Turtle Meat and Other Stories - Hardcover

Bruchac, Joseph

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0930100484 ISBN 13: 9780930100483

Publisher: Holy Cow Press, 1992

Synopsis

A Native American storyteller narrates eighteen stories featuring the Mohican, Navajo, and other tribes of the Adirondack foothills

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

Bruchac ( Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back ) is perhaps the best - known contemporary Native American storyteller. This slim, highly entertaining volume of 17 original stories touches upon a wide range of Native experiences and spans time from the mythic past to the present. In one story, Indians battle the monstrous Ice-hearts, who turn out to be European invaders clad in shiny armor. The story of Albany mayor Peter Schuyler who was outwitted by a seemingly indolent Native is consonant with African American narratives about slaves getting the better of their masters. In one of the most skillful stories, two Indians from different tribes are recruited during World War II to sneak information past the Germans by talking "Native American." Conversant with different languages, the two are at a loss until they realize they both speak German--but so badly only they can understand it. Three short stories of the Adirondack wilderness (where sounds might be the wind or "songs from a throat more ancient than most of us care to think much about") deserve to be singled out. Even on the printed page, Bruchac's tales ring of the oral tradition he helps preserve. His stories are often poignant, funny, ironic--and sometimes all three at once.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 8 Up-- A thought-provoking collection of original stories, 11 of which have been previously published individually. Bruchac, a Native American storyteller of Abenaki heritage, combines legend, memories, history, humor, realism, and magic in his vivid tales. He subtly leads readers into realizing unexpressed aspects of some of the stories and often disarms them with his humor. The importance of heritage and the call of one's native land figure in many of the selections. The influence of family tradition and the Native Americans' closeness to nature is shown in both ``Jed's Grandfather,'' in which a young boy learns from his dying grandfather, and in ``Fox Den,'' which shows the persistence of nature despite man's best attempts at destruction. There are also tales of fantasy and magic. This is a good blend of well-crafted stories that are deserving of careful analysis. Many will be suited for class discussion and for storytelling and all are worth studying for their cultural history. --Yvonne Frey, Peoria Public Schools, IL
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Holy Cow Press
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0930100484
• ISBN 13: 9780930100483
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 119