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Green Grass, Running Water by [Thomas King]

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Thomas King

Green Grass, Running Water Kindle Edition

by Thomas King (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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Strong, sassy women and hard-luck, hard-headed men, all searching for the middle ground between Native American tradition and the modern world, perform an elaborate dance of approach and avoidance in this magical, rollicking tale by award-winning author Thomas King. Alberta, Eli, Lionel and others are coming to the Blackfoot reservation for the Sun Dance. There they will encounter four Indian elders and their companion, the trickster Coyote—and nothing in the small town of Blossom will be the same again. . . .

Print length

486 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Harper Perennial
Publication date

Oct. 30 2012
File size

810 KB
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Product description

From Publishers Weekly

Fresh, inventive, funny and intriguing, this latest novel from King ( Medicine River ) is an imaginative exploration of contemporary Native American culture. The plot revolves around the escape from a mental hospital of four very old Indians called Ishmael, Hawkeye, Robinson Crusoe and the Lone Ranger. These, however, are no ordinary natives. They may be the last survivors of the Indians interned at Fort Marion in Florida in the 19th century. Or perhaps they are the first human beings, as described in tribal creation myths. Their repeated breakouts--37 to date--have coincided with disasters: the 1929 stock market crash, the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, etc. Their mission this time brings them into the lives of an eccentric Canadian Blackfoot family: Lionel Red Dog, who sells TV sets and has no ambition; his sister Latisha, who owns a restaurant that bilks thrill-seeking tourists by purporting to serve them dog meat; Uncle Eli Stands Alone, a former university professor who is determined to prevent the operation of a dam on Indian land; and Charlie Looking Bear, a smarmy lawyer who works for the company opposing Eli's cause. Wavering emotionally between Lionel and Charlie is Alberta Frank, who dates both of them and wants a baby but knows that neither man is husband material. King, a professor of Native American studies at the University of Minnesota, skillfully interweaves Native American and EuroAmerican literatures, exploring the truths of each. He mixes satire, myth and magic into a complex story line that moves smartly from Canada to Wounded Knee to Hollywood, and to a place beyond time where God and the native trickster, Coyote, converse. With this clever, vastly entertaining novel, he establishes himself firmly as one of the first rank of contemporary Native American writers--and as a gifted storyteller of universal relevance. Author tour. (Mar.) .
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

About the Author

Thomas King is an award-winning novelist, scriptwriter, and performer, whose books include the critically acclaimed A Short History of Indians in Canada and Green Grass, Running Water. Graham Greene first attracted international attention in the film Dancing with Wolves and makes regular appearances in movies and on television. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Back Cover

When four Native elders escape from a mental hospital and set out to fix the world, they get no further than Blossom, Alberta, home of the Dead Dog Café. Along the way, they meet Alberta, who would like to trade her two boyfriends for a baby; Lionel, who sells televisions for a patronizing boss; and Eli, whose log cabin stands in the way of a dam. In this magical, rollicking tale, the elders and their companion, the trickster Coyote, unleash a flood of stories. Blossom will never be the same. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Inside Flap

When four Native elders escape from a mental hospital and set out to fix the world, they get no further than Blossom, Alberta, home of the Dead Dog Café. Along the way, they meet Alberta, who would like to trade her two boyfriends for a baby; Lionel, who sells televisions for a patronizing boss; and Eli, whose log cabin stands in the way of a dam. In this magical, rollicking tale, the elders and their companion, the trickster Coyote, unleash a flood of stories. Blossom will never be the same. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

“King has established himself as a first-rate comic novelist. At his best, he is as savagely and darkly funny as Twain...King has produced a novel that defies all our expectations about what Native American fiction should be. It is a first-class work of art.”—Newsweek

“King confirms his place as the best American Indian novelist to emerge since Louise Erdrich…King’s playfulness makes the story jump off the page.”—San Jose Mercury News

“At once plainspoken and poetic, King is equally at home with his vivid, often comic characters and with the vibrant natural world in which their dramas are played out.”–People
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From Library Journal

