|
|
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a real eye-, mind-, and heart-opener!, January 13, 2000
--- a blend of fact and fiction that is bound to make even historians reconsider their previously learned "facts" to date.graciela limon, with her Song of the Hummingbird, has created a thought-provoking literary masterpiece! deep from within its lyrical pages we hear huitzitzilin (hummingbird) as she sings the songs of her ancestors. she sings to set the record/s straight, "to break the silence that has broken her people's spirit" and to tell a story that demands to be heard. as her appointed confessor, father benito finds himself forced to sit and listen to what he, at first, considers to be mere "ramblings" of an old mexica -- who proceeds to quickly and surprisingly engage him - as she proudly, passionately and, at times even playfully re-tells the past as she knows, remembers and has lived it. after many hours, that carry over into days, spent with the outspoken and intelligent woman, the priest slowly begins to see things from a different "i" -- and not only hears huitzitzilin's words, but also begins to feel the pain of her cry -- as she paints for him a picture of a past that had never before been imagined by his foreign eyes. although at times shocked and often astounded by hummingbird's "warblings," the young man of the cloth begins to question that which he was, as a naive school-boy, taught, and he, as a novice, learned -- and finds himself conflicted and curiously "torn" .... why had he never before conceived of the natives as having families? how is it that he never believed them to shed tears? who was more savage and barbarian? -- the bearded warriors who spilled blood in the name of the cross and salvation -- or the mexica lords with their crimson-stained sacrificial slabs -- both the practices and preachings led to torture, suffering, death and .... annihilation -- of individuals, masses, cultures and entire civilizations; losses to be mourned. with their songs, both hummingbird and limon help to open closed hearts and broaden narrow minds by reminding listeners and readers that there is often a fine line between fact and fable; and that one must look to the past, not only with a discerning mind, but with an understanding and human heart -- as, in the end, did father benito; who, in a sense, as he re-wrote history, was reborn. thanks to his, and limon's efforts, hummingbird's song "will live on forever - because her words have been captured on paper!" absolutely beautiful! a refreshing new perspective on the culture clash, conquest and coming together of an old and the new worlds. a book that makes a strong statement and argument (several) about and for, above all things,: understanding differences, accepting diversity and "forgiving" the most incomprehensible behaviors. written in tenderly touching, humorously entertaining and educationally engrossing ways. i highly recommend it to - and for - everyone!
|
by N. Scott Momaday
by LeAnne Howe
by Victoria Kneubuhl
by Louise Bernice Halfe
by Witi Ihimaera
See all Editorial Reviews
