Customer Reviews

A Radiant Curve: Poems and Stories (Sun Tracks)

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This is the second book of Luci Tapahonso's poetry that I've read, the other being The Women Are Singing. Tapahonso is a perceptive guide to Navajo life, and a strong voice for all of Native America. Navajos already have plenty of poetry in their chants and ceremonies, and Tapahonso "translates" some of that vision into the forms of contemporary poetry. She shows us the beauty and ruggedness of Navajo lands, the deep traditions of Navajo spirituality, and the struggles of Navajos for identity and survival in the modern world. The Navajos in her poetry are real people, not the cartoon figures that New Agers and others might prefer. (Here in Flagstaff, which is about 10% Navajo, we like to think we know the difference). While some of the figures in her poetry are struggling to combine Navajo traditions and the modern world, Tapahonso is not struggling, she has succeeded, in combining Navajo traditions and poetic and storytelling grace.

The poems are beautiful. I listened to the cd of poems that came with the book in the car, it soothes my daughter to sleep in the back seat!