The Indian Lawyer [Hardcover]

James Welch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1990

"The Indian Lawyer" is Sylvester Yellow Calf, a man who seems to have made the leap from his simple origins on the Blackfeet reservation in Browning, Montana, in flawless style. But Yellow Calf is a man more divided than he knows, and when his work ensnares him in blackmail schemes of a convict, he must decide just who he is and what he wants.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Following his poetic, gripping evocation of Native American culture in Fools no apostrophe sss Crow , set in the 1800s, Welch returns to the contemporary scene with the tale of a man whose ascent from a Montana reservation into upper-middle-class society has all the elements of a classic success story--including a fall from grace. By dint of talent and hard work, Sylvester Yellow Knife has escaped the fate of most of his fellow Blackfeet. A college basketball star and graduate of Stanford Law School, he is at 35 a highly regarded lawyer in a prestigious Helena firm, about to declare his candidacy for Congress, where he hopes to help his people and assuage his guilt over having abandoned their poverty-stricken world. But when the prison parole board of which he is a member denies parole to a wily man desperate to end his incarceration, Sylvester becomes the target of a blackmailing scheme. Welch underscores the ironies in his hero's rise from the reservation by counterpointing the ways in which the convict squandered his considerable opportunities and ran his life downhill. Sylvester's growing doubts about assimilation and his need to identify with his Native American roots are counterpoised to his realization that he may be deprived of the opportunity to make a contribution on a national scale. The thriller elements of the plot are developed with credibility, and while the narrative lacks the hallucinatory power of Fools Crow , it is a convincing story of a man who almost loses his values and his soul.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-- Sylvester Yellow Calf, a Blackfeet Indian lawyer, is a nontraditional character whose past and present worlds collide and then threaten to destroy him. Elements of fear are introduced in this thoughtful, evenly paced novel, not in the form of blood or violence, but rather by virtue of wrong decisions, unforeseen consequences, and the dread of loss. Yellow Calf is a fully realized character, a complex, self-made man who overcomes the adversities of parentage and poverty. He is on the verge of an unplanned political success when his very human, normal behavior in a seemingly insignificant incident sets in motion a fall from grace. Welch shifts the story's focus back and forth between a state prison and Helena, where Yellow Calf has created his own version of the American dream. His relationships with several different women add to the rich texture of the novel and provide the seeds for his undoing. As events threaten Yellow Calf's security, a fascinating third world unfolds: the reservation childhood he has tried to leave behind. It is from his past that Yellow Calf eventually finds the truth about himself and the strength to do the right thing. An absorbing psychological tale that should fascinate mature readers.
- Carolyn E. Gecan, Jefferson Sci-Tech, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 349 pages
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc; 1 edition (October 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393028968
• ISBN-13: 978-0393028966
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #394,431 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read for a stormy night, March 2, 2001

By 

Carl A. Schreiber - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Indian Lawyer (Contemporary American Fiction) (Paperback)

By the second page, I was drawn into this strange world of prisons, Indian Reservations and Helena, Montana (circa 1990).

The story is about two men, Sylvester Yellow Calf--Native-American-ex-high-school-basketball-star-turned-lawyer and Jack Harwood--college-educated accountant with a penchant for felony crimes and doing hard time. Caught inbetween them is Jack's wife, Patti Ann Harwood. Sylvester is an up-and-coming trial lawyer with his sites set on the traditionally Democratic congressional seat in western Montana. He also sits on the parole board that is reviewing Harwood's case. Harwood manages to convince his wife, Patti Ann, into orchestrating an accidental 'meeting' with Yellow Calf. He wants her to get close to Yellow Calf so that he can blackmail him to use his position on the Parole Board to get Harwood released early.

Things take a turn for the worst, when Patti ends up fulfilling her husband's wishes too well. Suddenly, she is caught between the man she is married to and the man she is falling in love with. Harwood and Yellow Calf, too, are caught in a deadly dance of blackmail and power plays.

All in all, an excellent book. The only downside is that you know it eventually ends and the windows on these characters that are so well-fleshed out will be closed. Small price to pay, though, for such a compelling story.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read!, October 28, 2003

By 

Briana Malmquist (Ronan, MT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Indian Lawyer (Contemporary American Fiction) (Paperback)

The Indian Lawyer is a great book for many different reasons. I think the book holds a lot of emotional impact for many different people and you don't have to be a fan of James Welch or Montana Literature to enjoy the book. I recommend anyone who just wants a "good read" to read this book- I guarantee you won't be able to put it down!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intense, thrilling, brilliantly written, June 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Indian Lawyer (Contemporary American Fiction) (Paperback)

I couldn't put the book down once I started reading. The novel painted an intricate web of characterization between prison life, growing up on a reservation raised by grandparents, the contrast between native and white cultures, politics, and confused romances. The plot was provoking, the story well written and cast fully human. I put the book down feeling exhilerated, wanting to explore Mr. Welch's other works.