60 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Friend of the Dineh, January 7, 2002
"Seldom Disappointed"
Tony Hillerman
ISBN 0-06-019445-6
I am one of those readers Tony Hillerman writes about in this memoir who does not like mysteries but reads his books. Like those folks, the Navajo cultural stuff is what interests me. Well, maybe there is something more than that. It is Tony Hillerman's remarkable ability to tell a story.
Hillerman grew up in Oklahoma, the son of poor parents for whom he had much respect. The title of his memoir comes from something his mother used to say, that one who did not expect too much from life was seldom disappointed. This was an outlook not uncommon to Hillerman's generation. Also, like many young men of his generation, he went off to the war in Europe.
As a combat infantryman, Hillerman won the silver star, the bronze star, and got blown-up by a mine. Yet there is little bitterness in him about the war. This is one of the few memoirs relating to WWII in which a former soldier describes the opposing German soldiers as "other teenagers". The casual manner in which Hillerman writes about his war experiences and later about his literary success seems to reflect a stoic outlook about "that short run toward the Last Great Adventure".
After the war, a couple of years studying journalism at the University of Oklahoma led to work as a reporter in Texas, Oklahoma, and eventually New Mexico. Fifteen years of newspaper work and being editor of the Albuquerque paper led to some connections with the University of New Mexico and its journalism department. Hillerman taught there for about fifteen years until he lost his enthusiasm for teaching and wanted to write.
Hillerman learned the Navajo culture from Navaho acquaintances who sensed his sincere interest. Having attended eight grades at an Indian school in Oklahoma and having had Indian playmates helped put him at ease with the people. He came to understand the Navajo ceremonies and values, which he made use of in his stories. For authentic and respectful portrayal of Navajo (Dineh) culture in his books, the tribe declared him "Special Friend of the Dineh".
In this memoir, one learns the origin of some of the material in Hillerman's books. For example, one of his villains is based in part on a death row killer who asked Hillerman and the Santa Fe AP bureau chief to write about him so that his mother might claim his body. It seems that he had been abandoned as a child by his mother and did not know her whereabouts.
Hillerman's "breakout book", my favorite, came in 1988 with the publication of "Thief of Time", about the theft of artifacts from Indian ruins for sale to collectors. It was his first book to make the "New York Times" bestseller list, and doing that, Hillerman explains, guarantees an author very large sales due to the way it is used by bookstore managers for ordering books.
At the end of this memoir, Hillerman reflects back positively on seventy five years of life. "They've been far better than anyone deserves", he writes.
By the way, Hillerman says that he interrupted a Navajo police novel to complete this memoir. I am looking forward to it.
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The West of the late 20th Century, September 24, 2002
Hillerman is part of Brokaw's Greatest Generation. That's a trite notion, but Hillerman can wear that mantle proudly. This book covers a lot of ground. It's about the Depression, growing up in Texas. It's about being in the Infantry in World War II. He seems to do a good job of describing war and armies of young kids killing each other. It's sobering if you read the history books, about policies gone bad and the rise of bad governments. In the end it's about kids killing kids, and I don't pretend there's any way to avoid that in many instances. I'd like to.
Eventually, Hillerman ends up in New Mexico. The stuff about political corruption is priceless. It sounds a little like Arizona, where I grew up. Those confessions when you have a bike lock around a suspects privates make a guy a bit cynical. But it's little glimpses of the legislature and the university that really explain how things work in the mountain west. Hillerman comes off as a good guy. Not a hero, but a good guy.
I've met Mr. Hillerman. I've read all the books. I like the idea of finding harmony with the land and with ourselves. He seems to (want to) understand how people go bad. Sometimes it may be because they grow up with nothing, and sometimes because they grow up with too much. His books take the view that people are generally the product of the pressures they face growing up, and sometimes the influences produce rotten scoundrels. That's not the simplistic view of 'personal responsibility', but Hillerman doesn't offer excuses, only explanations. And, as a mystery writer, he 'needs' bad people, right? This book provides interesting explanations, from real life, for some of his villains. There's a hierarchy of evil in some of his books, trashed-out people trying to survive and powerful manipulators pulling their strings. It's interesting to juxtapose this on 'authority' that is based on constant cleansing and renewal of blessing. What makes this book so great is that you see how a writer's experience molds everything he does, and what sometimes seems like a formula is, hopefully, a very rich blending of human experience that has generated unique perspective. I have more respect for the books since I read this book, and I was already a fan.
Hillerman makes me proud to live in the Southwest.
George Sears
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26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Never Disappointing, October 4, 2001
As an Anglo author who writes a mystery series starring a Latino private eye, I have always felt a strong kinship with Tony Hillerman, an Anglo author who writes mysteries starring Navajo tribal police officers. I found this autobiography a fascinating read. SELDOM DISAPPOINTED was never disappointing. From the days of his youth growing up in Oklahoma to his days of success here and now, Tony Hillerman tells a great tale. It is the greatest story he's ever told. His memories of his mother are particularly touching, as is his affectionate comments about his wife and children. Then, of course, there is his professional career. Read SELDOM DISAPPOINTED as soon as you can. You won't be disappointed.
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