Indian Books

I loved this book, and really appreciate the life-long work that Brenda Peterson has done to write about the ways in which humans and other animals are connected. Her chapters on the Makah whale hunt are beautifully written and very informative. Few of us--even those of us who live in the Northwest and follow the news carefully--would otherwise have access to the many-layered story that she gives us. Writers like Brenda who care passionately about both human and nonhuman animals are crucial to any hope of making progress in the vital area of animal rights.

I finished this book this month after reading Animal Grace by Randour and McElroy. Both of these books are immensely interesting and well written and I give "Singing..." a "4" only because I gave this rating to "Animal Grace...." as well and ONLY because I still trying to learn about this interface between science and fancy, fact and conjecture when it comes to nature, spirit, man and animal sprituality etc. Peterson's book is somewhat different from Randour's although they've been advertised together. Peterson's book is more of an essay, sensitive and poignant, regarding her own view on man and nature's interconnections; Randour's book makes more actual claims about spirituality in animals. I've mentioned the interest in this kind of work (see Randour's book) which follows on last year "Parrot's Lament" (about animal feelings) and the book "Nabokov's Blues" which dealt with artist Vladimir Nabokov's scientific work and whether or not Nabokov was a pure scientist or a mystic when it came to nature, creation, evolution etc. These are all wonderful books. Its particularly interesting that more and more scientists and other specialists who in the past might not believe in spirituality in nature, feelings in animals, etc. are becoming more outspoken AND that the public, including myself, is giving them a serious reading. This may actually have some value for environmental protection. Its timely in science reading also because the literary world has been full of authors who have had more or less mystical views of nature (Nabokov, Pope, and many others) (with Nabokov, even ghosts entering into the picture!) and sooner or later we readers start asking ourselves about what is "really real". I'd recommend all these books for those who are exploring these frontiers in their reading. Brenda Peterson wrote a wonderful book, "Duck and Cover" earlier, and in "Singing to the Sound" I think the success of the earlier book and allowed her to "let go" a bit more and trust her audience with a bit more of her exceptional vision on how man and nature are intertwined. I'm starting to see some "unity" in the whole thing now (man and nature) as these books continue to appear explaining more about art/science, man/nature and how their inner natures may be intrinsicly intertwined. Five years ago I might not have read these books; I would have been less believing of the subject matter; but I certainly recommend them now.

Nearly twenty years ago, I was a student in Brenda Peterson's creative writing class at Arizona State University. Just as she was an inspiring teacher, SINGING TO THE SOUND is an inspiring collection of fifteen essays about living one's life with meaning and clarity. It is organized into three sections, "The Way of Water," "Common Ground," and "Between Species."

No longer a resident of the Arizona desert, Peterson now lives on the Puget Sound, the primary subject of her book. Her essays are insightful and somewhat reminiscent of Annie Dillard's writing. About the rain, she writes, "to survive here without the daily illumination of sunlight, we must have an inner life bright with hidden worlds" (p. 18). Living in the company of water, she writes: "Yet still, I find myself praising the solace and privacy of the fine, silver drizzle, the comforting cloaks of salt, mold, moss and fog, the secretive shelter of cedar and clouds" (pp. 26-7). For Peterson, feeding seagulls is "one of those everyday prayers" (p. 34). In another essay, we find her unplugging from information sensory overload to find "spacious quiet" (p. 164). "Electricity and modems are not the deepest connections," she writes. "Real bonds are about body and Earth, fur and skin, and heartbeat and breathing" (p. 166). Peterson concludes her book with my favorite essay, in which we find her "down at the beach" with a great blue heron, praying for the world on the day of the Oklahoma City bombing (p. 188).

This is a fine book, filled with contemplative moments, each revealing that every living thing is sacred.