King's auspicious debut novel, Medicine River ( LJ 8/90), garnered critical acclaim and popular success (including being transformed into a TV movie). This encore, a genially wild tale with a serious heart, confirms the author's prowess. It involves the creation of a creation story, the mission of four ancient Indians, and the comparatively realistic doings of 40-year-old-adolescent Lionel Red Dog, unfazable cleaning woman Babo, and various memorable Blackfoot and others in scenic Alberta. Clever verbal motifs not only connect the stories but add fun visual themes, including missing cars and a ubiquitous Western movie. In the end, everyone is thrown together by an earthquake at white human-made Parliament Lake, compliments of the four old Indians and the loopy trickster Coyote. Smart and entertaining, this novel deserves a big audience. Essential for public libraries.
- Janet Ingraham, Worthington P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From Kirkus Reviews

Following his successful debut novel Medicine River (1990), part-Cherokee author King (Native American Studies/Univ. of Minnesota) returns with a lively, engagingly loopy tale of modern Indians in Canada who are struggling to find their identity while still fighting white oppression. Lionel Red Dog is a disaffected Blackfoot on the eve of his 40th birthday; he sells televisions in a rural part of southern Alberta, but tells himself that one day he'll go back to college to get his Ph.D. like his uncle Eli. Meanwhile, his relationship with his girlfriend Alberta lacks certainty also, since he has to share her with his lawyer cousin Charlie, but she resists the mere mention of marriage, preferring to have a child by artificial insemination than be saddled with any man. Things begin to change on that fateful day, however, when Lionel and his aunt stop to pick up four ancient Indian hitchhikers who take an avid interest in him. As all paths converge on the reservation in time for Sun Dance, Lionel is brought back to his tribal roots by family and the powers-that-be, becoming a protector of the sacred ceremony, while Uncle Eli finally wins his one-man stand against the corporation that built a massive dam just upriver from his mother's log cabin- -with a little help from trickster Coyote, whose dancing summons an earthquake. Combining traditional storytelling methods, a multitude of Native voices, and a tireless, subtle wit that culminates in an elaborate joke honoring the Columbus Quincentennial, the result is both comic and disturbingly accurate in its depiction of Indian realities today. Eloquent and outrageous: a richly rewarding saga from a first- rate talent. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008LUYSWW
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial (Oct. 30 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 810 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 486 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #126,298 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #389 in Native Canadian Literature
- #3,617 in Literary Fiction eBooks
- #11,998 in Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.2 270 ratings

About the author

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Thomas King

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Thomas King is an award-winning novelist, short story writer, scriptwriter, and photographer. His many books include the novels Medicine River; Green Grass, Running Water; Truth and Bright Water; two short story collections, One Good Story, That One (Minnesota, 2013) and A Short History of Indians in Canada (Minnesota, 2013); nonfiction, The Truth About Stories (Minnesota, 2005); and the children's books A Coyote Columbus Story, Coyote Sings to the Moon, Coyote's New Suit, and A Coyote Solstice Tale. King edited the literary anthology All My Relations and wrote and starred in the popular CBC radio series, The Dead Dog Café. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award (2003), and was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2004. He has taught Native literature and history and creative writing at the University of Lethbridge, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Guelph and is now retired and lives in Guelph, Ontario.

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

270 global ratings

5 star		53%
4 star		25%
3 star		13%
2 star		5%
1 star		4%

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Top reviews from Canada

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Ariane

Excellent writing

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on March 12, 2022

Verified Purchase

Wanted to re-read my first Thomas King novel. A reminder of the beginnings in his inimitable satirical humour! Always a good read.

