The Surrounded (A Zia Book)

Rating:
Summary: not bad...
Review: As a Senior in highschool, I selected this book as an outside reading material. To my surprise, apart from the boring sections of this book there was actually some really good things. Stories and tales fill the book as Archilde learns to live with the father he despises and learn from his mother, whom he rarely understands. Overall, this book gets 2 thumbs up, and they'll probably be black by the time you're through with this book.

Rating:
Summary: not bad...
Review: As a Senior in highschool, I selected this book as an outside reading material. To my surprise, apart from the boring sections of this book there was actually some really good things. Stories and tales fill the book as Archilde learns to live with the father he despises and learn from his mother, whom he rarely understands. Overall, this book gets 2 thumbs up, and they'll probably be black by the time you're through with this book.

Rating:
Summary: Often fiction can convey an idea better than non-fiction.
Review: I read Peter Mathieson's book "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse," and while I felt for the protagonists, I couldn't help wonder-why so much violence? Why so many weapons? Why were they constantly jumping bail, when they knew all this could only make their situations worse? This novel written some 30 years before these incidents occurred gave me much more insight than any piece of non-fiction could.

McNickle depicts a culture of fear and distrust, where the Indian population automatically feels at a disadvantage, like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, even when he has done nothing wrong. For me to try to describe it here would be impossible. You must read the book to understand it, and I strongly suggest that you do. In addition, you should read some background information on McNickle himself-a true Renaissance man.