G. Merritt

Watching human beings 'progress' to the detriment of the earth and animals, I often feel a sense of hopelessness. I encourage anyone who feels the same to read this book, Singing to the Sound. Brenda Peterson writes masterfully about some of the most difficult things we face today, with insight, balance and compassion. She gives cause for hope.Inundated as we are by thousands of news sources that trumpet all that is painful in the world, it is natural for us to want to turn away from things like the incomprehensibly cruel Oklahoma City bombing, the heartbreaking battle of wills in the Macah whale hunt controversy, the depletion of the Colorado River in pursuit of electricity, the decimation of the Salmon population, the Exxon oil spill, the 'species management' knee-jerk killing of wolves, and child witnesses to gang violence and murder. But healing is possible. There are people at work to repair and prevent the damage. It soothed my heart to read how, in the chapter Spill, she and her neighbors took action to stop a contractor from pouring excess paint into Puget Sound. In the chapter Great Blue, she found respectful solace with a great blue heron on the beach after learning of the Oklahoma bombing. There is a wonderful chapter called Animal Allies, about inner city children -- witnesses and victims of human brutality -- discovering the strength of their own souls with the help of spirit animals. A powerful section, entitled Common Ground, contains several chapters on the Macah whale hunt, from which I guarantee you will learn more facets to this story than you have in the mainstream media. It is clear that she spent many hours with people directly involved in the controversy, combining painstaking dedication with empathy and sensitivity towards all the participants -- a blessed accomplishment. I treasure this book.

I was lucky enough to take a course from Dr. Neely (Modern American Indians) at Northern Kentucky University and this was a required textbook. Her class was one of the most interesting I have taken as an anthropology major. Her detailed ethnograpy on the Snowbird Cherokees is a must for anyone interested in Cherokee Indians or Indians of the Southeastern United States. She spent several years living with the Snowbirds prior and after writing the book if I remember correctly. You really get a feel how life is like for the Snowbirds. I definately recommend this book!

This is more than a book about a remarkable community of people. It is an inspiring guideline for how to live.

My family has roots in the Snowbird community; Both of my grandparents on my father's side lived in the Snowbird area, as do many of my cousins to this day. My two aunts moved to the main Qualla rez, and my father left Snowbird for the Navy, and then college in 1956, and never moved back. Even so, there is no place on earth where I feel more at home than the Snowbird mountains.
I preface the review with these statements because when I read this book, I felt like I was "back home." Dr. Neely obviously cares a great deal about this community. Perhaps it makes her ethnology somewhat biased, but it certainly livens up this book! Her descriptions of the annual gospel singing event at Snowbird were on the mark, and her description of the constant factionalism among the Eastern Cherokee band is also (sadly) accurate.
The most useful thing about this book for someone who knows nothing else about the Cherokee is that it explains how the "harmony ethic" is still a part of the way Cherokees live, and how it has subtly changed the Cherokee way of practicing Christianity, and how we deal with modern political and economic life. It shows that it is possible to be "traditional", in a sense, while being fully engaged with the modern world. It also shows that Indians are not the cardboard cutouts so often seen in the movies, or in "New Age" explorations of native spirituality.
If you read this, back it up with Finger's broader histories of the Eastern band, Mooney's classic exploration of Cherokee mythology, and, if you take them with a grain of salt, the Garretts' "Cherokee medicine" series. Then, take a trip to Graham County, preferably around Memorial Day weekend when you can be a part of Snowbird's annual "Fading Voices" festival at Little Snowbird Church, stopping in Robbinsville to visit the Junaluska Burial Place. You'll be welcomed, but if you can't make it Snowbird, this book is the next best thing.

By the time chapter one is finished, the reader has the comforting sense that they have somehow become part of the Snowbird community. Chapter two, one of my personal favorites, defines a "real Indian." You just might be surprised at the definition Sharlotte uncovered and the source of some of the discrimination felt by the Snowbird population. If for no other reason, this book should be read for this chapter. Far too often, we are satisfied to settle for loose definitions penned by someone without the slightest notion of understanding and the result is invariably and simply wrong. Sharlotte, though, has listened carefully to the voices of these fascinating people; she has let them define their existence within the parameters of their own culture. There is no finer type of understanding than the one which is born within the confines of the specific culture and this book humbly delivers a powerful punch of humanistic reality. Simply put, this work is an import! ant contribution to the very essence of cultural relativism and should not be missed.

