theoneana's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
cheye13's review
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
Perhaps this book is now outdated.
I'm not sure what this story intended to do. I do not think it serves well as a first exposure to Indigienous experience or culture, nor does it satisfy those have already experienced Native fiction/nonfiction stories. The author's experiences alone are not enough to provide purpose or carry the narrative - it's called a memoir, yet the most compelling vignettes are about Old Tom and Young Tom, and not about the author.
The writing itself is beautiful, but I think this same book could be better written by this same author now.
I'm not sure what this story intended to do. I do not think it serves well as a first exposure to Indigienous experience or culture, nor does it satisfy those have already experienced Native fiction/nonfiction stories. The author's experiences alone are not enough to provide purpose or carry the narrative - it's called a memoir, yet the most compelling vignettes are about Old Tom and Young Tom, and not about the author.
The writing itself is beautiful, but I think this same book could be better written by this same author now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Colonisation, Death of parent, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Religious bigotry, Animal death, and Stalking
moderate descriptions of experience at a residential school, sustained depiction of (implied) post-partum depression, detailed description of drowningcaenisreads's review
4.0
This book is about love and betrayal. Leaving and returning. Apathy and empathy. But most of all, life and death.
Ernestine Hayes grew up in Alaska before moving to the west coast in adulthood before moving back to Alaska after "years of wandering." She recounts her life as a child in Alaska, beloved child and friend. Then her life as various men's partner away from Alaska, eventually becoming a mother to three sons. Then her life as a homeless person, a stranger from everyone. And then her life returning home to Alaska, where for some reason she was finally able to do a little bit more with her life, as if her return journey was the culmination of it, just as it is with the salmon.
In fact, she does speak of the salmon, comparing it to her life, how they were born in a certain body of water before they feel the need to move away, and then finally how they feel the need to move back in order to commit their final act: reproduction, before dying. Perhaps this is her way of saying that she has no intention of moving away from Alaska again, that she would stay there until she died.
She recounts the origin story of Raven and the box of daylight, which I had never heard before. In the beginning is darkness. Nobody can see anything, and Raven decides to do something about this. He knows that all of the light is in a certain old man's three boxes. So he transforms into a piece of straw, which the man's daughter swallows, before transforming himself in the girl's womb, becoming a fetus and then a son. He is now the old man's grandson. The boy never forgets his life as a raven and his mission to give the world light. He convinces the old man to give him a box, which the old man does. The box opens, and out come the stars. He convinces the old man to give him another box, and the box opens, and out comes the moon. He convinces the old man to give him the last box, and the box opens, and out comes the sun. Slowly the world has more light, until it becomes like it is today. The boy transforms back into a raven and flies away. As if the boy's life had only one purpose before he leaves it.
Just like the salmon.
Just like the rest of us.
Her recounting of her mother's death was so poignant to me, that it made me think of my own mother's (future) death, and how much I would want to take care of her before it happens, and how much I would miss her once she's gone. And it made me think of my father's death, and how much my mother took care of him before it happened, like a loyal companion, even though they hated each other. My mother's unconditional care for him...
This recounting of her death is coupled with the recounting of Young Tom's death. Throughout the book, there is a secondary story (I don't know if there were actually people called Old Tom and Young Tom upon whom she is basing these recountings). Tom (the 'white man name' of a young boy whose given name is Tawnewaysh) was taken away from his family as a boy to be in a white school. As an adult, he lives most of his life in a drunken stupor, not sure what else to do when his wife becomes depressed after giving birth to another boy: "Young Tom." Young Tom's life mirrors that of his father, except Old Tom is to outlive his son, when Young Tom drowns while drinking in a boat. The final three pages consist of three sentences, recounting Young Tom's final thoughts before his untimely death, as he sees his life passing by him, and as he swears that when he returns to the boat, to shore, he would stop drinking, and he would tell everyone he loves that he loved them.
What was the purpose of his life?
What is the purpose of any of our lives?
Is this what everyone thinks before their death? Do they see their whole life flashing before them? Do they all promise to themselves that once they got through this, they would never again let anyone forget that they loved them? That on their deathbed the purpose of their life is now to remind them of this? There is no way to know, because we cannot simply go out and find a dead person and ask them what their final thoughts were.
But maybe.
Ernestine Hayes grew up in Alaska before moving to the west coast in adulthood before moving back to Alaska after "years of wandering." She recounts her life as a child in Alaska, beloved child and friend. Then her life as various men's partner away from Alaska, eventually becoming a mother to three sons. Then her life as a homeless person, a stranger from everyone. And then her life returning home to Alaska, where for some reason she was finally able to do a little bit more with her life, as if her return journey was the culmination of it, just as it is with the salmon.
