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Summary: just telling you what its about
Review: A YELLOW RAFT IN BLUE WATER, by Michael Dorris, 1987, Henry Holt (hardcover), paper, 1988, Warner Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, NY, 10103. 372 pp, Critics' Circle Award. $8.95, 0-446-38787-8 A best-seller in its time, this book by a writer of Native ancestry married to the best-selling Turtle Mountain Ojibwe writer Louise Erdrich won the National Book Critics' Circle Award. Unlike most Indian novels especially by Indian writers, it didn't sink into instant obscurity and go out of print. Dorris tells the story from 3 viewpoints: Grandma (the reservation traditionalist), mother (the city woman who married and was deserted by a black man) and daughter (mixed-blood offspring). All women are real individuals not abstract types. Returning to the reservation, Raymona faces racism there as well, for her dark skin, nappy hair, and city ways. Reservation life, chronicled by weaving back and forth in time from about the 1930's to the present (without casinos) will be readily recognizable as any reservation of the Plains, though it is fictionalized it is neither generic nor abstractly presented. Though it's an adult book, and long for classroom use, it held the attention of Native juniors and seniors, especially young women. Most students were upset at its ending, which leaves problems of the main characters unresolved. The book ends literally up in the air, with Ida (grandma, back in time to mother Christine's very young teenage days) sitting on the roof with the reservation priest. Students were asked to write continuation stories as resolutions to those parts of the novel that had caught their interest, and did so working in small groups and discussing parts of the book at great length. There is a connected life story over 3 generations -- with several mysteries one of which doesn't come clear at the end -- told from the viewpoints of the 3 women. The teenaged girl, mixed blood Black and Indian -- whose return to the reservation is the main focus of the story. A mixed blood, she must find her identity if she can.
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Summary: This opened my eyes to see the life of indians!
Review: I loved A Yellow Raft in Blue Water. We had to read it at school in my English class and first I thought that no way, I will never read all those 300 pages. But then I did and I'm happy I did because I got so much new things to think.
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Summary: A novel about a dysfunctional american indian family.
Review: Michael Dorris writes this novel skillfully and with great insight about a completely dysfunctional american indian family. This novel portrays the lives of three generation women, Rayona-the daughter,Christine-the mother, and Ida the Aunt in the story. Shortly after I finished reading this novel, I was told by my college professor that Michael Dorris in real life was a man that was half-indian, was divorced, was accused of sexual molestation by his kids and later committed suicide. It is truly sad that this man's life had to end in tragedy.
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Summary: Only one holds the key, but all impact it differently...
Review: I know that many of the people who read this book did it for English, so I don't really want to say that I did too... I read this book, and found that some of the story moves a little slowly, but for the most part there is a path that it takes, and one that is important. It strats with the youngest of the family and shows her life, and all the faults. Then goes to the Mother who shows why her daughter is that way, and how she couldn't help it. After that the Grandmother comes in, and (I really enjoyed this section...amazing) the entire story makes so much sence. I am glad I read this book, but there were times where I could've skipped a lot and still would have know the gist of it all.
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Summary: three generations in one book
Review: i had to read this for my AP english class, and i have to say that it was my favorite!! i guess that's why my teacher saved the best for last! if you have close relationships with your mother and grandmother, you might want to take this book into account! lots of symbolism, you'll definitely keep the pages turning!! i TOTALLY recommend this book!!
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Summary: A unique personal history spanning three generations.
Review: I read this book, "Yellow Raft on Blue Water" by Michael Dorris, for my High School US Literature class. At first I was skeptical, I thought it would just be another one of those 'cultural struggle' books, that I've read enough of. I was wrong, this book is about understanding. The characters each go through life's journey to understand where their mothers and daughters are coming from. The book is uniquely formatted, going backward in time, retelling the same story from each character's point of view. You learn each character's past, the way they lived their lives and the way others saw them live it. "I never grew up, but I got old. I'm a woman who's lived for fifty-seven years and worn resentment like a medicine charm for forty. It hung heavier on my neck after each brief rest I took." p. 207. The language used in this book is beautiful, the story is touching, and the characters are amazing. I highly reccomend this book.
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Summary: A book to consider
Review: The story intertwines three generations of American Indians women. Michael Dorris depicts the hardships faced by the women and the coming of age of the youngest girl, Rayona. This book could be kind of hard to follow for some people. But the use of the truly unique charactors made this book worth reading. It is a type of book that i think would just get better every time you read it.
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Summary: It's a quick book to read, and an enjoyable one too!
Review: I had to read this book for my English class, so I was very happy when I got into the book and realized that I actually really liked it. Michael Dorris "braids" the stories of the three generations together in a way that keeps you wanting to read more. "...the rhythm of 3 strands, the whispers of coming and going, of twisting and tying and blending, of catching and letting go, of braiding." Even though the women are all very different, their lives are intertwined by their similarities. The characters all seem very real and are well developed. The book is written in a fairly casual language which makes it a pretty quick read. The way the book moves back in time, was a very interesting and effective way to tell the story. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!
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Summary: The hardships of three generation Native Americans.
Review: This book is an outstanding way to learn about the lifes of Native Americans. It's told in three different perspectives and three generations. It faces the hardships and struggles that they each face, each from their own point of view. This book is definitely one of the best books I have read. Learning about their life from three different people was a great way to fully understand what was happening throughout the book and how each one viewed their lives as a person. It was a brisk and easy read and I couldn't put it down. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about the culture of Native Americans and how they view American society.
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Summary: A satisfied reader
Review: This novel is a tale of three women, Ida, a mother and grandmother, Christine, a mother, and Rayona, her daughter. They spin their tales of each other's lives together in the American Indian oral tradition. The three perspectives blend to complete a story of trial, conflict and personal discovery. The book also gives an insite into how life on a reservation effects the three women and how it brings them together as well as pushes them apart. The author also did a nice job using words diligently to procuce images in the reader's mind. Such as. . . "They were the windows of a faraway city. They were the points of siver nails pressing through tar paper. They were a field of glowbugs motionless in time." Overall I felt it was an enjoyable reading experience. I really became interested in the character's lives.
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