Ramona [Paperback]

Helen Hunt Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2007

Ramona was immensely popular almost immediately upon its release, with over 15,000 copies sold in the ten months before Jackson's death in 1885. Just a year later in 1886, the North American Review called it "unquestionably the best novel yet produced by an American woman" and named it, along with Uncle Tom's Cabin, one of two most ethical novels of the 19th century.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Siobhan Senier's invaluable new edition effectively situates Ramona in its cultural, political, and historical contexts. The appendices assemble a riveting collection of documents, including texts on public opinion surrounding allotment and on women's roles in Indian reform. Particularly valuable, the section on contemporary Native American voices restores historically silenced perspectives on the allotment and assimilation debates. The lucid, thoughtful introduction and the group of images related to the novel further enhance our ability to appreciate Jackson's classic novel. Absorbing and challenging, Senier's edition sets the standard." (Karen L. Kilcup )

"In this new edition, Siobhan Senier insightfully reads Ramona in its many modes: a vehicle to advocate for Indian rights; a reinscription, however strategic, of the most common stereotypes of Native peoples; a record of one activist who was wholly consumed with 'the Indian question'; and a 'sugar-coated' narrative of the Mission era in Alta California. Senier deftly sets the stage for readers to grasp the myriad voices echoing in Ramona through her appendices of contemporary works by tribal and non-tribal authors of the time, reflecting current trends in Native American literary studies that seek to engage indigenous perspectives. With these materials in hand, readers are better poised than ever to comprehend the complexity and longevity of the legend of Ramona." (Penelope Kelsey )

"Siobhan Senier's edition of Ramona finally gives this important American novel the critical attention that it deserves. Not only does Senier's graceful introduction situate Ramona in relation to Jackson's own activism on behalf of American Indian peoples and to the contentious historical climate of the late nineteenth-century, the included appendices provide ample context for multiple understandings of the novel and its historical moment. I could as easily teach this edition of Ramona in an American Indian rhetoric studies course as well as in a literature course. I am particularly impressed by how this serious scholarly contextualization works in relation to Senier's equally serious consideration of the 'Ramona myth' and how that myth plays out in contemporary Californian culture." (Malea Powell ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

Ramona has often been compared to Uncle Tom's Cabin for its influence on American social policy, and this is the only edition available that presents this important novel in its full historical context. A huge popular and critical success when it was first published in 1884, Ramona is set among the California Spanish missions and tells the story of the young mixed-blood heroine, Ramona, and her Native American lover Alessandro, as they flee from the brutal violence of white settlers. This Broadview edition re-examines the novel's legacy by placing it alongside public speeches, letters, and newspaper articles that promoted what was ultimately a damaging campaign by reformers to "assimilate" Native American peoples. Selections from Jackson's non-fiction writings call into question the link between assimilationist policies and the story told in Ramona; also included are the writings and testimonies of some of Jackson's Native American contemporaries, as well as a selection of travel essays and images that helped to create "the Ramona myth." --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: NuVision Publications (September 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595478086
• ISBN-13: 978-1595478085
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #690,493 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting story of love and prejudice, December 17, 2000

By 

Marge Sexton (Hollywood, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ramona (Mass Market Paperback)

Just when I had begun to despair that I might never truly fall in love with a book again, along came Ramona. From the first page, I was captured by the poetic nature of the writing. Some books can be read quickly, not so Ramona. Every sentence is crafted so carefully, every description so complete, some passages must be read over and over again just for the sheer pleasure of the prose. The plot combination of social justice and romance makes the book amazingly contemporary. The racism of this book is directed toward the Native American population and their story is a heart wrenching one indeed. The description of the startling beauty of the landscape and the lives of the characters stands in stark contrast to the breathtaking cruelty with which this nation took land from its native population. Ramona thrilled me and broke my heart. I highly recommend it.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Love Story--Tragic, Tender, And Redeeming!, July 27, 2001

By 

Kathleen (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ramona (Library Binding)

I have Heard Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson described as a "propaganda novel." That it well may have been in its day. But "Ramona" has not endured all these years because of a propaganda message. This novel has endured because of the trueness of the characters--The noble Alessandro, the patient, tender Ramona, the faithful Felipe, the just, stern, sad Senora Moreno.

Even the minor characters are true to form especially the jealous, vindictive Margarita, the loyal Marta, and the strutting but endearing Juan Can.

I rediscovered this book in a dusty corner of our public library and devoured in in two days.

A book becomes a classic when it becomes part of your soul. The love story of Ramona and Alessandro has burned itself into my heart where it will remain forever.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars an expressive romance, set against tragic real-life events, September 13, 2004

By 

LifeboatB (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ramona (Signet Classics) (Paperback)

I just recently heard of this book, although it was a bestseller around the turn of the century, and was popular through the 20's. Modern readers may find the language and parts of the plot melodramatic and overly sentimental, but the characters are strong and memorable, the story is full of exciting incident, and the portrayal of the United States government still shocks. I grew up in California, but I had never really seen how "white Americans" appeared to the Native Americans and Mexicans who first lived here. "Ramona" gives the earlier settlers a voice. Erica Baumeister's review, quoted on the Amazon page for this book, states that "the book has the flaws of being created by an author who, although deeply engaged and sympathetic, had not experienced the life she was describing." I don't agree--perhaps if I had grown up as an "Indian" or Mexican in those times I wouldn't find the book convincing, but as it is, it worked for me. The main characters, Ramona and Alessandro, are "fairy-tale-ized", but their story still touches, and the book still has power. Helen Hunt Jackson purposely wrote "Ramona" to call attention to the U.S.'s unfair treatment of Native Americans, but the two essays included in the Signet edition claim that, for all the popularity of the novel, it didn't bring results. For that, we have only our own injustice to blame, because this poetic messenger did her best to right some wrongs.