In this deeply moving collection of short stories and essays, Gordon Lee Johnson (Cupe???o/Cahuilla) cements his voice not only as a wry commentator on American Indian reservation life but also as a master of fiction writing. In Johnson's stories, all of which are set on the fictional San Ignacio reservation in Southern California, we meet unforgettable characters like Plato Pena, the Stanford-bound geek who reads Kahlil Gibran during intertribal softball games; hardboiled investigator Roddy Foo; and Etta, whose motto is ...
Read More
In this deeply moving collection of short stories and essays, Gordon Lee Johnson (Cupe???o/Cahuilla) cements his voice not only as a wry commentator on American Indian reservation life but also as a master of fiction writing. In Johnson's stories, all of which are set on the fictional San Ignacio reservation in Southern California, we meet unforgettable characters like Plato Pena, the Stanford-bound geek who reads Kahlil Gibran during intertribal softball games; hardboiled investigator Roddy Foo; and Etta, whose motto is early to bed, early to rise, work like hell, and advertise, as they face down circumstances by turns ordinary and devastating. From the noir-tinged mystery of Unholy Wine to the gripping intensity of Tukwut, Johnson effortlessly switches genre, perspective, and tense, vividly evoking people and places that are fictional but profoundly true to life.
Read Less