Voices in the Stones by Kent Nerburn

 

For January we discussed Voices in the Stones, by Kent Nerburn, with Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte coming up for February's read.  We announced at the meeting this afternoon that it's about that time to start thinking about book nominations for this next year's reading list. We'd like the nominations in on or before the March 8th book club meeting, as we're planning on voting at the April 12th meeting. That means the new schedule will be tallied, sorted, and ready to go by our May meeting~ and off we go into a new year full of new reads! You can submit those nominations personally by stopping into the library, or via phone or e-mail to either Susan or myself. Happy nominating!

It was also tentatively decided that we will plan to repeat the process of having dedicated categories again this year. Those 5 dedicated categories will remain the same, and will be: Minnesota Author, Memoir, Mystery, Classics, and Young Adult/Juvenile. The remaining 7 slots are being left open for nominations of any genre. Keep in mind, you do not have to nominate books into these 5 designated categories (although some of the nominations may naturally be put into these categories based on their subject material), but you will be required to vote for at least 1 title out of each of the 5 dedicated categories when we vote. (If there aren't enough books nominated into the designated categories to offer some good variety, we'll add them in to try to provide a good mix.)

If anyone should feel strongly against the idea of repeating these required categories, and/or, if any of you would like to switch out one or more of the categories this year, please let us know and we'll rearrange where we can. Please reach out, or leave any questions or comments you have below!

 

 Without further delay~

 

The genius of the Native Americans has always been their profound spirituality and their deep understanding of the land and its ways. For three decades, author Kent Nerburn has lived and worked among the Native American people. Voices in the Stones is a unique collection of his encounters, experiences, and reflections during that time.

He takes us inside a traditional Native feast to show us how the children are taught to respect the elders. He brings us to an isolated prairie rock outcropping where a young Native man and his father show us how the power of ceremony connects the present with the ancient voices of the past. At a dusty roadside café he introduces us to an elder who remembers the time when his ancestors could talk to animals.

In these stories, Nerburn reveals the spiritual awareness that animates all of Native American life, and shows us how we have much to learn from one another if only we have the heart to listen.

In the end, this book brought about a good mix of positive reviews. There were a fair amount of members that really enjoyed the book and Kent Nerburn's writing, stating they'd like to read more of his work. They mentioned it was hard to read about the mistreatment of the Native American people and grappled with trying to imagine how they must have felt and acclimated when our way of life and belief systems were pressed upon them. It was said it was inspiring the way the Native Americans seemed to live in harmony with nature, "understanding the need to take care of the Earth, so it took care of them." They didn't appear to be a wasteful, insatiable people who were rarely satisfied, much unlike their counterparts.

There were also a decent amount of people who liked the book, but didn't love it. They too appreciated Nerburn's writing style, and the hardships the Native American's faced, but found him to feature a flare for the dramatic at times, resulting in wordy, long-winded areas in the book. It was said that while what happened to the Native Americans was appalling, "Every people, at some point in history, have been invaded. And in turn, the Native Americans themselves, at some point, were the invaders as well."

Something thought provoking to leave you with: Specifically, what would the United States look like today if all those years ago when the Europeans first began to occupy Native American territory, they had simply lived and let live? Could the two cultures have found a way to live respectfully amongst each other in peace and prosperity? Could that have been the running, working model for all going forward? Do you agree that we have much to learn from each other, that no one culture has it all figured out? 

 

Let us know in the comments below!

 

Did you love Voice in the Stones? Fans of this book also enjoyed: The Soul of the Indian, by Charles Alexander Eastman, The Lakota Way by Joseph Marshall, and Geronimo, by Robert Marshall Utley. All of these titles are available in Viking~ reserve your copy today!

 

At the conclusion of every book club discussion we ask three questions and track the average answers:

Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"YES"
Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"YES"
Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating: 
 3.5 stars