Miko Kings: An Indian Baseball Story [Import] [Paperback]

LeAnne Howe (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Aunt Lute Books (2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1879960702
• ISBN-13: 978-1879960701
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,692,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful metaphor for the Native American experience, January 11, 2008

By 

Steve McGaughey - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Miko Kings: An Indian Baseball Story (Paperback)

I'm afraid the book's topics of baseball and Native American culture may cause some people to overlook it, which is too bad because this is a beautifully written, original work that is so much more than its story elements. Physics, spirituality, personal and cultural transformation and redemption are all here, told in a way I haven't seen before by a gifted writer. It will appeal to women, baseball fans, those who appreciate Native American culture and history and anyone who enjoys good writing and a good story told in a truly unique way. It is at its heart, I think, a metaphor for the Indians' epxerience in America, with a style that reminds me of writers like Leslie Silko or Larry McMurtry. Howe has two qualities one doesn't often find as a combination in a writer - the ability to write in a seemingly effortless yet memorable way and to tell a story in a truly original way. The storyline includes shifting narratives told in non-chronoligical order and even includes diaries and newspaper clippings that are used to accomplish a brilliant bit of storytelling. She treats her readers as intelligent people who can follow along even on an unconventional path. Halfway through I was wondering `will she be able to tie all of these threads together?' And of course she did beautifully with a harsh yet touching, real but spiritual ending that still has me thinking about what it means months later.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Metaphysics and Native American Baseball, January 10, 2008

By 

B. Mann (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Miko Kings: An Indian Baseball Story (Paperback)

Miko Kings is a treasure for all readers. LeAnne Howe weaves a spellbinding story of Native American baseball in the rough and tumble early days of Oklahoma statehood. However, Miko Kings is far more than a story of baseball, opposing cultures, generational splits, and time condensation. It is story of acceptance among clashing cultures, understanding between Native American generations, and a look at baseball as a philosophy of life. Howe's efforts constitute a bold contribution to Native American writing. Miko Kings and Shell Shaker offer a singular shining light for all Native Americans to ponder their past, present, and future.

4.0 out of 5 stars Up and down and back and forth through time - a great book, January 30, 2012

By 

Elissa Washuta - See all my reviews

This review is from: Miko Kings: An Indian Baseball Story (Paperback)

LeAnne Howe's MIKO KINGS truly represents a new direction in Native American fiction. She takes the manipulation of time to the next level, seamlessly moving through different temporal spaces and different characters' perspectives, and despite these quick shifts, I never got lost. In the Native American novels of past decades, many writers have worked with a distinctly Indian sense of time, one that isn't linear, one that folds in upon itself, and here, Howe has created an experience in which time has extra wrinkles.

The use of found documents, fantastical elements, and the seldom-covered topic of baseball in Indian Country really make this a special book. I didn't grow completely attached to all the characters in the small space of the book, which was its only drawback, but otherwise, this is an impressive achievement and I look forward to unpacking it once again when I re-read it. This book is much like the bag full of documents that Lena discovers at the book's beginning: so rich with information to decode.