If you are a fan of the Highlands and of Highland Regiments especially
in the America's this book is a must. Col McCulloch tells a great story with much detail, Language, uniforms, tactics et al. There is a companion work (a bit pricey I thought). Let me recommend a solution Osprey has published a book "Highlander in the French and Indian War" written by the same author an excellent book with superb art work and text. This is the ideal companion and the price is right. Have a great read.

On the way to Clan MacLeod Parliament in 1994, our family stopped in Taynuilt on Loch Etive to visit the home of Duncan Cambell. There, we heard the story of a vision of a raging battle seen in the light of the setting sun on July 8, 1758. It would be three months before the news arrived in Scotland that Campbell and hundreds of other Highland soldiers had died that day in the Battle of Carillon on the southern frontier of New France. Next year, on July 8, 2008, Fort Ticonderoga will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the battle that earned honors and royal standing for the Black Watch Regiment (42nd Highlanders) even though the victory went to the French.

The Battle of Carillon marked the midpoint of the Seven Years' War in North America, a much-neglected chapter in our American history. Ian McCulloch does not tell the history of that war. Instead, he elucidates the reality of it by concentrating on the experiences of three Highland regiments as they unfolded in North America. From parading of the 42nd Foot on Glasgow green in 1756 through the sieges of wilderness outposts with strange names (Ontario, 1756, William Henry, 1757, Louisbourg, 1757 & 58, Ticonderoga, 1758 & 59) to the unlikely rout on the Plains of Abraham, Col. McCulloch weaves the soldiers' own words into a compelling narrative.

Writing in a lively, accessible style that made him popular among readers of The Beaver years ago, Col. McCulloch devotes a chapter to each year of the war, allowing the separate regimental sagas to come together and separate as the action took them. He brings to his story the perspective of a career army officer, weaving a grasp of military tactics and supply challenges together with personal experience of the terrain. He has "walked the ground" where each of these events unfolded.

This is a story that encompasses our shared history as Scots, Canadians and Americans. It is essential reading for anyone interested in walking sacred ground, whether that be the Plains of Abraham or the Heights of Carillon. In the introduction, William MacPherson of Cluny, Chief of Clan MacPherson, expresses his new appreciation for "how my forebear and his fellow Highlanders must have felt and lived and fought" in this far-away place. Genealogists and military historians will thrill to the comprehensive list of soldiers' biographies assembled in the second volume. But most people will respond as my father (Roderick Kingman Macleod) did when I gave him this book for his birthday. He carried it everywhere with him in order not to lose a moment's opportunity to immerse himself in the compelling story of the Highlanders' experience of war in the American wilderness.

In Sons of the Mountains, Lieutenant Colonel Ian M. McCulloch - an officer in the Canadian Army and practiced historian - provides an excellent account of the role of the three Scottish Highland regiments in the French and Indian War (156-1763). The author uses a combination of official dispatches, contemporary letters and diaries, scholarly sources and good common sense to paint a very detailed mosaic of the critical role played by these Scottish soldiers in a conflict that ultimately built the British Empire for the next century. This is a solid, well-written and well-researched military history.

Sons of the Mountains, Volume 1, consists of 17 chapters, that chronologically follows the formation, deployment and operations of the 42nd Foot `Black Watch,' 77th Foot `Montgomery's,' and 78th Foot `Fraser's' in both America and Canada. The level of military detail and the research that went into this volume is impressive - far beyond a mere regimental history. Rather, this volume is almost an operational-level history, but viewed through the tactical lens of three very elite regiments. The author's feel for this subject is crucial in delivering the importance of the role of these units, particularly in outlining the history behind the Highlanders after the defeat at Culloden in 1745. Forbidden to wear their kilts in Scotland, the proud Scottish Highlanders could only wear their clan regalia while serving in the British Army. Thus the irony, that the Highlanders were willing to serve in the ranks of their former foes, adds a level of interest and uniqueness to this narrative.

