Reading Native American Women

It seems to me that being an American Indian woman makes one a feminist. That is, if a commitment to strength, both of body and spirit, to self-reliance, and to a sense of identity outside the male world (albeit always within one's Indian community) makes one a feminist-and I think it does-then Indian woman and feminist are synonyms. Reading Native American Women is a collection that powerfully makes my point. Kudos to Ines Hernandez-Avila and the women who speak with as strong a voice as ever. -- Paula Gunn Allen, Professor Emerita, University of California, Los Angeles, and author of Pocahontas, Medicine Woman, Spy, Interpreter, Diplomat Ines Hernandez-Avila brings together an amazing group of Native women intellectuals who give voice to the varied expressions of Native women's lives. These scholars, writers, and artists offer personal histories, deep reflection, and scholarly research on the political struggles of Native women throughout the Americas. The juxtaposition of different forms of expression provides an embodied, intellectual experience that is both painful and inspirational. -- Michelene E. Pesantubbee, University of Iowa This is an excellent anthology: it is well conceived, imaginatively combines creative work with critical analysis, and contains a number of powerful Native women's voices. While there are many anthologies devoted to the creative work of American Indian women, there are few that feature critical work. The individual essays are all very strong, offering a wide range of perspectives, issues and cultural traditions. Reading Native American Women will fill a long-standing gap, and its critical essays as well as its poetry, memoir and fiction will provide an invaluable resource for those seeking responsible and insightful knowledge about Native women. -- Laura Donaldson, Cornell University