Ramona (Signet classics) [Paperback]

Helen Hunt Jackson (Author), Michael Dorris (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Signet classics | Publication Date: August 2, 1988

Ramona is Jackson's popular story of undying love in the turmoil faced by American Indians in Old California. Read for its vivid settings and exotic, passionate characters, it is at once a love story and an indictment of the wrongs done to the Indians. Previously published in mass market by Avon.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Along with Uncle Tom's Cabin, Ramona is considered one of the great propaganda novels of the nineteenth century. Helen Hunt Jackson was already part of the literary elite when she learned of the efforts of the Ponca Indians to keep their land in Nebraska. She spent six months researching and writing A Century of Dishonor, which describes the treatment of Native Americans by the United States government, then mailed a copy to every United States Senator. When her book had little effect, she wrote Ramona, the fictional love story of a beautiful, illegitimate Scots-Indian orphan and the handsome and courageous Indian Alessandro. Ramona has grown up a privileged, adopted child, unaware of her ancestry. When she chooses Alessandro, she becomes Indian. Persecuted and betrayed by individuals and the government, Ramona and Alessandro struggle and flee. Their deep and powerful love is portrayed in dramatic and classical terms, while the tragedy of their lives is the tragedy of their people who endure brutal poverty and the loss of their land. Ramona succeeded where A Century of Dishonor did not, achieving bestseller status and focusing attention on an issue many did not know existed. Unfortunately, the results were not always beneficial and 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. Yet it is still a fascinating story - of love and of the use of fiction to attempt political change. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Erica Bauermeister

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: 384 pages
• Publisher: Signet Classics; First Edition edition (August 2, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451522087
• ISBN-13: 978-0451522085
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,779,039 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.