sunflowerjess's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
This is a book to savor, read slowly, reflect on. As a born-and-raised Alaskan, but raised white, this book touched me and challenged me. I'm looking forward to reading more works like this.
arrsau's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
caenisreads's review against another edition
5.0
You wouldn't know Hayes was referring to The Art of War unless you were already familiar with Sunzi's work, or unless you had already read the blurb for this book. This is one example of how Hayes characterizes Raven's story:
This, of course, is just one treat you get with this book.
Unlike the 'prequel,' The Blonde Indian, this book wasn't so much a memoir as a book of meditations. Hayes considers all of the ways Native Alaskans have been mistreated in their own land. She speaks of her own experience as a college student in her 50's, and then as a professor. In the end, she remarks how ridiculous it is that the university that hired her had had a white person with no experience with Native peoples or even Native literature teaching a course called, "Alaska Literature: Native and Non-Native Perspectives," a course that was eventually given to Hayes after the professor suddenly quit in favor of another position.
Unlike the 'prequel,' The Blonde Indian, this book focuses more on the women in Old Tom's family: Lucille (mother of Young Tom's daughter), Patricia (daughter of Young Tom and Lucille), and Mabel (white caretaker of Patricia and wife? of Young Tom). The story begins with Young Tom still alive, vowing to get sober, going through his accidental drowning, and finally Lucille journey to earning visiting rights (not officially) with her daughter and grandchildren. Unlike the prequel, it doesn't end with a death, but with Old Tom going to this party after having sobered up.
As much as Hayes criticizes Christianity in her work, it is striking that she uses an iconic image in Christianity in order to end Old Tom's story: Old Tom, who has become something of a hero in his community, invites the partygoers to bread and fish when they realized that they didn't have much. "Let everyone just sit down, Old Tom tells them. Let them sit on the logs and on the sand and on the grass. I have frybread here from last week. I have dryfish I've been saving for just such a day as this. There's enough for everyone, he assures them."
I am sure I missed SO much because of HOW much is packed into these less-than-two-hundred pages. But the struggle is so worth it. I hope to reread it someday in order fully digest it.
Do you see the water at the top of the creek, at the top of the mountain that holds our town in the palm of its hand and seeks the shoreline that our own front doors face? Be like that water.
Be yielding like water.
Go along the easiest way always, always willing to go around something. Offer no resistance. Go the easy way. That's the best way to get where you're going. Remember that all things begin and end in water, just as rivers begin and flow into the sea. When forces oppose, victory will be kind to the one who crafts herself like water, to the one whose power allows her to yield.
Take Raven.
When he wanted the Box of Daylight, he didn't invade a village. He didn't storm a house. He found the easy way. He used water. He made himself small so he could get close to daylight with the least effort. This is what Raven did to achieve his goal.
This, of course, is just one treat you get with this book.
Unlike the 'prequel,' The Blonde Indian, this book wasn't so much a memoir as a book of meditations. Hayes considers all of the ways Native Alaskans have been mistreated in their own land. She speaks of her own experience as a college student in her 50's, and then as a professor. In the end, she remarks how ridiculous it is that the university that hired her had had a white person with no experience with Native peoples or even Native literature teaching a course called, "Alaska Literature: Native and Non-Native Perspectives," a course that was eventually given to Hayes after the professor suddenly quit in favor of another position.
Unlike the 'prequel,' The Blonde Indian, this book focuses more on the women in Old Tom's family: Lucille (mother of Young Tom's daughter), Patricia (daughter of Young Tom and Lucille), and Mabel (white caretaker of Patricia and wife? of Young Tom). The story begins with Young Tom still alive, vowing to get sober, going through his accidental drowning, and finally Lucille journey to earning visiting rights (not officially) with her daughter and grandchildren. Unlike the prequel, it doesn't end with a death, but with Old Tom going to this party after having sobered up.
As much as Hayes criticizes Christianity in her work, it is striking that she uses an iconic image in Christianity in order to end Old Tom's story: Old Tom, who has become something of a hero in his community, invites the partygoers to bread and fish when they realized that they didn't have much. "Let everyone just sit down, Old Tom tells them. Let them sit on the logs and on the sand and on the grass. I have frybread here from last week. I have dryfish I've been saving for just such a day as this. There's enough for everyone, he assures them."
