Review -ROOFWALKER
Posted on March 9th, 2010
Roofwalker
Stories and Creative Nonfiction by Susan Power
Milkweed Editions, December 2004
ISBN: 1571310398
Paperback: 216pp; $14.95
The author of this beautiful collection of short stories and creative nonfiction is—as is noted on the dust jacket of the 2002 hardcover edition—“an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe,” a former “Ms. Indian Chicago” descended from a Sioux chieftain on her mother’s side and the Civil War governor of New Hampshire on her father’s side, and author of The Grass Dancer (winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award).
Drawing upon her mixed Anglo and Native heritage, Power creates a unique combination of “stories” and “histories” in which she explores the fascinating but sometimes disturbing ways in which Native Americans’ traditions collide with urban American pressures. In the title story, an unhappy 9 year old girl living in Chicago and abandoned by her father, learns from her grandmother the ancestral story of the ravenous Roofwalker, the pernicious spirit who lives only to eat people’s dreams. In other stories, a Mexican-Polish 16 year old is pregnant with the child of her (and her mother’s former) lover, a 30 year old Chippewa of questionable loyalties; a writer of sorts who is half Winnebago and half Sioux is surprised by conversations he begins having with a plastic statue of Saint Jude; in a nursing home in North Dakota, a melancholy widow surrenders herself completely to memories; a guilt-burdened woman is preoccupied with making sure her dead husband has the traditional moccasins for his dance on the air in his journey to heaven; a student at Harvard reflects upon her experiences in opposition to the university’s obscure history as a 17th century Indian college; and a family is destroyed by the father’s alcoholism and the daughter’s suicide. In the creative nonfiction offerings which she calls “histories,” Power provides tributes to family and ancestors, an elegy to a father, a look at family history through documents and letters, and memories of swimming in Lake Michigan.
In conclusion, to state it simply, Power is a very good storyteller. Her collection is filled with sharp characterizations, vivid imagery, compassionate humor, profound themes, and crystal clear prose. Each “story” and “history” by itself is reason enough for me to enthusiastically recommend Power’s writing; when considered together as a uniformly well-written whole, the pieces in this collection lead me to the unassailable conclusion: You will enjoy this book!
Tags: Chieftain, Civil War Governor, Creative Nonfiction, Dust Jacket, Enrolled Member, Former Lover, Governor Of New Hampshire, Grass Dancer, Hardcover Edition, Living In Chicago, Milkweed, Milkweed Editions, Moccasins, Native Heritage, Obscure History, Rock Sioux Tribe, Saint Jude, Standing Rock Sioux, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Susan Power
Filed under News and Reviews |
Comments are closed.