Ghost Dancing — Anna Linzer

American Book Award Winner

A linked collection of stories about the lives of one Native American family in Washington state and Oklahoma

Story by graceful story, Ghost Dancing reveals the evolving worlds of Jimmy One Rock, his wife Mary, and their family as they struggle together on a decaying reservation in the Pacific Northwest. Alternating between Washington state and Jimmy's childhood on an Oklahoma reservation, these stories link past and present through memory, myth, ceremony, and a sly humor that undercuts the reverence of outsiders. In spare yet rich language, Anna Linzer creates a memorable portrait of contemporary Native American life.

Here is a collection as open and honest and authentic as the characters that it documents, appealing and accessible, as bittersweet as it is lovely. Readers of Joy Harjo, Leslie Marmon Silko, and N. Scott Momaday will discover these stories with pleasure.