Review (PDF) The Rez Road Follies: Canoes, Casinos, Computers, And Birch Bark Baskets
The author relates his own life experiences to offer a view of contemporary Native American life.
Series: Mysteries & Horror
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Univ Of Minnesota Press; 1 edition (October 4, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0816634955
ISBN-13: 978-0816634958
Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.7 x 7.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #346,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #64 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Humor > Computers & Internet #162 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > Native American #523 in Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > Native American
Northrup manages to take traditional storytelling and gives it a twist of seldom heard, outside-rez-life irony. During the spring 1998 semester, my students read a chapter and out of all the readings, this was the one that was most often used as an illistration on their final exam. Highly recomended for all, and yes, Jim Northrup does write the same way he speaks.
Northrup has a hilarious deadpan style, and this is an absolutely fascinating insight into modern Native American life and perspectives. It's unfortunate it's so badly edited (lots of repetition) because it deserved to be better polished. Even so, it's definitely a great read.
While not particularly eloquent, Follies hits like a velvet hammer. Northrup's story should be required reading for anyone who has ever used the phrase: "I'm not racist, in fact I'm part indian." The storyline jumps around a bit and the prose isn't always the best, but Northrup more than makes up for it with honesty and the ability to convey his feelings for tradition, family and place. A quick read and very, very good. Highly recommended.
This book is brutal without being harsh, funny without being lightweight. In a society where everyone (and I do mean everyone) is made to feel guilty for everone else's suffering, this is a breath of fresh air. The problems Northrup faces every day are aired alongside with the joys. For every pain, he offers a happiness.And he never says you can't understand. He just offers another way to see his life.
Jim Northrup tells true stories about life near and on the reservation that show more humor, truth, and survivance that most other writers. He writes about what he knows, writes with an sense of the ironies of racialism in Indian/non-Indian relations, and writes well. In one of Sherman Alexie's stories a character says he laughed so hard he fell out of the chair; he must have been reading Northrup at the time. This book is comic in the truest sense: it provokes understanding of the tragic poses of colonialism in everyday life.
Native humor can be very dry, and some people don't get it, but I really enjoyed the book. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Native American culture as it is today. It provides some interesting insights into their modern culture.
Don't buy Ian Frazier's book if you want any kind of accurate picture of today's Indians. Buy this one instead - this is the book to get if you want to begin to understand the complexities of being an Indian. The author speaks to both the initiated and the ignorant. It's both a moving and a fun read.
Jim is a great writer. He insights into Native American life area a tribute to his nation and he manages to weave everything together with honesty and humor. He spoke at LZ Lambo several years ago and his book resonates with his spirit.
The Rez Road Follies: Canoes, Casinos, Computers, and Birch Bark Baskets Plaited Basketry with Birch Bark California Indian Baskets: San Diego to Santa Barbara and Beyond to the San Joaquin Valley, Mountains and Deserts (Indian Baskets of California and Oregon, Vol. II) Handmade Baskets: 28 Beautiful Baskets to Make for Your Home Walking the Rez Road: Stories Gardening with Foliage First: 127 Dazzling Combinations that Pair the Beauty of Leaves with Flowers, Bark, Berries, and More Follies - The Complete Collection: Vocal Selections Follies Vocal Score (Vocal Score Series) The Rez Sisters: A Play in Two Acts El rey de cocaína: Mi vida con Roberto Suárez Gómez y el nacimiento del primer narcoestado (Spanish Edition) Chicano Sketches: Short Stories by Mario Suárez Canoe and Boat Building: A Complete Manual for Amateurs. Containing Plain and Comprehensive Directions for the Construction of Canoes, Rowing and Sailing Boats and Hunting Craft Canoe Rig: The Essence and the Art: Sailpower for Antique and Traditional Canoes Building a Strip Canoe, Second Edition, Revised & Expanded: Full-Sized Plans and Instructions for Eight Easy-To-Build, Field-Tested Canoes Mariners of Madang and Austronesian Canoes of Astrolabe Bay, Papua New Guinea Fuselage Frame Boats A guide to building skin kayaks and Canoes They Shoot Canoes, Don't They? Guise And Dolls (A Gretchen Birch Murder Mystery Book 4) Seeds From a Birch Tree: Writing Haiku and The Spiritual Journey The Wisdom of Birch, Oak, and Yew: Connect to the Magic of Trees for Guidance & Transformation
