Spirit Moves: The Story of Six Generations of Native Women [Paperback]

Loree Boyd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1996

The author recounts the struggles and spirituality of the women of her Native American family from the late nineteenth century until the present, showing how her great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother, Silversong, endured life on the frontier. Original. Tour. IP.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this autobiographical memoir, Boyd, a Cree/Blackfoot Metis American who works in the development and production of programming for television and film, comes to terms with her childhood by portraying six generations of her family. Her evocative stories about the lives of her great-grandmother, Margaret; her grandmother, Anne; and her mother, Silversong, are poetic and thought-provoking. "It would not be an overstatement to say I was often in awe of them," the author writes, "when I considered the courage, determination, and spirit that not only enabled them to survive . . . but to go that one step further." Boyd tells about prejudice against Native Americans, physical abuse, and the cultural destruction of her people. While researching this work, she discovered that both her grandmother and mother had sworn vows of silence to protect her. Her stories about the endurance of these women give readers a strong model of a family determined to survive. Recommended for women's and Native American studies collections.?Vicki Leslie Toy Smith, Univ. of Nevada, Reno
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Six generations of Native American women are revealed in an intense chronicle which explores how one family survived the transition from traditional to modern life-style. Beginning in 1886, this charts a family's recovery from an invasion by an abusive society. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 436 pages
• Publisher: Treasure Chest Books (April 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880032597
• ISBN-13: 978-1880032596
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,305,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful testiment of Native courage, pride, & forgiveness, February 16, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (James Fortier Pacifica, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spirit Moves: The Story of Six Generations of Native Women (Paperback)

Loree Boyd has done more than merely written a great book. She has demonstrated the pride, strength and respect so characteristic of Metis/Native people in Canada. As a Metis/Ojibway person myself, I found this story, based on Loree's family history, to be moving and inspirational. I laughed, I cried, and I smiled thoughout reading this book. Loree's personal story extends beyond the words of this book; touching the lives of many Metis and Native families throughout Canada. Knowing and recognizing the similarities of my own Metis/Native family history made reading "Spirit Moves" all the more bittersweat. This book should be read in every household in Canada- Metis, Native, and white! Mii-gwetch Loree for your courage, your pride and your story! In Spirit, James Fortier

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for every woman who has triumphed over great odds, June 14, 2010

By 

Rachael Shenyo (Hudson, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Spirit Moves: The Story of Six Generations of Native Women (Paperback)

This is quite, frankly, one of my favorite books in my collection. When my soul needs cleansing, I take this book out and read it. When I need to beleive in my ability to endure, I take this book out. When I need to celbrate life, I take this book out.

Weaving together the stories of her matriarchal line, Loree summons up a primal spiritual fire of an insistence that will not be quenched. As she details scenes that are happy, then heart-rending, then breath-taking, she takes on an emoptional roller-coaster that makes you care about every single member of this incredible family. I cannoy say enough this book, or about the author's courage in writing it. That these women found the strength to not just survive, but flourish, delight in life and love, and reach out to others, makes this quite frnaly one of the most inspiring books I have ever read. The author right- the spirit does move, right under the surface of everyday life, and so many of us miss it. it is refreshing to read about a journey where the value of spirit is acknowledged.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful, inspirational story for native and non-native peoples, July 22, 2009

By 

It Tolls for Thee - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spirit Moves: The Story of Six Generations of Native Women (Paperback)

The story of Loree Boyd -- who I know is now the writer and mind/body/spirit interviewer Loree Hemachandra -- and the generations of women in her family is beautifully told, especially in its rendering of the life story of her grandmother, Anne. The book succeeds best when capturing the grand arc of the generational rainbow of all these women's lives, which at their best are infused with trust, faith, hope, and mystic blessings. The women's resilience in the face of, and struggles with, generations of abuse, narcissism, ignorance, and discrimination -- as well as their own failings born from living lives often deprived of kindness, quality education, and a broader societal perspective -- offer valuable lessons and wonderful inspiration for readers of all backgrounds.