Volume 1 revolves around five critical battles or campaigns: Louisburg 1758, Ticonderoga 1758, Fort Duquesne 1758, Quebec 1759-60 against the French and Bushy Run 1763 against the Indians. Each action is well supported by detailed tactical maps that depict both terrain and unit movements. Unlike some other recent books on the French and Indian War, like Fred Anderson's Crucible of War, the maps in Sons of the Mountains are actually legible and useful for describing a military action. Indeed, the greatest value in this series - in addition to providing a great glimpse into the personal experiences of Highland soldiers at war - is in adding a level of military detail that has been sorely lacking from the standard histories of the French and Indian War.

I recommend this book for serious and casual historians alike.Col.McCulloh gives a correct and factual account on the "Battle of Grant's Hill." I highly recommend this book.

The beautiful thing about this book (other than the title), is each little proverb is very short and easy to read. Each message is simply stated and followed by the name of the Native American nation it came from. I found it to be warm, visual and thought provoking in its emphasis of high values, spirituality and natural connections. This is a true gem that should be shared with all family members and friends.

Wonderful for Calligraphers because the sentences are short ones. Great inspirational quotes to pen!

This book contains the wisdom of many Native American tribes. Through these reading we find meaning to some of lifes mysteries.

A thoughtful collection of Native American proverbs that gives pause to consider the meanings of life and important values. We can learn much from these old proverbs. It is interesting how some of them have similar counterparts in other cultures and ethnic groups, including the white man's! For example, "It takes a whole village to raise a child." Where have we heard this recently? Where did it actually originate? Who knows, but there is a similar Native American proverb in this interesting book. Each has the tribe of origin listed below it. A wonderful springboard for discussion and thought, and basis for research on the Internet on Native Americans. Use selected proverbs in my teaching.

I am in a Prana Yoga Teacher program that incorporates chanting with asana practice.

Before listening to Johari's CD, I was very sheepish about pronouncing the bija mantras. However, I was able to import the CD into mp3 format and have listened to the instructions and meditations over time.

Now I feel that I can completely connect with the vibratory power of the mantras and understand the legacy of the sanskrit alphabet as contained in the sounds of the chakras and their petals.

I strongly recommend this CD.

I'm a meditation teacher with a background in shakti-kundalini yoga. While my primary area of interest is integral psychology, I am well versed in various traditions and did some some study in the kundalini yoga with Olga Louchakova M.D., Ph.D. who is Director of the shakti-kundalini association and a researcher in this area.

In this CD, Harish Johari demonstrates the correct pronunciation of the mantra that goes along with each chakra and each petal of each chakra. These are introduced systematically starting with the root chakra and working upwards.

This is a good CD to accompany Johari's very comprehensive Chakras: Energy Centers of Transformation. This will tell you as much as you want to know about any chakra, detailed information about yantras (mandalas used for chakra meditation) and tranformation practices. For Westerner's who would like a less detailed and more accessible introduction to working with chakras try Kundalini Awakening: A Gentle Guide to Chakra Activation and Spiritual Growth.

Harish Johari is widely respected and his written works are detailed and quite comprehensive. This CD is very good, although his voice wasn't recorded as clearly as I would have liked. This is the only reason why I gave this product a four rather than a five. It's not terrible, it just isn't completely up to modern standards and some of this may have to do with his voice itself. I think it would have been helpful to have at least two different people pronounce each of these sounds, perhaps a man and a woman for even more clarity.

This cd is perfect for anyone who understands the chakras and is familiar with meditation. Respect it as a set of vocal tuning forks. It will greatly improve the effect of a chant meditation for the chakras. Reiki practioners may find this cd a compliment to their energy work.

