Bowman's Store: A Journey to Myself [Paperback]

Joseph Bruchac (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 9, 2001

In this book, a consummate storyteller unfolds his most personal and poignant story: his own. Bowman’s Store traces the journey of writer Joseph “Sonny” Bruchac from a childhood filled with an abundance of both love and secrecy, to the dawning of his career as one of the best-known authors and storytellers of Native American history and lore. Compelling, lyrical, and deeply moving, Bruchac’s memoir tells how he came to fully understand, and eventually claim, his Abenaki heritage, despite his grandparents’ unspoken pact never to discuss Grandpa’s Indian blood. Through experiences both painful and hilarious, Sonny finds himself drawn to all things Indian long before he learns of his grandfather’s hidden Abenaki roots. Bowman’s Store beautifully weaves themes from Bruchac’s intimate knowledge of Native American cultures with vivid autobiographical scenes to create a touching story about self-discovery.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Bruchac (Eagle Song, 1997, etc.) tells of his life, with great compassion for those he loved and for the little boy he was, woven with Abenaki tales from his heritage. ``Sonny'' Bruchac lived with his grandparents in the Adirondack foothills of upstate New York, although his parents and younger sisters were not far away. In stories that spin out in the circular ripples of a pond, he chronicles his growing up, beginning each chapter with a First Peoples' story that illuminates what is to come. He was an undersized, bookish, lonely boy, but he was given extraordinary, sustaining love and wisdom from his grandparents. Readers see the furtive, unfolding truth about the grandfather's Abenaki heritage, a major family tragedy and terrible fear dealt with, the deep bonds with the landscape and wildlife. The writing soars, so well-crafted that readers might overlook that this is as much the story of the grandparents as it is Bruchac's own. Teenagers attempting to resolve their own family knots and tangles will find much here that is resonant, but Bruchac's triumph is in the emotional honesty and limpid strength of his working of the words. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Autobiography. 14+) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

His book conveys the true experience of folk tale and myth: stories shared within a context of community, empathy and personal interaction. -- The New York Times Book Review, Nina Jaffe --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Lee & Low Books (April 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584300272
• ISBN-13: 978-1584300274
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,026,959 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( B ) > Bruchac, Joseph
  • #89 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Biographies > Literary

More About the Author

Joseph Bruchac is a highly acclaimed Abenaki children's book author, poet, novelist and storyteller, as well as a scholar of Native American culture. Coauthor with Michael Caduto of the bestselling Keepers of the Earth series, Bruchac's poems, articles and stories have appeared in over 500 publications, from Akwesasne Notes and American Poetry Review to National Geographic and Parabola. He has authored more than 50 books for adults and children. For more information about Joseph, please visit his website www.josephbruchac.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A moving account of one man's recovery of his heritage., November 12, 1998

By 

Martha A. Bartter (Kirksville, Missouri) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bowman's Store: A Journey to Myself (Hardcover)

Joseph Bruchac lived through a childhood few would envy. His parents used him as a weapon in their own endless battle. However, he lived with his warm and loving grandparents, and this story retells his life with them. His grandfather, the "Bowman" who owned the store, claimed to be "French Canadian" to his Indian-hating neighbors. Forced to hide his heritage, Bowman still taught his grandson how to grow up strong and proud of himself and his achievements. Now that Bruchac has recovered his Indian heritage, and become a well-known writer and editor of Indian works, this biography shows both the power of that heritage, and the need contemporary Indians feel to recover it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Memories of a life and a lifetime, November 13, 2001

By 

Laura Doty (Manchester, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bowman's Store: A Journey to Myself (Hardcover)

Bruchac does a wonderful job of mixing Indian tales and legends with the stories of his life. I found myself asking questions about events in one chapter, only to have them answered in a later chapter. Bruchac gives you enough detail to put you in the story, but doesn't inundate you with it. I hope someday to attend a storytelling festival where he is featured. His ease with the language and his experiences in life make Bruchac a fabulous storyteller. Thank you for sharing your memories and those of a great people.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating, November 17, 2008

By 

Sallie Bailey "Printmaker" (Fayetteville NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bowman's Store: A Journey to Myself (Paperback)

Bruchac's autobiography holds the reader's interest to the end. It's a well told story that could be read and enjoyed by young adults, as well as their parents.

'Bowman's Store' resonated with me because of my own history. I was told that my great-grandmother was French Canadian. I never saw a photograph of her - or even knew one existed - until a cousin showed me a picture from one of her own family albums. There is no mistaking the ethnic background of the woman with the intricately beaded collar and sober mien; no doubt about that of the unknown child at her side. This discovery came long after my mother's death. There was no one left to whom I could address my many questions - no answers to be had.

The silence seems impenetrable. What were my great-grandmother's origins - and by extension - mine? I can't reach her. She's carefully hidden from view by the traditions of shame that were felt by later generations. The same kind of silence experienced by Joseph Bruchac.