In fact, she does speak of the salmon, comparing it to her life, how they were born in a certain body of water before they feel the need to move away, and then finally how they feel the need to move back in order to commit their final act: reproduction, before dying. Perhaps this is her way of saying that she has no intention of moving away from Alaska again, that she would stay there until she died.
She recounts the origin story of Raven and the box of daylight, which I had never heard before. In the beginning is darkness. Nobody can see anything, and Raven decides to do something about this. He knows that all of the light is in a certain old man's three boxes. So he transforms into a piece of straw, which the man's daughter swallows, before transforming himself in the girl's womb, becoming a fetus and then a son. He is now the old man's grandson. The boy never forgets his life as a raven and his mission to give the world light. He convinces the old man to give him a box, which the old man does. The box opens, and out come the stars. He convinces the old man to give him another box, and the box opens, and out comes the moon. He convinces the old man to give him the last box, and the box opens, and out comes the sun. Slowly the world has more light, until it becomes like it is today. The boy transforms back into a raven and flies away. As if the boy's life had only one purpose before he leaves it.
Just like the salmon.
Just like the rest of us.
Her recounting of her mother's death was so poignant to me, that it made me think of my own mother's (future) death, and how much I would want to take care of her before it happens, and how much I would miss her once she's gone. And it made me think of my father's death, and how much my mother took care of him before it happened, like a loyal companion, even though they hated each other. My mother's unconditional care for him...
This recounting of her death is coupled with the recounting of Young Tom's death. Throughout the book, there is a secondary story (I don't know if there were actually people called Old Tom and Young Tom upon whom she is basing these recountings). Tom (the 'white man name' of a young boy whose given name is Tawnewaysh) was taken away from his family as a boy to be in a white school. As an adult, he lives most of his life in a drunken stupor, not sure what else to do when his wife becomes depressed after giving birth to another boy: "Young Tom." Young Tom's life mirrors that of his father, except Old Tom is to outlive his son, when Young Tom drowns while drinking in a boat. The final three pages consist of three sentences, recounting Young Tom's final thoughts before his untimely death, as he sees his life passing by him, and as he swears that when he returns to the boat, to shore, he would stop drinking, and he would tell everyone he loves that he loved them.
What was the purpose of his life?
What is the purpose of any of our lives?
Is this what everyone thinks before their death? Do they see their whole life flashing before them? Do they all promise to themselves that once they got through this, they would never again let anyone forget that they loved them? That on their deathbed the purpose of their life is now to remind them of this? There is no way to know, because we cannot simply go out and find a dead person and ask them what their final thoughts were.
But maybe.
jaclyn_sixminutesforme's review
4.0
If you're a fan of memoirs, this is one you'll want to check out for how beautifully it uses the form. Its non-linear movement through time alongside the nature writing worked so symbiotically--the lush and sense-evoking descriptions of place as mesmerizing as the way that animals (particularly bears and salmon) were written. While its a book I'd hesitate to compare to anything else I've read, it was a wonderful companion read to take in alongside [b:This Accident of Being Lost: Songs and Stories|29750405|This Accident of Being Lost Songs and Stories|Leanne Betasamosake Simpson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490261533l/29750405._SY75_.jpg|50107015] and [b:World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments|48615751|World of Wonders In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments|Aimee Nezhukumatathil|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1577258440l/48615751._SY75_.jpg|73952157]
Very grateful to Erin and Dani for prompting me to read this as part of their January bookclub (@erinanddanisbookclub on IG)
Very grateful to Erin and Dani for prompting me to read this as part of their January bookclub (@erinanddanisbookclub on IG)
railyuhreads's review
5.0
For the first half of this book I thought it was wonderful but not quite as beautiful and moving as The Tao of Raven (a solid 5+ and one of the most beautiful books I've ever read). Well, I was wrong. I honestly can't tell you which book is better, which one is more beautiful or heartbreaking or hopeful.
What I can tell you is that if I could choose one book as required reading for anyone who lives in or visits Juneau, or even anywhere in Southeast Alaska, I would choose this one. And then I would follow with an urging recommendation to read The Tao of Raven as well. And then I would tell anyone, even those who have no desire to see or know the "mountain behind mountain behind islands behind islands" of the Lingit Aani, that these two books are worth reading.
