Dakota: A Spiritual Geography

Rating:
Summary: Renewed reader
Review: I live in a small Kansas town, and Norris' words ring so true. Gossip in the newspaper, mediocrity as something to be proud of, jello. . .it's all here. But beyond identifying with these surface similarities, I was able to gain a lot of spiritual strength from this book. It taught me a lot about how a place can affect me in positive ways. I learned that I need to bring what I can to this town rather than complaining about it. I have recommended this to many people and return to it over and over.

Rating:
Summary: agriculture?
Review: I loved this book, which I found in the AGRICULTURE section at Borders! That was a puzzler, b/c DAKOTA has nothing to say about growing plants and everything to say about people. I thought Norris's observations about small towns where people seem figuratively to stand around with their fingers in their ears, daring anyone to try to tell them anything, analogous to places of business where I've worked and other small communities, such as churches. I found the book clear-eyed, poetic, unsentimental, deeply spiritual and altogether riveting. I should add that so did our book club, people of many different tastes and experiences.

Rating:
Summary: A great book for any spiritual journey
Review: I read this book as one of many as a way to expand my knowledge of Christian spirituality. Dakota provides great insight into the ways spirituality can seep into everyday things and unique situations. No matter if you are in a town of 100 in the middle of nowhere or in a busy city as Washington D.C. (where I lived when I read the book), this will be an inspiration, a wonderful read and something to pass onto friends.

Rating:
Summary: galleghar
Review: i remember watching galleghar (the comedian) as a kid and him saying "is there anyone here from north dakota?" a couple of people clap, and he replies, "well there ain't anyone there now! did you leave a light on?" i borrowed this book from my friends father and found it to be descriptive, thoughtful and surprisingly deep in a "simple" way. subsequently i bought "amazing grace" and "little girls in church" (the latter of which is an excellent addition to any poetry shelf).

Rating:
Summary: Slow But Steady
Review: I wasn't sure I'd like Dakota because my spirituality leans toward activism rather than asceticism. Kathleen Norris, however, in her elegant, steady way, encourages reflection and thinking, not just about the geography of the land but also about the geography of a spirit-led life.

Rating:
Summary: So true - a bitter pill
Review: I'm listening to the book on tape and it is good....as a South Dakotan who defected as soon as I could, I've always felt a little guilty. My parents are just now retiring off the farm and I'm buying this book as a gift to them; it is a terrific way to remenisce and be more understanding, and maybe even make peace with who we Dakotans are.

Rating:
Summary: A terrific book for reading at the lake. Thought-provoking.
Review: If you grew up in a small town or on the prairie this is a must read. Kathleen Norris has an absolutely on-target description of life on the prairie. The sections on life in the abbey are self-enlightening.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful!
Review: If you wish to find answers to questions you didn't know you had simply read this book. What a wonderful, realistic description of this region, the people and life!
T. Addison

Rating:
Summary: Delightful!
Review: If you wish to find answers to questions you didn't know you had simply read this book. What a wonderful, realistic description of this region, the people and life!
T. Addison

Rating:
Summary: An uplifting tribute to voluntary simplicity
Review: In the 1970's, Kathleen Norris and her husband adopted the principles of voluntary simplicity long before it became fashionable, leaving New York City for Lemmon, South Dakota. But western South Dakota could put even those who crave voluntary simplicity to the test--rural living within 50 miles of a major city is quite different from rural living 90 miles from the nearest Greyhound bus stop! Even the landscape, which allows one to see farm lights 50 miles away, is stark. "Seeing" the details in the landscape requires attention to the movement of grasshoppers in a plain devoid of trees. The people, isolated from the outside world, are often content with their lack of information and proud of their independence from it.
But such simplicity allows the spirit to find itself in the stillness, as Norris discovers. And to find and extend true hospitality, as the Benedictines and rural South Dakotans so warmly do.
I wish I had read this book before I moved to southeastern South Dakota in 1996....it gave me many insights into its people and philosophy. I guess I thought that living in a college town would be more "cosmopolitan", but there's an awful lot of rural South Dakota even in its college towns.
As I prepare to move back to suburban St. Louis, I realize that my two years in South Dakota have been an enriching, growth experience which have given me a changed perspective (also found a wonderful church with some Benedictine influence....I will miss the sense of community I found in my smaller parish.)
Kathleen Norris has written a poignant tribute to rural life, but it's not a Chamber of Commerce travelogue. Moving to South Dakota is not for the fainthearted!