Oscar Hokeah

Protagonist Ever Geimausaddle’s mother is Cherokee and Kiowa and his father is Mexican. He and his relatives experience many obstacles and issues common to Native American communities, such as depression, unemployment, and addiction. Ever’s story is told from multiple generational perspectives, starting with his grandparents. Each chapter is narrated by a different character. Ever eventually gets to speak on his own behalf in the ending chapter.

This novel portrays how community and show more culture can be helpful in overcoming individual problems. The author highlights many distinctions between Cherokee and Kiowa traditions. It includes stomp dances, the titular blanket dance, and powwows. I particularly enjoyed the way the novel is structured, gradually providing more information as the story progresses. It is an impressive debut. show less

Oscar Hokeah's Calling for a Blanket Dance is a beautifully crafted work of fiction that speaks to the the complicated ties family and "family" build with one another over generations. The promo materials present this title as the story of Ever Geimausadle, but Calling for a Blanket Dance is so much more than a single-character book. Yes, Ever is a frequent presence, but even when talking about Ever, the book's other characters offer readers a much broader portrait.

The different branches of show more Ever's family include Kiowas, Cherokees, and Mexicanos. These different branches have their areas of tension, but no one in this book would deny that every other character, regardless of their differences, is family. Many of the events in this novel are discouraging, even tragic, but Hokeah's broad cast of characters also allows for genuine possibilities of hope and selfhood—and these positive moments never feel false or forced.

The role of narrator in Calling for a Blanket Dance is distributed among members of this extended family. Most "speak" only once, though a few key characters have the chance to speak twice. This variation in narrator gives readers a way into this family that embraces so many cultures and will teach most readers quite a bit about each of these cultures. The book integrates words and phrases in Kiowa, Cherokee, and Spanish. Usually, these are easy to understand from context, but even when they aren't, the reader's uncertainty about what's being said is a powerful tool reminding us that embracing diversity means embracing that which we don't know and not just that which we learn.

Calling for a Blanket Dance is a book that would reward multiple readings, though the rewards of a single reading are already substantial. Small connections and their importance can become clearer; the motivations of individual characters grow richer as readers revisit what these characters say. This is a buy-or-request-it-now title, a book you don't want to abandon on your one-of-these-days pile. It's also a title that you can read, put down, and return to. Reading in this way may make the complex relatedness between the characters more difficult to follow, but doesn't diminish the the diversity, strengths, and perspectives of the novel's many characters.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own. show less

Calling for a Blanket Dance follows the timeline of Ever Geimausaddle's life, told in vignettes from the perspectives of his family members. It's a story about identity, families, and community, and how Ever grows into the person he becomes as a result.

There is a lot to like in this debut novel. The story and characters feel authentic; there is no glossing-over gritty details or leaving out things that might make someone look imperfect. I especially liked learning more about Kiowa and show more Cherokee culture, as I'll admit I didn't know all that much going into this read. I think it was ultimately a smart move on Hokeah's part to tell the story in the voices of Ever's family, rather than sticking solely to one or two perspectives, although I definitely needed to refer to the family tree a couple of times early in the book.

If I have any complaints, it's that it feels like there are some big chunks of Ever's life missing from the novel, especially when he is an adult. I don't expect the entirety of his life to be laid out on the page, but I do wish we had more information about his life after a certain point. (I'm trying to avoid spoilers here, but the family tree does kind of spoil part of it.) That being said, I don't think it's integral to the story being told; perhaps I just wanted a longer book because I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the story just yet!

Overall, this is a heartwrenching story about one man's life. If you're a fan of literary fiction, this is a fantastic read; you'll be thinking about it long after you read the last page.

Thank you to Algonquin and NetGalley for providing a copy for review. show less

A novel depicting the child-to-adult life of one Kiowa/Cherokee/Mexican man through the perspectives of various family members. It's a little sporadic in that you have to fill in a lot of gaps, and it's devastatingly grim for most of it, but it came across as rich and authentic. I've seen some reviews that complained about the frequent use of Native American words and a few Spanish ones ... as far as I'm concerned, they added to the novel, not detracted.

Definitely recommended.