Harish Johari teachers us how to correctly pronounce the beeja mantras (harmonising seed sounds) of every major Chakra in our mind/body. This goes well with his accompanying Chakra book.

Very few realise how important it is to pronounce the sankrit sounds correctly when meditating and reciting mantras. This audio tape will be a great help for people who are struggling with pronunciations given in books.

Recommended for anyone who plans to meditate on the Chakras through beeja mantras (harmonising seed sounds) and improve their well being.

Dexter Cirillo's first book on Native American Indian Jewelry is a must for any collector. Includes many photographs of jewelry and artists, along with valuable information everyone can use to purchase beautiful Native jewelry.

I wanted this book for some time. I must say, I love it and don't know why I did not buy it sooner. An all time favorite of mine for sure.

As a collector of Indian art, jewelery, pottery and rugs, I had the wonderful good fortune to know and consider the Hopi Master jeweler Charles Loloma my friend.

Finding a book on American Indian jewelery was almost impossible to come by until this great book by Dexter came out in 1992. The artists, their work in magnificent color will move anyone to want to own some of this jewelry.

From it's beginings late in the 19th century jewelery was the Indian method of carrying their wealth around in the form of necklaces, braclets etc, Indian jewery was mainly of two schools. Most prominent was the Navajo and the other Zuni.

Then in the mid 1960's came a Hopi indian Charles Loloma. He was the Picasso that was going to revolutionize American Indian jewelery and he did. This book is a testament to Charlie's followers who now produce jewlery that is both modern and magnificant. Buy the book then go out to an Indian Art shop anywhere in CA, AZ, NM or even NJ and you will not be able to resist owning someting.

Hi I bouhgt Southwestern Indian Jewelry and it arrived with no plastic wrap and the jacket was damaged. Please let me know how to go about exchanging it for another in perfect condition. I am a collector and condition is important. Thank You, Joe Garcia.

Once again Dexter Cirillo has created an outstanding book on Native American Indian Jewelry. The jewelry throughout is photographed beautifully and includes pieces from established, as well as up and coming Native artists. This book is a definite must for any collector of Native jewelry.

This wonderful "sequel" to the earlier Cirillo book is even more comprehensive and the photographs are excellent...a "must have" for serious collectors and fans of silver from the American Southwest!

Many years ago, too many to mention, during visits to the national parks in the West, I purchased beautifully hand-crafted "pawn" Indian jewelry. Although, thankfully, "pawn" is no longer sold in our parks, I still treasure and wear what I own. So, you can imagine my surprise when I picked up Dexter Cirillo's wonderful and authoritative book on the new Southwestern jewelry being created by today's Indian artists - pieces totally different but none-the-less as creative, unique and expressive as mine. However, this is much more than a picture book. Although the photography is dazzling and certainly moves you easily through the book, it's the text that continues to hold my interest. The stories, anecdotes and explanations make me feel like I know these artists intimately and can relate to the historical references just as they have. My favorite piece? An equisite necklace, which has nine four-sided reversible beads inlaid with 36 distinct bird designs created by Jake H. Livingston. And, the delighful inlaid holiday turkey pin made by M. Dale Edaakie - I love it. As I continue to read about these 85 artists, I am already planning a trip to the Southwest and will use as my guide the jewelry and Indian market sources provided by Cirillo in the back of the book. While, arguably, I may not find many of the jewelry pieces pictured in the book affordable for the budget-conscious consumer, this book "Southwestern Indian Jewelry, Crafting New Traditions" is a bargain for anyone interested in the Southwest, Indian artists and their crafts, history of the New West, fashion, jewelry, stones and gems, and, just a good read. Congratulations to Cirillo and Doty for a fine and scholarly work.

