In a Different Light: Growing Up in a Yupik Eskimo Village in Alaska [Hardcover]

Carolyn Meyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1996

The author of Eskimos: Growing Up in a Changing Culture describes the changes that have occurred among the Yup'ik Eskimos during an eighteen-year absence, focusing on the younger generation in an effort to demonstrate the traditional and cultural differences that developed during that time.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9?Meyer returns to the Yup'ik Eskimo village she wrote about in Eskimos (McElderry, 1977; o.p.). Much has changed in the interim as evidenced by this detailed, sometimes painfully honest account of a fictionalized locale with fictionalized people (loosely based on the village of Chefornak in Western Alaska) during a year, organized by seasons. The author is right on target, especially in relating the differences in how the Yup'ik and the "Gussuks," the whites, perceive their worlds and in capturing the tension between native and white cultures. The book points out Yup'ik values: strong family ties, respect for elders and for the land, and survival. At the same time, the narrative addresses such issues as substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and subsistence living (hunting, fishing, foraging) vs. a lifestyle based on the need for cash. Although this book focuses on one family, there is no single narrator and some sense of "character" is lost. Also, the black-and-white photos lack contrast and are often grainy. These weaknesses aside, In a Different Light should be required reading for native studies and for readers who seek to understand the challenge of being native in today's changing world. The book captures well the struggle of living in two worlds, blending values and traditions of the old ways with values of modern white culture.?Mollie Bynum, formerly at Chester Valley Elementary School, Anchorage, AK
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 6^-9. Meyer returns to Chaputnguak, Alaska, the fictionalized Yupik Eskimo village she first wrote about in Eskimos: Growing Up in a Changing Culture (1977), focusing on the next generation, Jim Koonuk's children, and how life in their remote village has changed in 18 years. The village has grown, there's a modern school, and satellite technology links them with the rest of the world, but as the elders have died so have many of the old skills. It is becoming increasingly difficult to subsist in the traditional Yupik manner. Meyer follows the Koonuk children for a full year as they move through the seasonal cycle of hunting and gathering and face the intrusion and demands of Western culture. She provides a vivid and thoughtful portrait of a culture in transition, but her anguish is evident when she reports on the social problems that plague the native population, particularly joblessness and alcoholism. With the current emphasis on multicultural education, Meyer's reexamination of the Yupik Eskimos will prove a valuable addition to school and public library collections. Chris Sherman

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry; 1st edition (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689801467
• ISBN-13: 978-0689801464
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,753,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My first book, MISS PATCH'S LEARN-TO-SEW BOOK, published more than forty years ago, was intended to teach young girls how to knot thread, make a neat stitch, and sew simple items. The main character of my next book, CLEOPATRA CONFESSES, coming in June 2011, is a far cry from the roundish, gray-haired lady with a needle in her hand and spectacles on her nose. Since the thrill of seeing that first book in print, I've written over fifty more books, non-fiction and novels (most recently, historical fiction). In the process I've learned more about writing and a lot about history, a subject that was not my favorite when I was a young student but has become my passion--a passion I love to share with readers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Alaska Bound, January 4, 2012

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Frayed Enz (Indiana) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In a Different Light: Growing Up in a Yupik Eskimo Village in Alaska (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my oldest to read so she could learn a little about Alaska. I am currently working on my teaching degree and hope to teach out in the bush of Alaska and thought this would help my daughter learn a little about the culture. I have read some reviews that says the author mixes in fiction with the non-fiction in the book, but honestly my daughter doesn't care, and I don't even know if she noticed it. She has been thoroughly immersed in the book and that is all that matters. So based on that alone I am giving this book high ratings..

Read On!!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Simple language, dated pictures, September 15, 2004

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Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In a Different Light: Growing Up in a Yupik Eskimo Village in Alaska (Hardcover)

This book is written for adolescents or (very) young adults. It describes Yup'ik village life in the 1990s from the point of view of an eighth grader. The approach taken by the author to personalize the details of daily life may be more interesting to a young person than a standard geography reference book. Nevertheless, one wonders how accurate the descriptions really are, and especially whether young Yup'iks would really look at their own world the way this outsider imagines. In that sense, this book is certainly a work of Western fiction. One amusing facet of the book is several pictures that are supposed to illustrate modern Yup'ik life; however, the children's shoes are clearly from the 1970s. Either Yup'iks are just now starting to wear 1970s shoes, or the author has not updated her pictures from her earlier visit to Alaska. Also, a picture from the chapter that supposedly takes place in February shows a child walking outdoors in a sweater without a hat or boots. Is this possible in the southwest coast of Alaska? The language of the book was quite simple (did it have to be THIS simple?) and most of the topics would be suitable for middle school children.