I Am Apache [Hardcover]

Tanya Landman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2008

A young woman seeks to avenge her brother's death by becoming an Apache warrior — and learns a startling truth about her own identity.

After watching helplessly as Mexican raiders brutally murder her little brother, fourteen-year-old Siki is filled with a desire for vengeance and chooses to turn away from a woman's path to become a warrior of her Apache tribe. Though some men, like envious Keste, wish to see Siki fail, she passes test after test, and her skills grow under the guidance of her tribe's greatest warrior, Golahka. But Keste begins to whisper about Siki's father's dishonorable death, and even as Siki earns her place among the warriors, she senses a dark secret in her past — one that will throw into doubt everything she knows. Taking readers on a sweeping and suspenseful journey through the nineteenth-century American Southwest, Tanya Landman draws on historical accounts to imagine the Black Mountain Apache as a tribe in a fight for survival against the devastating progress of nations.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—At the end of the 19th century, 14-year-old Siki is a member of Arizona's (fictional) Black Mountain Apache, and an orphan who lost both parents in battles with Mexicans. When she witnesses the brutal slaying of her four-year-old brother, Tazhi, by Mexican raiders, she vows to avenge his death and earns an unusual place, through her skills and relentless training, as a warrior among the men of her tribe. In an overwrought, floridly poetic first-person narrative (e.g., "the wind flowed in [Tazhi's] veins, and the sun itself seemed to shine through his eyes when he smiled"), Landman takes readers on a complex adventure full of jealousy, romance, visions, dark family secrets, bloody battles, daring rescues, and painful dealings with Mexicans and double-crossing "White Eyes." Historical accuracy is questionable, despite research evident not only in an extensive bibliography, but also in Siki's copious explanations of tribal ways and customs. Landman states in a historical note that every tribe and place name is fictional, and that she's "made no attempt to produce an accurate historical novel." Despite some efforts to create complex, "real" human characters and interactions, readers will certainly take away a notion of the Apache as wronged but brutal, doomed, vengeful warriors, and 19th-century Mexicans as heartless villains. Exciting, but problematic, to say the least.—Riva Pollard, Prospect Sierra Middle School, El Cerrito, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Landman uses the tale of the woman who fought at the side of Geronimo as the kernel for her characters, world making, and plot, all of which ring with authenticity. Siki, a nineteenth-century Apache girl, describes the events of her teen years, from her young brother’s death during a Mexican raid, through her work to become a full-fledged warrior, and to the death of her mentor, Golahka. Interactions among Siki’s own people—including her rogue peer who leaves the tribe rather than submit to its code of honor, and Siki’s own acceptance as a female warrior—and those between the Apache, the Mexicans, and the “White Eyes,” who destroy the old ways of the native peoples, are woven skillfully into the action. With an eloquent voice and dignified pace, Landman creates a credible and artistic story with excellent characterization and engaging psychological and sociopolitical questions. Although this will appeal to historical fiction or western readers, this well-written novel has much to offer those who are not genre readers as well. Grades 8-12. --Francisca Goldsmith

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (August 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763636649
• ISBN-13: 978-0763636647
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,697,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 10 year old loved it, September 6, 2010

By 

H. Jensen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: I Am Apache (Hardcover)

I havent read this but my 10 year old daughter did and she loved it. She's really into indian books right now and she gave it a 5 star rating. she said it ended good!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and moving tale of the passing of a culture, January 27, 2010

By 

F. J. Harvey "Cricket ,country music and a go... (Birmingham England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Am Apache (Paperback)

This novel -written by a Brit -was published in the UK as a Young Adult novel but in my view it can be enjoyed across the age spectrum and it is by no means essential to be a devotee of the Western to derive pleasure and profit from reading the book.It is narrated by Siki ,a young woman of the Black Mountain Apache tribe who witnesses the massacre of women and children by the Mexican army.Among those slaughtered is her 4 year old brother Tazhi .She vows revenge and elects ,in defiance of tribal custom, the choose the warrior's path.(While this was not unknown it is at odds with more usual tribal convention).She finds a mentor in Golahka ,a respected warrior ,and a passionate enemy in Keste ,a vainglorious warrior wannabe whose star is eclipsed by Siki and who turns renegade ,vowing revenge on her and his tribe .
Siki earns warrior status in a raid on a Mexican post housing those who carried out the raid on her village ,and helps rescue women and children taken by the Mexicans .However ,all the while the threat posed by the advance of white settlers is growing ,casting a shadow over the ancient ways .She must also resolve the mystery of her father's fate -he was believed to have died a coward's death -and come to terms with her own family history.

The book is a powerful tale of a young girl's quest for independence on both an individual and cultural level.It affords a fascinating glimpse of tribal culture,although some may find the mysticism of the scenes depicting dream visions a tad overdone .It is ultimately a tragedy but ends on a note of defiance and hope .Please do not let the fact it is written by a non Native American ,indeed non -American deter you from reading a brave and passionate book of enormous power ,intelligence and insight

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars GOOD INSIGHT, January 17, 2010

By 

Joseph H. Race "Jose Mango" (SAIPAN, MP United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: I Am Apache (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my teenage daughter who 'devoured' in several days. It is remarkable that a book held her interest for this period while her life is so full of school, soccer, friends, computers and I-pods. The book may have some problems with histories and dates, and maybe authentic revelations of the Indian/Native Americans cultures and customs, but it gave her insight on how other peoples live and the tragedies and problems that we all experience as we go on the journey called life. She enjoyed it, and I enjoyed talking to her about some of the events and developments in the novel.