ghost dancer

Eleanor Wilson lives trapped inside her parents’ marble mansion, held there by their bigotry and rules. A nightmarish vision shows her the way out. But first, she had to dance the Ghost Dance and die.

Ghost Dancer, set in the 1950s at the intersection of the supernatural with the racial intolerance of a small Midwestern town, is a mystical, coming-of-age story where a lonely, insecure teenager discovers in the realm of spirits not only the secret about herself but how to save our dying world.

It is an historical novel with themes relevant to the challenges we face today.

Kessler’s ambition is admirable. Racism against Black citizens and Native Americans, the fear of Communism at the height of the Cold War, Nazism and anti-Semitism, religious hypocrisy, and finally building of a pipeline through Native American land are all touched on. This eclectic tale delivers an intriguing outsider…The author has created a captivating protagonist grappling with her identity. Kirkus Reviews

Captivating, Relevant, Insightful. “Ghost Dancer” is not only relevant to our time, but it is a captivating book that will make you immediately want to run outside your door and fight for what’s right in this world. Perhaps if more books were written like this, with such incredible heart, the negative values and beliefs of others could be erased for good. Amy Lignor, Reader Views

Readers who choose Ghost Dancer anticipating a mystical experience receive so much more in an evocative, psychologically and socially spooky examination. Its special brand of Native American and California history, magical realism, and coming of age saga represents an outstanding interplay of emotions, history, and social inspection. Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review

Kessler ambitiously decided to tackle issues of Native American rights, spiritualism, and endemic and systemic racism, while still providing the reader with a protagonist who, while not perfect, is someone who you are rooting for. With all of the discussion of race, Native rights, and the role of women in society that have come to the forefront in recent months and years, Kessler’s book will stand as a stark reminder of just how bad it was, is, and will continue to be if we don’t stand up and fight like Eleanor ultimately did. Page after page, the bluntness and layered contextuality of Kessler’s words kept me turning the pages, waiting to see what would surprise me next. Kelly Fumiko Weiss, Windy City Reviews

“Eleanor’s growth and evolution brings with it newfound realizations about prejudice and survival. A story about abuse and repression turns into a poignant social commentary…” California Bookwatch

Prepublication reader reviews at Goodreads