Calling for a Blanket Dance
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4.4 • 14 Ratings
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
A moving and deeply engaging novel about a young Native American man as he learns to find strength in his familial identity.
Told in a series of voices, Calling for a Blanket Dance takes us into the life of Ever Geimausaddle through the multigenerational perspectives of his family as they face myriad obstacles. His father’s injury at the hands of corrupt police, his mother's struggle to hold on to her job and care for her husband, the constant resettlement of the family, and the legacy of centuries of injustice all intensify Ever’s bottled-up rage. Meanwhile, all of Ever’s relatives have ideas about who he is and who he should be. His Cherokee grandmother urges the family to move across Oklahoma to find security; his grandfather hopes to reunite him with his heritage through traditional gourd dances; his Kiowa cousin reminds him that he’s connected to an ancestral past. And once an adult, Ever must take the strength given to him by his relatives to save not only himself but also the next generation of family.
How will this young man visualize a place for himself when the world hasn’t given him a place to start with? Honest, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting, Calling for a Blanket Dance is the story of how Ever Geimausaddle found his way to home.
Customer Reviews
Relatable story told in many voices
There are many layers to this fictional story of an extended family with Kiowa, Cherokee, Mexican heritage, and all the issues that face families of every color. Each chapter told from one family member’s viewpoint, the book is beautifully narrated by the author and Rainy Fields. I kept relistening to chapters, just to hear again certain stories…some things are so universal. I look forward to the author’s next book.
A multi-cultural feast!
I really enjoyed the sense of place(s) created in this audiobook (primarily Lawton and Tahlequah, Oklahoma), the different cultures (Kiowa, Cherokee, and Mexican), the impact of trauma and addiction within the extended family and across four generations, the sheer will have f these characters to survive and thrive, the indigenous words interspersed throughout but easily understood in context, and especially the two narrators (including the author) who brought this novel to life! Well done, and thank you for a story that will stick with you.