I am sure I missed SO much because of HOW much is packed into these less-than-two-hundred pages. But the struggle is so worth it. I hope to reread it someday in order fully digest it.
railyuhreads's review against another edition
5.0
This is honestly one of the most beautiful pieces of writing I have ever read.
careinthelibrary's review against another edition
4.0
Tao of Raven was such an interesting and beautiful interpretation of a memoir. It isn't what you would pick up when reading a celebrity or politician's memoir, it has a completely different format and purpose. Elements of conventional memoir remain, and we get to know Ernestine Hayes better after Blonde Indian and portions of this.
But I loved how this book served a bigger purpose than just telling Hayes' story, it told the story of the land and the communities. This is so philosophical and introspective and tells the story of Ernestine through the generational traumas of the Tlingit people. This, she says with no uncertainty, is a result of colonization, capitalism, and Christianity.
We meet some familiar faces from Blonde Indian but this could also definitely be read before reading that one. Old Tom made a reappearance and I love how she has created a fictional character to represent innumerable real people's struggles and experiences. I think this is creative and successful at communicating her message.
The word that comes to mind when I think of this book is wisdom. Hayes is a teacher. Hayes tells us stories and dissects them into moments of wisdom and clarity. From one story, she sees many lessons and gives this advice to the reader. I was fascinated with these portions; she imparts so much of her own voice and the voices passed down for generations. Many passages were flagged for future reference to return to this beautiful, undefinable book and absorb her words and wisdom again. All folded into the beautiful story of Raven bringing the sun, moon, and stars to the world. Below I've included a portion that I loved and which I feel captures the magic essence that this memoir gives us.
"Do you see the water at the top of the creek, at the top of the mountain that holds our town in the palm of its hand and seeks the shoreline that our own front doors face? Be like that water.
Be yielding like water.
Go along the easiest way always, always willing to go around something. Offer no resistance. Go the easy way. That's the best way to get where you're going. Remember that all things begin and end in water, just as rivers begin and flow into the sea. When forces oppose, victory will be kind to the one who crafts herself like water, to the one whose power allows her to yield.
Take Raven.
When he wanted the Box of Daylight, he didn't invade a village. He didn't storm a house. He found the easy way. He used water. He made himself small so he could get close to daylight with the least effort. This is what Raven did to achieve his goal."
content warnings: alcoholism and drinking, residential schools and their many forms of abuse, cultural genocide, child/parent separation, discussion of colonial trauma.
But I loved how this book served a bigger purpose than just telling Hayes' story, it told the story of the land and the communities. This is so philosophical and introspective and tells the story of Ernestine through the generational traumas of the Tlingit people. This, she says with no uncertainty, is a result of colonization, capitalism, and Christianity.
We meet some familiar faces from Blonde Indian but this could also definitely be read before reading that one. Old Tom made a reappearance and I love how she has created a fictional character to represent innumerable real people's struggles and experiences. I think this is creative and successful at communicating her message.
The word that comes to mind when I think of this book is wisdom. Hayes is a teacher. Hayes tells us stories and dissects them into moments of wisdom and clarity. From one story, she sees many lessons and gives this advice to the reader. I was fascinated with these portions; she imparts so much of her own voice and the voices passed down for generations. Many passages were flagged for future reference to return to this beautiful, undefinable book and absorb her words and wisdom again. All folded into the beautiful story of Raven bringing the sun, moon, and stars to the world. Below I've included a portion that I loved and which I feel captures the magic essence that this memoir gives us.
"Do you see the water at the top of the creek, at the top of the mountain that holds our town in the palm of its hand and seeks the shoreline that our own front doors face? Be like that water.
Be yielding like water.
Go along the easiest way always, always willing to go around something. Offer no resistance. Go the easy way. That's the best way to get where you're going. Remember that all things begin and end in water, just as rivers begin and flow into the sea. When forces oppose, victory will be kind to the one who crafts herself like water, to the one whose power allows her to yield.
Take Raven.
When he wanted the Box of Daylight, he didn't invade a village. He didn't storm a house. He found the easy way. He used water. He made himself small so he could get close to daylight with the least effort. This is what Raven did to achieve his goal."
content warnings: alcoholism and drinking, residential schools and their many forms of abuse, cultural genocide, child/parent separation, discussion of colonial trauma.