Off the Reservation gives us the best of Allen's political essays, literary criticism, and personal reflections. In section one, "Haggles/gynosophies" (haggles being a persuasive speech in which a hag engages), Allen offers powerful critiques of the Western social constructs of proprietorship, literacy, individualism, and "rape culture" contrasted with the communal and spiritual connection to the earth that characterizes native societies. "Wyrds/orthographies" presents some of the best analysis of Native American literature of the late twentieth century, including the work of N. Scott Momaday, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Mary Tallmountain.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
While most prior efforts in the genre of the Indian professorial essay collection have drifted between incomprehensible and fanatical, this book from Allen (The Sacred Hoop), of Laguna Pueblo and Lebanese ancestry, is most often even-keeled (if on occasion overwrought: "Let me remind all of us that vegetarianism inevitably accompanies misogyny, racism, tyranny, gynocide, and infanticide"). As with most collections of the sort, the content is all over the map, from rape and misogyny, to criticism of literary criticism, to personal recollections and family ancestry, to an overview of Native spirituality. Even in this broad perspective, there seems to be a unifying theme. Allen best describes this cohesion when she states in the foreword, "Spanning thirty years, from the late sixties to the late nineties, each essay is, in its own way, an assertion that Indians are everywhere." There is some really compelling writing here, as in "Radiant Beings" and the whole last section, "La Frontera/Na(rra)tives." General readers will no doubt stumble through the middle section, titled "Wyrds/Orthographies," but the injection of Native sensibilities in every article takes this literate collection beyond the usual intellectual exercise.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Poet, novelist, feminist, and English professor (UCLA), Allen draws on her experiences as a woman of mixed Laguna and Lebanese heritage to critique contemporary American culture from the perspective of one who views it from the margins. The resulting essays are political, spiritual, and ecological in thrust yet sometimes intensely personal, as when she reflects on her Lebanese roots or her return to Laguna Pueblo after a long absence. In spite of occasional quirky and disputable conclusions like "vegetarianism inevitably accompanies misogyny, racism, tyranny, genocide, and infanticide," Allen's writings are thought-provoking and informative. Recommended for all academic libraries and public libraries with women's studies and Native American collections.?Faye Powell, Portland State Univ. Lib., OR
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Evolution and Beauty,
By Micaela Tedford (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Off the Reservation: Reflections on Boundary-Busting, Border-Crossing Loose Cannons (Paperback)
The book showcases an important American voice highly relevant to today's world. As an outsider looking into Gunn's world, I find her lyric facinating and her style casual while informative. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to explore a personal evolution in a seldom seen world. Her voice is poignant, elegant, and expressive.Open the first page, and your journey will begin.
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sexual difference, human revolution, big arroyo, rape culture Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Off the Reservation, United States, New Mexico, Native American, American Indian, New Age, Who's Telling This Story, Ethnic Studies, Laguna Pueblo, The Lay of the Land, New York, Los Cerrillos, Radiant Beings, Spear Woman, Billy the Kid, The Savages, Yellow Woman, House Made of Dawn, Lincoln County, Grandpa Francis, Bill of Rights, Holy People, Grandma Gunn, Pretty Shield, Reed Woman Browse Sample Pages:
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sexual difference, human revolution, big arroyo, rape culture Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Off the Reservation, United States, New Mexico, Native American, American Indian, New Age, Who's Telling This Story, Ethnic Studies, Laguna Pueblo, The Lay of the Land, New York, Los Cerrillos, Radiant Beings, Spear Woman, Billy the Kid, The Savages, Yellow Woman, House Made of Dawn, Lincoln County, Grandpa Francis, Bill of Rights, Holy People, Grandma Gunn, Pretty Shield, Reed Woman Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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- this bridge we call home: radical visions for transformation by Gloria Anzaldúa in Back Matter
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