Customer Reviews

The Mythology of North America

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It's rare to find a book on mythology that conveys the beauty, excitement and wonder of the stories. It's even rarer to find one that puts the stories in a meaningful context. I would put this book on the shelf next to Robert Graves' Greek Myths and Kevin Crossley-Holland's Norse Myths as among the few really successful attempts to capture the essence of a mythological tradition.

But while Graves and Crossley-Holland were writing about the myths of one culture with one language, Bierhorst is looking at the stories of an entire continent that encompasses dozens of different peoples. He manages this nearly impossible task by grouping the many tribes of North America into eleven different geographical categories, and outlining the major mythological themes of each region--but without ever forgetting that each tribe has its own distinct identity and vision of the world.

This book seems to be marketed as a book for young adults, which puzzles me a bit. While a high school or even a bright junior high student could read and enjoy this book, there's nothing in it that suggests that it's not intended to be read by anyone interested in the stories and beliefs of the First Americans.

The Mythology of North America is part of a series which includes books on the myths of South America and of Mexico and Central America. I would also recommends those, though I think that the Mexico/Central America volume is the least successful of the three.