This book blew me away. Written like a multi-generational version of Christopher Nolan’s Memento, The Grass Dancer chronicles the story of Red Dress and Ghost Horse and the intertwining stories of many families on their Dakota reservation that their lives and legacies affect. However, their stories begin much too early to appear at the beginning of the book. Instead, their indirect descendants and friends are introduced first.
Beginning in the 1981 and working mostly backward, ultimately reaching as early as 1864, Susan Power tantalizingly shares short story after short story, each one revealing more actions, motives, and consequences of their decisions. Many different characters, some who might be called good, and others who might be called bad, but none of whom are presented as evil, are introduced. These characters are either consequences of Red Dress’ and Ghost Horse’s actions or are ancillary to characters who are. The influence of Red Dress and Ghost Horse reverberate for over a century. When the two are finally truly introduced, all the loose threads waving free in the book are woven together.
Each story begins at a different date, so some re-orientation every chapter detracts from a smooth reading. However, the internal consistency and overlap between the stories and decades create an anticipatory atmosphere. Power keeps the reader eager to learn more about the depths of the characters’ past. Indeed, although the concept of time is presented largely as running straightforward, the construction of the narrative in The Grass Dancer clearly demonstrates the interaction of the past and future.
Power’s use of the supernatural adds strength to her story. In the book, the spirits of people who have died may appear to whomever they want, and can share wisdom, protect people, or threaten them. Indigenous “medicine” also works beyond science’s ability to explain. It is presented as unexplainable but as real as any natural phenomena. This magical realism allows Power to introduce Red Dress much earlier in the narrative than she could have otherwise, adding intrigue earlier. It also adds layers to the characters who either use Indigenous medicine, while showcasing the importance of dreams, where spirits are most visible and influential.
Recommended for anyone in high school or above, The Grass Dancer is a must-read for anyone interested in Native and Indigenous books, multi-generational stories, and stories of the spirit world interacting with the “real” world. If you liked this book, you will definitely enjoy Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (a professor, mother, and ecologist reflects on people’s relationship with land and with each other), The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia (a boy with a special connection to a colony of bees protects his adoptive family through the Spanish Flu and Mexican Civil War), Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko (a multi-generational story of a family in Korea as they emigrate to Japan and live through and beyond World War II), or Akwaeke Emezi’s Freshwater (a book written with the voice of different spirits inhabiting a Nigerian immigrant woman in America).
Recommended Titles
Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Murmur of Bees, Sofia Segovia
Pachinko, Min Jin Lee
Freshwater, Akwaeke Emezi
This book blew me away. Written like a multi-generational version of Christopher Nolan’s Memento, The Grass Dancer chronicles the story of Red Dress and Ghost Horse and the intertwining stories of many families on their Dakota reservation that their lives and legacies affect. However, their stories begin much too early to appear at the beginning of the book. Instead, their indirect descendants and friends are introduced first.
Beginning in the 1981 and working mostly backward, ultimately reaching as early as 1864, Susan Power tantalizingly shares short story after short story, each one revealing more actions, motives, and consequences of their decisions. Many different characters, some who might be called good, and others who might be called bad, but none of whom are presented as evil, are introduced. These characters are either consequences of Red Dress’ and Ghost Horse’s actions or are ancillary to characters who are. The influence of Red Dress and Ghost Horse reverberate for over a century. When the two are finally truly introduced, all the loose threads waving free in the book are woven together.
Each story begins at a different date, so some re-orientation every chapter detracts from a smooth reading. However, the internal consistency and overlap between the stories and decades create an anticipatory atmosphere. Power keeps the reader eager to learn more about the depths of the characters’ past. Indeed, although the concept of time is presented largely as running straightforward, the construction of the narrative in The Grass Dancer clearly demonstrates the interaction of the past and future.
Power’s use of the supernatural adds strength to her story. In the book, the spirits of people who have died may appear to whomever they want, and can share wisdom, protect people, or threaten them. Indigenous “medicine” also works beyond science’s ability to explain. It is presented as unexplainable but as real as any natural phenomena. This magical realism allows Power to introduce Red Dress much earlier in the narrative than she could have otherwise, adding intrigue earlier. It also adds layers to the characters who either use Indigenous medicine, while showcasing the importance of dreams, where spirits are most visible and influential.
Recommended for anyone in high school or above, The Grass Dancer is a must-read for anyone interested in Native and Indigenous books, multi-generational stories, and stories of the spirit world interacting with the “real” world. If you liked this book, you will definitely enjoy Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (a professor, mother, and ecologist reflects on people’s relationship with land and with each other), The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia (a boy with a special connection to a colony of bees protects his adoptive family through the Spanish Flu and Mexican Civil War), Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko (a multi-generational story of a family in Korea as they emigrate to Japan and live through and beyond World War II, or Akwaeke Emizi’s Freshwater (a book written with the voice of different spirits inhabiting a Nigerian immigrant woman in America).
Recommended Titles
Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Murmur of Bees, Sofia Segovia
Pachinko, Min Jin Lee
Freshwater, Akwaeke Emizi