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Loading... House Made of Dawn (1968)by N. Scott Momaday
   » 11 more No current Talk conversations about this book.  Kristelh | Nov 8, 2023 |    ) wandaly | Jul 16, 2023 | As the story opens, protagonist Abel, a young Native American, has recently returned to New Mexico after serving in WWII. He lives with his grandfather, develops a relationship with a woman, interacts with the local priest, and commits a crime. Years later, he is living in Los Angeles with a friend. He experiences drug-induced hallucinations and drinks heavily. He attends Native American ceremonies. He is beaten and left for dead. In the country or city, he has trouble assimilating. The storyline is fragmented and told in non-linear fashion. It is one of those books where I appreciate the literary merit, but it held little appeal for me. It toggles back and forth between the current experiences, flashbacks, and stories of Native American ceremonies. I was not always sure when events were supposed to be taking place. The writing is descriptive. The concept is creative. However, I found it disjointed and never felt truly engaged. (  ) Castlelass | Oct 30, 2022 | and left me not caring about the fate of the characters who seem to accept this as part of Tradition. (  ) m.belljackson | Apr 30, 2022 | The book was structured by days over a period of time and told from different viewpoints in either third or first person with sections in italics for flashbacks in time. After reading so much contemporary literature with straight forward narratives and high concept plots, this book was more like taking a walk through an untended orchard rather than strolling through a public park. Highly recommended for those with the ability to concentrate through distractions and who prefer a more rambling open space narrative with room to explore concepts rather than plot points. ( )1  AngelaLam | Feb 8, 2022 | no reviews | add a review
Belongs to Publisher SeriesHarper Perennial Olive Editions (2021 Olive) Is abridged inHas as a student's study guideAwardsNotable Lists
Classic Literature.
Fiction.
Literature.
HTML: "Both a masterpiece about the universal human condition and a masterpiece of Native American literature. . . . A book everyone should read for the joy and emotion of the language it contains." ?? The Paris Review A special 50th anniversary edition of the magnificent Pulitzer Prize-winning novel from renowned Kiowa writer and poet N. Scott Momaday, with a new preface read by the author A young Native American, Abel has come home from war to find himself caught between two worlds. The first is the world of his father's, wedding him to the rhythm of the seasons, the harsh beauty of the land, and the ancient rites and traditions of his people. But the other world??modern, industrial America??pulls at Abel, demanding his loyalty, trying to claim his soul, and goading him into a destructive, compulsive cycle of depravity and disgust. An American classic, House Made of Dawn is at once a tragic tale about the disabling effects of war and cultural separation, and a hopeful story of a stranger in his native land, finding his way back to all that is familiar and sac No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.47)
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Wikipedia in English (1)
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This book, by Native American author N. Scott Momaday, won the Pulitzer in 1969. This author is described as the author who opened literature for Native American authors and he is listed as the inspiration for Louise Erdrich, Sherman Alexie, as several other Native American Authors. This is the story of a returning WWII vet to his reservation and the struggles to fit in. The theme is alienation. The book started as poetry, then stories and morphed into a novel and it reads as if it doesn't quite fit any form. The title is a reference to the land and its people. I did not enjoy this book. Rating 3.2 (