Captured in the Middle: Tradition and Experience in Contemporary Native American Writing (McLellan Books)

Larson, a member of the Gros Ventre tribe of Montana and an English professor at the University of Oregon, interweaves his personal and professional experience into discussions of Native American writing. He argues that Native American criticism is stalled on the one hand by critics who essentialize Native American experience, on the other by those too preoccupied by "authenticity," by an author's Indian identity. As antidote, Larson promotes the work of Vine Deloria, Jr., James Welch, and Louise Erdrich. These and other issues are of prime importance because Larson views Native American writing as a way not only to inspire Indians toward a better future, but to serve as a model for other, similarly fractured cultures. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

NAT