Customer Reviews

Spider Woman's Web: Traditional Native American Tales About Women's Power

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I had been looking for a book like this for some time and was so pleased to finally find a compilation of native stories about women's power. Unfortunately, this book does not identify the origin or source of the stories (other than naming a tribe). With so many questionable nu-age "native" books out there, it is important to know the authenticity of these stories. It would help to know where the author gathered the various stories -- whether she interviewed elders, researched older documents, or some other method.

I picked this book up because it shares a similar title with a book of womens stories called 'Spider Womans Granddaughters', and upon first glance it appeared to be either a continuation or a related book of stories. Unfortunately this was the farthest thing from reality.

Most of the stories in this book are watered down versions of the stories that they are aiming to tell, and were one to tell these stories in the company of others who knew other versions, it could prove very embarrassing.

The authenticity of the rest of the stories became suspect for me, when the stories which are fairly common knowledge were twisted in such a way as to use them to forward the Noble Savage myth/ ideal, and to perpetuate a set of beliefs that are not necessarily true, accurate or useful.

The questions are leading, overly touchy feely and over explain the stories in an attempt to guide the reader to the authors already pre-determined conclusions about the intentions of the story. A prime example being The Woman Who Fell From the Sky, significant portions that don't contribute to the readers perception of the heroines persona are excluded and other aspects completely altered. Significant details are missing, which create the balance of the story, leaving it polarized and creating a cut and dry Mother Goose and Grimm good and bad guy, rather than illustrating the depth and interplay of the forces within the story. To see such an awesome and colorful story flattened to yet another supergirl story was just sad. Bits and blurbs, and dirty ditties season the book in an effort to keep the reader believing the picture the author is trying to paint.

These stories are not being used to teach tradition, standards of behavior or anything else - unless one is seeking to reaffirm what a special little snowflake floating through a sea of fire they are.

I was incredibly disappointed.

The tales are wonderful and I really like the questions she has at the end for you to reflect on. It makes a very unique book.