This is going to drive me mad… there was a book I read as a kid that was about a Navajo boy who was ripped away from his family and culture and sent to a residential school. I’d swear they called him Leo, but of course I could be wrong. I remember them trying to basically turn him white, and one of the major battles was making him wear underwear with his jeans. There were a lot of other struggles and confusion as they tried to remove the Indian parts of himself and he tried to hold on to his identity. I think it was set in either Arizona or New Mexico. There were illustrations, and I know it wasn’t a long book, but I don’t remember if it was a picture book or not. Anybody remember it?
Help Me Track Down this Book!
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The summary sounds familiar, but I tried a few googles and got nothing.
You may have more success posting here:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/185-what-s-the-name-of-that-book
Hope you find it.
Sorry, doesn’t ring a bell, but then it doesn’t sound like the sort of story I generally read.
The only books I have read that dealt heavily with Navajo culture were Tony Hillerman’s books. Excellent mysteries as well as very good exposure to the Navajo. Sadly, he left this mortal realm only a couple of years ago.
Mobius, Hillerman’s daughter is continuing the Leaphorn / Chee series. I read the first one and thought it was better than some of her father’s later efforts, but maybe a notch below his best.
Dana, when I was a kid I did read a picture book about a Navajo boy but it didn’t have anything like the boarding school scenes you mentioned. It showed a traditional Navajo childhood, which was nice — I was too young to take on the horror show of cultural genocide. Anyway, I don’t recall the name of that book either.
Unlurking to ask if My Name is Lion is the book? I found it using http://www.worldcat.org, so if it’s not, perhaps you will have luck there.
TTFN!
Another very very faint bell here… I have the dimmest of recollections of a picture book about a Navajo child(? children?) in the present day, but no recollection of any details about the contents, or of the authour or title. I would have been way too young (just learning to read) to “get” anything about cultural appropriation or genocide, so it’s entirely possible this is a completely different book. (Sorry, I know this isn’t really of any help…)
I don’t know the book, but try posting the same query at the booksleuth website. I forget whether it’s part of alibris or abebooks. They have different sections at booksleuth, including one specifically for kids’ books. I’ve found the folks there quite helpful.
Also, Goodreads.com has a group called I think, What’s the Name of that Book? Very helpful folk and they’ll search forever.
@3 DonDueed
Thanx. That is great news. I have read all of the Leaphorn/Chee books by Hillerman and will have to look up his daughter’s work.
BTW, PBS had three movies based on some of the books, produced by Robert Redford IIRC. I think you can find them on YouTube. I believe Skinwalkers was the first one.
Mucho thanx, DonDueed. My state’s virtual library has both books available. I checked out the Kindle version of the first one and have a hold for the second. Again, thanx.
Could it be the Laughing Boy by Oliver LaFarge?
https://followingpulitzer.wordpress.com/tag/laughing-boy-1930/
The Abebooks site has always been really helpful for me. Just tell them whatever you can remember – sometimes even the colour of the cover can ring bells for someone, or the size of the book. http://forums.abebooks.co.uk/discussions/AbeBookscouk_BookSleuth/abesleuthuk?redirCnt=1&mobile=y
Mobius, you’re welcome and I hope you enjoy them.
I saw the PBS adaptations, but didn’t think they did justice to the books. Okay, I’m a snob. There was also a Hollywood movie of The Dark Wind but that was pretty pathetic — which is especially annoying since that was one of the best books in the series.
YES!!! That was it! Thank you, thank you!
Now you’ve got me trying to remember an old SF novel I read years ago that I sadly can’t really recall title nor author (Aldiss maybe?) set in pre-Columbian North and Central America within a Native American culture that ended with the plagues and European arrival. Quite a thick and, ahem, adult book (I.e. it featured some sex scenes – which were appropriate in narrative context and nicely done.)