it seemed honest and real.  (The author uses Indian rather than Native American, so I will too.) Dan, the 80-year-old Indian in the story, is wary of a white author, so he brings in a friend who will be the critic.  As the critic says, Indians are often portrayed either as ideal—nature loving, romantic figures—or brutal enemies who constantly fight with whites. Dan wants neither portrait.  The honesty comes especially in Dan’s orations about the differences in how whites and Indians look at the land, but also in the author’s honesty about his feelings when he honestly wants to deal fairly with Dan in the book, but Dan and his critic friend seem to doubt him.  After all, Dan’s sister asked him to come to write Dan’s memoirs.  Lots of memorable passages.

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Linda Hunter