The Cold-and-Hunger Dance [Hardcover]

Diane Glancy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998

The Cold-and-Hunger Dance is an imaginative and honest account of Diane Glancy's journeys to and from the margins of memory, everyday life, and different cultural worlds that combine her Cherokee heritage and her Christian faith. Along the way, familiar images and concepts are juxtaposed to create a literary terrain that is both engaging and unsettling: the Bible and Black Elk Speaks converse; Glancy's dispute with a local bakery is played out as if on a world stage of warring nations; eggs and cultural identity implicate each other; and lost Native languages speak powerfully through their silences to modern Native writers. The creative twists and darting metaphoric excursions engendered by this journey provide an intimate glimpse into the process and problematics of language for modern Native authors.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Glancy (Pushing the Bear; The West Pole) admits to having "written because I was hungry for words." The reader here is served up little more than a gruel, or a mishmash of words striving for meaning. If, in fact, "many Native American writers say that our words are our most important possession," then one would think a writer of Cherokee descent would be more cautious with the possessions she shares with the world. While at times enlightening (as in "She-ro-ism") and entertaining ("Why Nations War"), the endless pontificating upon Jesus and the role of Christianity in her life makes this feel more like an inspirational book than a collection of essays. "I think I can say language exists because God exists" is, indeed, one of the oddest sentiments from a writer in recent memory. Yet the most bizarre passages are the retelling of a Ute myth in which Jesus Christ is the bringer of the Sun Dance to the Utes, and a comparison of Black Elk Speaks with the Bible. These are perhaps some of the most original instances of mining Christianity for whatever one desires, while subconsciously undermining the validity of Native religions. This is ultimately a strange and insipid tome from a writer who has done much better. Photos.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

"I am a marginal voice in several worlds," explains Glancy in this collection of essays and poems that interweave her mixed-blood Cherokee heritage with her strong Christian beliefs. Her writing, she emphasizes, provides the matrix that makes the disparate parts of her life one story. Through the work gathered here, the reader is allowed to examine the life of the "other" that Glancy (Flutie, LJ 3/1/98) has forged for herself as a writer. One senses the contradictions she feels when attending the ceremonies of native cultures other than her own and the inevitable ambiguities that result from having parents from different cultures. She also examines the commonalties between cultures, linking the common threads of Christianity and Plains Indian beliefs, for instance. But it is the importance of the written word and the act of writing that seems to define the author at this point in her life. A solid addition to American literature collections.?Mary B. Davis, Huntington Free Lib., Bronx,
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 109 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press; First Edition edition (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803221738
• ISBN-13: 978-0803221734
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,519,349 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Quite a Surprise, November 12, 2003

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This review is from: The Cold-and-Hunger Dance (Paperback)

Diane Glancy did a reading at my college (Abilene Christian University) two years ago, and I wasn't very impressed. Subsequently, I wasn't thrilled when this book was assigned to me during a course this semester. I put it off until the last minute. But then, I read it. And it blew me away. It's left me wondering who I was two years ago and trying to remember what I didn't like about her (I can't remember).

The Cole-And-Hunger Dance is a beautiful collection of essays, poems, narratives, and things that don't really fit into any category. Each page glistens with a gorgeous prose style, with the author's wit and compassion, and with her shocking and profound ideas. Glancy is capturing the essense of the journey of her life, her attempts to fit in a world when she is half Cherokee and half white. It captures her attempt to come to terms with her Christian faith and Cherokee heritage (which she does with profound insight). And above all, this book glistens with her love for the healing power of language. Her image of "Christ as spirit, as story" runs through the book and really encompasses it. The Cold-And-Hunger Dance is a powerful and beautiful book, particularly for those trying to find some hope and healing in a chaotic mess of a world.