Kelli Jo Ford
Author of Crooked Hallelujah
About the Author
Image credit: https://kellijoford.com/contact
Works by Kelli Jo Ford
Associated Works
Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology (2023) — Contributor — 1,554 copies, 23 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Agent
- Adam Eaglin
- Short biography
- Kelli Jo Ford is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Her debut novel-in-stories Crooked Hallelujah was longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel, The Story Prize, the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, The Dublin Literary Award, and The Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize. She is the recipient of an NEA Creative Writing Fellowship, The Paris Review's Plimpton Prize, a Creative Capital Award, a Native Arts & Cultures Foundation National Artist Fellowship, an Elizabeth George Foundation Grant, and a Dobie Paisano Fellowship. She teaches writing at the Institute of American Indian Arts.
- Nationality
- Cherokee Nation
- Associated Place (for map)
- Cherokee Nation
Members
Reviews
I know nothing about Kelli Jo Ford, but I bet she had experience living in poverty. Fried bologna sandwiches and using wood-grained contact paper to update your home add dimension to this story of four generations of Cherokee women. She also speaks to the importance of strength in poor women and how something like getting a GED, which initially embarrassing proved to be the way to getting higher pay for menial work. At times, I had trouble deciding which woman’s life was being looked at show more and I still don’t understand why Mose, the mentally-disabled Mose and his friendship with the lesbian couple was introduced into the book, it took me into world with which I had no familiarity. Once I realized these were interconnected stories as opposed to a novel with a storyline, I enjoyed the book more. Was I satisfied with the ending of the book? No. But if you are living in poverty, there is no satisfying ending. show less
This book is set in Oklahoma and Texas, but it reminds me of where my family is from in Ohio. Not the landscape but the feeling of fate at work, of holding tight to what you can because the world is not doing you any favors. There's this sense that maybe the end of the world doesn't happen all at once but starts slowly in particular locations, bellwether towns that herald the accelerating approach of disaster. Depressing book, but excellent.
Can I love anything the way that I used to love the mystery of my mother, her strength in suffering?"
"His baritone sounded familiar but busy, his words fireflies that flitted between them without illuminating a thing."
This is a multi-generational novel, set in the Cherokee Nation, of Oklahoma. It follows one family over the decades, beginning in the early 1970s where we are introduced to Justine, a wayward teenager, who becomes pregnant at 15. The stories focus mostly on the female show more members, including Justine's mother Lula, a devout member of the Holiness Church, who lays down the wrath of God. The spotlight also shines on Justine's daughter Reney, who becomes fiercely independent, trying to shake the bonds of poverty and broken men.
I like Native American fiction, and I wish the author would have included more of their culture and heritage. Other than that, I really admired her writing style and I think she delivered a solid family drama. Impressive debut. show less
"His baritone sounded familiar but busy, his words fireflies that flitted between them without illuminating a thing."
This is a multi-generational novel, set in the Cherokee Nation, of Oklahoma. It follows one family over the decades, beginning in the early 1970s where we are introduced to Justine, a wayward teenager, who becomes pregnant at 15. The stories focus mostly on the female show more members, including Justine's mother Lula, a devout member of the Holiness Church, who lays down the wrath of God. The spotlight also shines on Justine's daughter Reney, who becomes fiercely independent, trying to shake the bonds of poverty and broken men.
I like Native American fiction, and I wish the author would have included more of their culture and heritage. Other than that, I really admired her writing style and I think she delivered a solid family drama. Impressive debut. show less
In linked short stories, Kelli Jo Ford tells the story of four generations of Cherokee women: Granny, Lula, Justine, and Reney.
Justine and Reney are at the center of the stories, starting with Justine getting pregnant, and then covering several years to Reney as an adult. Some are in third person, some in first person, including one from Justine's father-in-law. The result is an effective character portrayal of multiple people from multiple points of view, telling the story of ordinary show more lives. It was well done, but I read it for book club and I struggle to think of what we will talk about tomorrow. I suspect I won't remember much about it some months from now. show less
Justine and Reney are at the center of the stories, starting with Justine getting pregnant, and then covering several years to Reney as an adult. Some are in third person, some in first person, including one from Justine's father-in-law. The result is an effective character portrayal of multiple people from multiple points of view, telling the story of ordinary show more lives. It was well done, but I read it for book club and I struggle to think of what we will talk about tomorrow. I suspect I won't remember much about it some months from now. show less
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 1
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 271
- Popularity
- #85,375
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 10
- ISBNs
- 8