What I can tell you is that if I could choose one book as required reading for anyone who lives in or visits Juneau, or even anywhere in Southeast Alaska, I would choose this one. And then I would follow with an urging recommendation to read The Tao of Raven as well. And then I would tell anyone, even those who have no desire to see or know the "mountain behind mountain behind islands behind islands" of the Lingit Aani, that these two books are worth reading.
queenpebbles's review
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Heavy material that covers multiple lives. Jumping and recovering certain material like a conversation, at times it takes a second read because the time has changed without any warning but the line break. It reads like a long conversation and is an excellent memoir about coming home after a long journey. Hayes connects legends to life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Rape
Some of my favorite quotesSpoiler
"In the old way, a woman's glance could petrify a man. Now it is taught that the old ways were carried out for other reasons. Now the christian thought that women are unclean has been laid upon an old respectful custom." "Young Tom had some white friends, mostly from fishing boats. He noticed that whenever he said the words "white people," a lot of his white friends acted like he'd said something unfriendly. What do they want me to call them, he wondered. There weren't names for white people the way there were for Indians and blacks and people from China and Japan. White people didn't see themselves as anything but people."careinthelibrary's review
4.0
3.5 rounded up
Blonde Indian was an enjoyable memoir that coloured outside the lines of what a memoir typically is (to great effect).
I loved the layers to this memoir. We are not only learning about Ernestine's life but also the story of Ernestine's mother, Tom, the Raven, the reciprocal relationships in nature. It's the memoir of a couple Tlingit people and the land of the Tlingit known today as Alaska. While they aren't all directly related, these stories weave in and out of the book and show that stories and land are all interconnected. Tom and Saankaláxt (Ernestine's Tlingit name) are who they are because of where they grew up and where their ancestors lived.
Tom's narrative was so compelling to me, even more so than Ernestine's at times. His time in residential school, his struggles with addiction, and with raising a child without the steady help of a partner through his alcoholism really got me in the heart. We have little information on his connection to Ernestine so he is perhaps a fictional representation of a lot of Tlingit people that Ernestine knows, their histories and experiences distilled into a powerful, singular figure. His story is the story of many.
His inclusion in this book took it beyond a memoir and into a book that highlights structural violence against Indigenous peoples in many forms and to many people. It's a memoir, a history, a collection of origin tales and Tlingit stories. And nothing feels short-changed despite this book being quite slim. It still packs a punch.
I flagged a few passages in this book that were stunning. Passages that describe the natural world and the peaceful co-existance and cooperation that exists beyond the damage of colonization and white settler culture. The land is itself a character in this story, a presence that grounds the successes and troubles of Hayes' and Tom's lives as they struggle to return to stability after the pervasive forces of capitalism and colonialism.
The writing was dense but beautiful, the descriptions of waiting in lines at soup kitchens as poetic and engrossing as portions on salmon spawnings and bears fattening up her cubs. The rich colours danced before my eyes.
Blonde Indian was an enjoyable memoir that coloured outside the lines of what a memoir typically is (to great effect).
I loved the layers to this memoir. We are not only learning about Ernestine's life but also the story of Ernestine's mother, Tom, the Raven, the reciprocal relationships in nature. It's the memoir of a couple Tlingit people and the land of the Tlingit known today as Alaska. While they aren't all directly related, these stories weave in and out of the book and show that stories and land are all interconnected. Tom and Saankaláxt (Ernestine's Tlingit name) are who they are because of where they grew up and where their ancestors lived.
Tom's narrative was so compelling to me, even more so than Ernestine's at times. His time in residential school, his struggles with addiction, and with raising a child without the steady help of a partner through his alcoholism really got me in the heart. We have little information on his connection to Ernestine so he is perhaps a fictional representation of a lot of Tlingit people that Ernestine knows, their histories and experiences distilled into a powerful, singular figure. His story is the story of many.
His inclusion in this book took it beyond a memoir and into a book that highlights structural violence against Indigenous peoples in many forms and to many people. It's a memoir, a history, a collection of origin tales and Tlingit stories. And nothing feels short-changed despite this book being quite slim. It still packs a punch.
I flagged a few passages in this book that were stunning. Passages that describe the natural world and the peaceful co-existance and cooperation that exists beyond the damage of colonization and white settler culture. The land is itself a character in this story, a presence that grounds the successes and troubles of Hayes' and Tom's lives as they struggle to return to stability after the pervasive forces of capitalism and colonialism.
The writing was dense but beautiful, the descriptions of waiting in lines at soup kitchens as poetic and engrossing as portions on salmon spawnings and bears fattening up her cubs. The rich colours danced before my eyes.