This, her latest book on Southwestern Indian Jewelry by Dexter Cirillo, is a well written, finely illustrated and impressive volume that I would recommend to anyone interested in this beautiful art form. However, while the list of artists featured in the book is long and contain most of the big names in contemporary Native American jewelry, there is at least one glaring omission. It is inconceivable to me that any serious author on this subject would fail to include Ervin P. Tsosie who, in my and most collectors opinion, is without an equal in the art of mosaic inlays today. This omission, deliberate or not, is a blemish on an otherwise excellent book. Omissions, sadly, also marred her great first book, published in 1992, failing as it did to include two of the giants in early Southwestern Indian jewelry, Leo Poblano and Lambert Homer.Southwestern Indian Jewelry: Crafting New Traditions

Firmly entrenched in the perpetual present, the Achuar of the Ecuadorian Amazon reveal the complexities of a subsistence-level culture built on strong individualism, codified indirectness, and stringently-channeled passion.

I hold this book with high regard. It's a rare ethnographic accounting of an indigenous society in the upper Amazon, as per the mid 1970s. The empathy Descola brings to these people is exemplary, and one soon senses a writer of rare discretion and self-reflexive capacity. The details of these lives are vividly told in prose that never gets burdened by their daily occurence. The book 'breathes' and Descola's place in these encounters is evinced sufficiently to give the sense of trust that must have existed during the experience. The indigenous world view is absolutely fascinating and reminded me of indigenous views I've encountered in Central Australia(and about which I'd recommend Michael Jackson's,'At Home In The World'for anyone who savours the poetics of the telling). The material on shamans, on valour, on retributive killing, on dreaming, or the spirit world have the very depth and veracity that Casteneda's Don Juan books, purporting to be reports of similar zones of experience during the same decade, lack. Levi Strauss may have inspired his pupil, Descola. Descola repays Levi Strauss, his subjects and the reader in raising the benchmark and restoring the reputation of anthropology.

Descola's sojourn in the Upper Amazon jungles reminds us of a sad truth: how much of our neighbours on this planet do we know or understand? Descola readily admits how poorly prepared he was for the study of the Achuar. Yet he was quickly disabused of any idea that this group of the "Jivaro" constituted a "simple native" community. His account shows the complexity of life they endure. Family relationships entwine political situations and Achuar society is sustained by a fine balance among many forces. Not the least of these are the roles played by every plant and animal in the surrounding forest. Each Achuar individual carries immense knowledge of his or her surroundings and performs daily activities within carefully prescribed limits. Living in an Ecuadorian forest is no more complex than dwelling in a "civilized" city in Descola's view. It's simply a matter of learning how.

Descola quickly settled in as guest of a family - unravelling the roots of interaction among its members took longer. Men's and women's lives follow preset roles, however the balance of power between genders, he shows us, must be constantly adjusted to changing circumstances. Marriages and separations are frequent, sometimes leading to long-standing vendettas, complicated by the relationships of the participants which are as twisted as the forest vines. Vendetta, it seems, is far more consequential in the lives of the Achuar than long-term traditions. The stereotypical "tradition bound" native is nonexistent here. Family and personal relationships also preclude the development of our familiar hierarchical society. No community leaders rise to particular prominence since family status has priority. These conditions, Descola points out, obviate the existence of political hierarchies, so dear to Western society.

Life among the Achuar is filled with rituals, from the morning cup of "wayus" through various rites of passage to, possibly, the achievement of "juunt," or "Great Man" status. Anthropology is rife with tales of powerful shamans who guide the behaviour of awed villagers. Descolas sweeps away this image, noting that shamans among the Achuar may be exiled or deposed, perhaps even killed if their powers prove futile, misleading or faulty. To be effective, the juunt must prove his abilities as a healer - a sorcerer will be rejected. Although the position of juunt takes years of effort to achieve, the role may be lost overnight. On the other hand, they are resourceful and caring - they make house calls. Sometimes at great distance, leading them to temporarily profess conversion to Christianity long enough to hitch a ride on the missionary's aircraft to the patient.

