Linda Hogan (1) (1947–)

This was recommended to me as an earlier version (1990) of the noted book and movie Killers of the Flower Moon (2017), about the murder and destruction of the Osage tribe members who were landowners of sparse territory by government decree who became wealthy holders of oil leases in Oklahoma in the 1920s. All the violence perpetrated and the vast corruption of almost every single white man charged with distributing payments to tribal property owners and with investigating the murders of the tribe that had been forcibly removed from their land during the Trail of Tears is a horrifying story. This book is told from the viewpoints of tribal members, who realize way too late that they are still not perceived as human beings, but "just Indians", as the genocide continues. Their demands for justice are thwarted even by traitors within their own tribe. The Greycloud family is aided by a former government agent, Lakota Sioux Stace Red Hawk, and his transition to become a protector of the Osage residents is inspiring, if mostly futile. This is a heartbreaking book, encompassing the clash of the law/lawless and the rituals and rites of the old ways.… (meer)

I am still processing how I feel about this novel.

What I know for sure is that it is (in typical Hogan fashion) so beautifully written that I can't help but love it. What I struggled with was such persistent commitment to the abstract. While I love how deep Hogan takes readers into an imagined sense of identity - I think what is lost is a lot of the actual story. This novel takes dedication to read - and if you make it to the end you will be rewarded with a plethora of introspective thoughts, a great longing to connect with culture and a whole lot of wondering exactly how you've been called to action.

Would absolutely recommend to my friends who appreciate more literary reads - would caution the rest to stay away and accept the things you cannot change ;)… (meer)

Read a few other reviews, and I can't understand that we've read the same book. There are several poems, even passages, that would make this worth reading even if every other poem left me uninspired.

I'm going to leave this here for easy reference, as I'm reading a borrowed copy:
(p.19)

I am afraid of the future
as if I am the bear
turned in the stomach
of needy men
or the wolf become a dog
that will turn against itself
remembering what wildness was
before the crack of a gun,
before the men tried to kill it
or tame it
or tried to make it love them.… (meer)