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It Has Been So Long
1 year ago
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Bitten BY books Naughty days of Christmas ends tomorrow but here is savannah Chase's link
http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=2967
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
New review
Title: Message Stick
Author: Laine Cunningham
Publisher: Sun Dogs Creations
Copyright: 2008
ISBN 10: 0-9822399-0-4
ISBN 13: 978-0-9822399-0-2
Pages: 273
Rating: 4 leaves.
Growing up, learning about yourself, Accepting yourself and everything that makes you you is usually achieved by teens and young adults. Coming of age in every culture is usually recognized by some sign specific to that culture. In some cultures there is a ritual recognizing the child's entrance into adulthood. One such culture is the Australian Aborigines. At this time the young have learned the basics of their culture and during the ritual learn the secrets of their gender. A child becomes an adult and has the skills that are traditional.
In Australia there is a whole generation of biracial Aborigines who are called the Stolen Generation by those Aborigines still living the traditional life in the outback. The government had a policy of removing biracial children from the Aborigine families and clans, placing them in orphanages, foster homes and for a rare few adoption. These children are very visibly different from the people around them in the cities on the coast. They face the choice of completely turning their backs on anything Aborigine and embracing the White culture or rebelling and returning to their roots as soon as they are old enough.
Message Stick by Laine Cunningham is a story that explores both these ideas from the viewpoint of one of the Stolen Generation who chose the White culture route. In this story we see the progression of Gabe from a city boy who fully embraces the White culture and remembers nothing of the Aborigine culture and has little interest in knowing. He is forced to face his Aborigine roots when his friend sends him a message stick before disappearing in the Outback. He doesn't understand why he is sent the message stick and sets out to find his friend for both himself and his friend's parents. Both reasons set him on a path to learn Aborigine Culture, come of age, learning his true self and a unknowing conflict with a person stealing and selling the important Aborigine objects like the message stick he has been sold.
Gabe's growth is shown in an expert fashion. We have a clear view of his change from the person his upbringing has made him to a man who has learned many of the skills taught to the young and who is changing and growing. He is shocked when he is told the young man he has been traveling with is considered his father because that is the name given to one who teaches. He is nearing middle age and the man named as father is in his early twenties. I have never read a book that showed such growth and change in a character done so skillfully. I saw no places where the changes were handled in an unrealistic manner or didn't stay on a consistent timeline.
This story is not the most exciting story I have ever read but it is handle so skillfully that I found myself pulled in and ended up reading the book in one sitting. I wanted to see what happened to Gabe next, what he learned , how he changed. There was conflict, involving the stolen artifacts and his friend's disappearance, but this this was not the major part of the story in spite of the relationship with why Gabe is involved in this whole situation. I enjoyed reading this story and was impressed by the handling of the whole theme.
Message Stick is clearly literature as opposed to plain fiction but it is one of the most enjoyable pieces of literature I have ever read. I can see it as a book used in college course within the next few years. This is a definite read.
I give it 4 leaves.
Author: Laine Cunningham
Publisher: Sun Dogs Creations
Copyright: 2008
ISBN 10: 0-9822399-0-4
ISBN 13: 978-0-9822399-0-2
Pages: 273
Rating: 4 leaves.
Growing up, learning about yourself, Accepting yourself and everything that makes you you is usually achieved by teens and young adults. Coming of age in every culture is usually recognized by some sign specific to that culture. In some cultures there is a ritual recognizing the child's entrance into adulthood. One such culture is the Australian Aborigines. At this time the young have learned the basics of their culture and during the ritual learn the secrets of their gender. A child becomes an adult and has the skills that are traditional.
In Australia there is a whole generation of biracial Aborigines who are called the Stolen Generation by those Aborigines still living the traditional life in the outback. The government had a policy of removing biracial children from the Aborigine families and clans, placing them in orphanages, foster homes and for a rare few adoption. These children are very visibly different from the people around them in the cities on the coast. They face the choice of completely turning their backs on anything Aborigine and embracing the White culture or rebelling and returning to their roots as soon as they are old enough.
Message Stick by Laine Cunningham is a story that explores both these ideas from the viewpoint of one of the Stolen Generation who chose the White culture route. In this story we see the progression of Gabe from a city boy who fully embraces the White culture and remembers nothing of the Aborigine culture and has little interest in knowing. He is forced to face his Aborigine roots when his friend sends him a message stick before disappearing in the Outback. He doesn't understand why he is sent the message stick and sets out to find his friend for both himself and his friend's parents. Both reasons set him on a path to learn Aborigine Culture, come of age, learning his true self and a unknowing conflict with a person stealing and selling the important Aborigine objects like the message stick he has been sold.
Gabe's growth is shown in an expert fashion. We have a clear view of his change from the person his upbringing has made him to a man who has learned many of the skills taught to the young and who is changing and growing. He is shocked when he is told the young man he has been traveling with is considered his father because that is the name given to one who teaches. He is nearing middle age and the man named as father is in his early twenties. I have never read a book that showed such growth and change in a character done so skillfully. I saw no places where the changes were handled in an unrealistic manner or didn't stay on a consistent timeline.
This story is not the most exciting story I have ever read but it is handle so skillfully that I found myself pulled in and ended up reading the book in one sitting. I wanted to see what happened to Gabe next, what he learned , how he changed. There was conflict, involving the stolen artifacts and his friend's disappearance, but this this was not the major part of the story in spite of the relationship with why Gabe is involved in this whole situation. I enjoyed reading this story and was impressed by the handling of the whole theme.
Message Stick is clearly literature as opposed to plain fiction but it is one of the most enjoyable pieces of literature I have ever read. I can see it as a book used in college course within the next few years. This is a definite read.
I give it 4 leaves.
Monday, December 1, 2008
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