Descola's narrative is nearly a daily journal of his own learning and efforts. Although his wife Anne Christine accompanied him, she flits but wraith-like through these pages, nearly obscured by Descola's own revelations. Yet it's clear she provided information on the women's lives that might have endangered Descola had he attempted to garner it. Given the intricate structure of Achuar life, Descola may be forgiven this omission of detail.

Janet Lloyd's translation isn't lively, but the events and ideas Descola relates keep the reader's interest throughout the book. He manages to both dismiss faulty myths about South American peoples and impart a wealth of new information. Dreams, for example, considered random in the West, may actually be "created" among the Achuar depending on circumstances and needs. Dreams drive behaviour and vice versa. Descola sees Achuar dreaming as an extension of conscious thought - an assertion deserving intense study. This is but one example of what keeps this book interesting and valuable.

i don't usually read nonfiction, primarily because the writing styles do not appeal to me (dry, dry, dry). but this book is wonderfully written; descola made a conscious decision to write well and wittily and he succeeds. if you love traveling to unfamiliar worlds and are fascinated by different cultures, this book will capture your imagination and stay with you for years to come.

I read this book several years ago and recently gave it a reread and it continued to impress me. Both entertaining and enlightening, it was the kind of book that had me interested in and researching topics that I previously had little interest in. My recent travels to the southwest prompted me to return to Spirit Messenger, and it did not disappoint.

This book has a unique blend of genres. Culturally enlightening, contemporary suspense-mystery, and sci-fi all rolled into one. I've never read anything quite like it.

It is a culturally enlightening book that starts out by giving us a glimpse of the legends of the ancient Anasazi Indians. Throughout the rest of the book, the author introduces us to many more of the customs and legends of the present day Navaho, all of which are many centuries old. Author D. Charles Evano cleverly weaves these Anasazi and Navaho beliefs into the threads of the plot.

As the story unfolds, the book takes on the stature of a typical contemporary suspense-mystery as the characters play out their roles in settings that we are all familiar with. The intrigue gradually grows and we find ourselves wondering who could be the real culprit(s) behind all these hostilities, and for what. Little by little we find that the curious objects that seem to be the focal point of all the malicious activities are more than what they first seemed to be.

And finally, we realize that this book we have been reading all along is actually a sci-fi story. In the grand finale, the pieces all fall into place and the Anasazi/Navaho legends tie in together with the contemporary characters, objects and events to reveal the true sci-fi nature of this story.

If you like sci-fi and suspense-mysteries, and have even a little interest in Native American beliefs, I definitely recommend reading Spirit Messenger.

I read a lot of science fiction fantasy, this book is one of the most intriguing I've ever read. I guess it's because in some ways, although it stretches the imagination, some of it is very plausible. The author mixes fantasy and reality so well, it makes the scenario almost believeable. And I love his enigmatic characters, quirky enough to be real people. There's an undercurrent of Native American spirituality, set in a location that lends itself to an eerie, otherworldlyness, that causes your spine to tingle. It's definitely a must read, if you like this kind of fiction! I give it two thumbs up!! It would make a great movie.

A marvelous, enlightening, surreal adventure! I loved it. It is an attention grabber, and you're never quite sure, until the very end, who the real villian is. It is an escape from reality, and yet thought provoking as well. I can't wait for this author's next novel. If it's anything like this one, it's bound to be a best seller.

I loved this book. The characters are awesome. This story would make a great movie. Mr. Smith, if you are reading this, I am really hoping for a sequel!!

I took the recommendations of the other reviews & read this book. It was definitely worth every penny with the fascinating characters & descriptions. Thank you for the good advice.

"Spirit Rider" was captivating from the get-go. From life in an Indian village to early growth of Denver City, the characters, descriptions and images just jumped off the pages. I enjoyed this book very much.

Spirit Rider really hits home with haunted characters where the past never quite lets go, combined with the drive to dig out a personal destiny. The reader will be struck with the wondrous spirituality of the Oglala Sioux who raised the hero. You can't leave this book without being changed.