One person found this helpful

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Robert Cox

Thomas King - The educated, erudite "Indian"

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 31, 2013

Verified Purchase

Green Grass Running water is Thomas King's best book. It might be a classic. It sheds light on Original Peoples in sometimes funny, sometimes sad vignettes. Indians in Hollywood Westerns. Sometimes a little pitiful, the book crawls around in a few dark places with a humorous take on the plight of North American Original Peoples. Using a quartet of American movie and TV characters, King has them appear in various stories, sort of like super-heroes. A happy, sad part is a character getting bit parts in Hollywood wearing a nose to suit his parts. Not to be missed. I waited a long time to read this book - originally published in 1993 and still pure and poignant. There is a burgeoning demand for stories and books about Original Peoples - Green Grass Running Water was a harbinger. Let us hope that interest in Original Peoples' literature will bring about positive change in a community that has struggled for many years. Support Original Peoples. Read the literature that explains the situation. RC

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Beautiful. Powerful. Educational.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on December 15, 2017

Verified Purchase

Green Grass Running Water is a beautiful, lyrical tale that incorporates Native Canadian mythology into a modern story. I read it in a Canadian literature class during my undergraduate degree and it was by far my favourite book. It is engaging, funny, and easy to read. It also, importantly, provides insight into the past and present culture of a marginalised people who have been systemically pushed out of society since Canada was first "discovered." We owe it to the First Peoples of Canada to learn some of their histories, and this is a fantastic way of doing so. Please, purchase; you won't be disappointed.

7 people found this helpful

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Helga

Wonderful

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 26, 2021

Verified Purchase

Wonderful and poetic book.

One person found this helpful

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Steven Boyle

A1

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 25, 2021

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As described and on time. A1!

One person found this helpful

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Someone

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on December 24, 2015

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King again has raised some serious thought provoking issues in an entertaining and provocative fashion. The recipe substitutions were very funny. The emphasis on family and the strength of the women was critical to understanding this story. This was again, time well spent!

4 people found this helpful

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Theresa Wyatt

Four Stars

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on March 7, 2018

Verified Purchase

all good!

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on June 22, 2015

Verified Purchase

Book was in as said condition. Very pleased
Took right to the last designated day to arrive. Was getting anxious.

Helpful

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Ingrid Millinger

sehr einfühlsam

Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on April 7, 2014

Verified Purchase

Die Welt nach einem Krieg - aus der Sicht eines Teilnehmenden - Traumatische Erlebnisse - und wenig Hilfe von denen die den Krieg angezettelt haben! Eine Indianergeschichte....

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Bilagaana

TRÈS BON !

Reviewed in France 🇫🇷 on May 22, 2015

Verified Purchase

Je ne connaissais pas cet auteur, j'ai acheté ce livre après avoir lu un article qui en parlait et je ne le regrette pas. Je n'ai qu'une envie, c'est en lire d'autres. C'est plein d'humour et de références à la culture amérindienne que j'ai beaucoup appréciés .

One person found this helpful

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momcat

Approche unique

Reviewed in France 🇫🇷 on June 19, 2019

Verified Purchase

Très heureuse de découvrir cet auteur à travert ce livre. Il y a de l'humour et son approche est unique.

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Amazon Customer

I have lived with Native people and this author isn't one of them

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 25, 2020

Verified Purchase

The writing is awful and this author is a college professor , not an Indian. The book is total nonsense and I couldn't finish it. I didn't want to waste any more of my time. If you want to read books by and Indian about real Indians, read anything by Richard Wagamese.

3 people found this helpful

jimsecor

The manner in which King interwove the stories so that everything dovetailed is brilliant.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 2, 2017

Verified Purchase

Absolutely stunning writing, moving through different tale tellers and approaches to a similar problem. Old Indians, supposedly reappearing multiple times down through history but considered insane. Nutty characters, thoughtless characters, characters caught up in the status quo-ness of life. The humor of Indians (Blackfoot); the encumbering idiocy of government programs for progress that are nothing of the kind. Reconsiderations of classics. Very difficult it was to leave this book and go about the necessities of life. The manner in which King interwove the stories so that everything dovetailed is brilliant.

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Follow the Author

Green Grass, Running Water Kindle Edition

Product description

From Publishers Weekly

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Product details

About the author

Thomas King

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