Native Heart [Paperback]

Gabriel Horn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 21, 2003

Most lives are lived solely in the present. But some lives are also lived with a spiritual and historical connection to the past. These lives grant us a sense of hope for the future. NATIVE HEART is the story of Gabriel Horn and his attempt to live a modern man's life that's true to the indigenous spirit of this land we call America. As a teacher in the American Indian Movement Survival Schools, and as a writer, activist, husband, and father, Horn presents a challenging and haunting perspective on our "new world" culture and values. Whether it's revealing a genocide Western historians choose to ignore, enabling Native American prisoners to pray with the pipe, or teaching his own Native children the lessons of nature and history, Horn stays true to his heart and to the vision that inspired his journey. His encounters with the "shadow people," his relationship to the Earth, and his quest for understanding and purpose within the "Great Holy Mystery" are retold in this intimate autobiographical novel.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Horn ( The Native American Book of Life ) writes children's books under the pen name White Deer of Autumn. Here he offers his autobiography to adult readers. The story skips back and forth from the author's present life with his Ojibway wife, Simone, and their children in Florida, to both the recent and more distant past. He recounts being dragged away from home by nuns at an early age to attend school. He relates his years working with the American Indian Movement and teaching traditional Indian culture to children. Particularly affecting is the chapter about his attempted suicide after harassment and abuse by police. Horn includes detailed depictions of traditional Native pipe and sweat ceremonies. When he is discredited regarding his use of the pipe ceremony after a hearing in Minnesota, his meager explanation for why an Indian friend would testify against him is that his dog always growled at her. Also, for someone so clearly hurt by attacks upon his Indian identity, it seems ungenerous for Horn to define "Indian" in ways that exclude either those that don't, to his eyes, look the part or who don't share his beliefs.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Mesmerizing . . . . A stirring autobiography and a revealing look at Native American activism." -- Booklist

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Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Paraview Special Editions (May 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931044554
• ISBN-13: 978-1931044554
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,435,442 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Those Who Are Ready To Know More, January 23, 2005

By 

Rebecca Hensley - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Native Heart: An American Indian Odyssey (Paperback)

As a sociologist with a specialization in power relations and most particularly racial and ethnic relations in the United States, I should probably have been aware of Gabriel Horn's books a long time ago. That I wasn't is a testimony to the door our culture shuts in the face of its history and continued treatment of and attitude toward indigenous people, including the native nations of North America. That I came across Mr. Horn's work now-finally-is a function, I believe, of being in the right place at the right time thinking the right thoughts to put me in touch with an increasing level of important Truth. Native Heart is a story of survival, strength, and glory in the face of odds that have been truly insurmountable physically, but powerless spiritually. It is also a poem to and about Gabriel Horn's people. It holds back nothing, baring the core of his Being in a way that must have been painful, indeed. I am immensely grateful to have been allowed to walk the earth with Mr. Horn and those he introduces us to-past and present-in his books. If you're at all like me, you will be greatly saddened by Native Heart, but quieted, too, in the ultimate knowledge that where there is life, there is, in fact, hope for all who seek it. And if you, like I did, finish Native Heart with a yen for a second helping, Contemplations of a Primal Mind continues both the story and the reader's education.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gives brilliant insight into Native American issues of today, September 20, 1998

By 

RichardC (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Native Heart: An American Indian Odyssey (Paperback)

'Native Heart' for me offered great depth of insight into Native Amercian spirituality, and the difficulties faced in modern US society preserving that culture. It also highlighted the bigotry Native peoples face here, and the misguided sterotypes other Americans may often work from when dealing with Native Americans.

Read after Gabriel Horn's second book - 'Contemplations of a Primal Mind (****), this was the perfect reading sequence for me, as one led directly into the other.

I would strongly recommend this book to ALL Americans (and non-Americans), as a way to dispel the 'John Wayne' type sterotypes created about Native Americans, and to really understand them as a people, their culture and enlightening spirituality.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Start Toward Education and Healing, July 16, 2003

By 

Marsha Raymond (St. Petersburg, Florida USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Native Heart (Paperback)

Gabe Horn's Native Heart is written in the voice of a man who walks his path with clear eyes and a loving heart. He does not hesitate to speak the truth, but does so in a way that clearly respects our need as real human beings to accept past (and current) injustices, learn from them and move on to a brotherhood of working together for the good of the People and the Land. Plan to have a highlighting pen near when reading this book to capture the wisdom and burn it into your heart. Once having read the true history of our nation and the continuing bias against any culture which defers from the one in power, there is no excuse for inaction. My personal library of books regarding american indian history, culture and spirit is extensive, and Native Heart now holds a place on honor. I am privileged to be the first person to write a review for this inspired offering and plan to purchase additional copies for my loved ones. We are indeed all related. Walk in Balance. Marsha Anisoquili (Many Ponies) Raymond -