Survivor's Medicine: Short Stories (American Indian Literature & Critical Studies) [Hardcover]

E. Donald Two-Rivers (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Boundless optimism describes the mood of this uneven short story collection from an Ojibwa poet, playwright, and performance artist. Some entries show the hand of a master storyteller. Others read more like a thirdhand retelling of a master storyteller's work that has lost something with each new rendition. Love abounds, but whereas romantic love usually turns sour, the platonic love of fellowhood wins big. In "On the Run," for example, a middle-aged white cop and a young Indian meet at the police station where the young man's girlfriend is being held for the murder of her former husband; the cop ends up mentoring the young man through law school. Similarly, in "Harold Ball," a character described as "the most intolerant black person I or anyone else will ever meet" experiences a life-changing event on the bus he's driving and becomes the darling of all of Chicago's ethnic groups. A pleasant enough read, but not an essential purchase.?Debbie Bogenschutz, Cincinnati State Technical & Community Coll.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Here is an unvarnished, multifaceted view of the modern Native American experience. Two-Rivers' Indians, in these 22 stories, are much like other contemporary stories in their variety, except that they are more likely to take pride in their heritage, to have experienced discrimination, and to be prone to problems with alcohol. Among the strongest stories in the collection are several featuring children, who make up about a third of the population of the small town of Sapawe, Ontario (the author's birthplace), who fight, plot, finagle, and generally behave like rascals. The tone turns chilling in "Smoking Pistol Syndrome," in which a mentally challenged teenager is prevented from following the dictates of voices in his head that tell him to kill himself because he hasn't learned to put bullets in a gun--yet. Two-Rivers' opening sentences are attention grabbers, and their promise is generally fulfilled, although occasionally the stories' endings would be more effective if they were less prolonged. Overall, these are stories suffused with good nature and understanding and are worthy of attention. Michele Leber

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press; 1St Edition edition (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080613092X
• ISBN-13: 978-0806130927
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,595,326 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Many Tongues, February 1, 2000

By 

Michael R. Brown (Robbinston, ME USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Survivor's Medicine: Short Stories (American Indian Literature & Critical Studies) (Hardcover)

I knew Harold Ball. I wasn't his friend because, as this book explains, for most of his life he drove people away. I wasn't at the party that changed his life, but I know some who were. In fact, I know everybody in this book. Set in the city, on the rez or on the road, these stories read as real to me as the last time I stepped out the door or walked into a truck stop. Each person has his or her own fully realized voice. But what recommends this book most to me are the narrator's voices.

Many writers talk about cultural conflict, the Relocation Act or going back to the reservation, but few express it in more than one voice. Eddie Two-Rivers has the classic short story writer's gift for implication: "It was mid-afternoon-the time of day for sighing. That second when everything is just right and silence slices through time. A slight wind rustled the leaves of a nearby tree and the moment was lost to the past." (p. 54) He evokes nostalgia: "Timber supported the town and everyone in it. I remember it as a green, blue, and brown place: forest, sky, water, and sawdust everywhere. A great place for a kid." (p 221)

Yet he also has that educated awareness that summarizes whole decades in short, sociological parapgraphs: "Bill and Glenda thought of themselves as second-generation urban Indians. Their parents had moved to Chicago's South Side during the 1950s in accordance with the Relocation Act. They met at Red's, a blues bar on Thirty-fifth and Archer Avenue. It was love at first sight. They dated a couple of weeks then decided to live together. Their families disapproved so they moved to the more liberal North Side. Both had been raised in working-class homes. Both regarded their families as being provincial, not with the times." (p. 144)

But Eddie Two-Rivers also understands deeply the power of writing to heal communities and make each of us whole: "Everybody got something they do to make themselves feel better. Writing is my medicine." (p. 83)

You may see it in other writers; you can hear it here.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Teaching Tool, December 28, 1999

By 

Megan Bang (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Survivor's Medicine: Short Stories (American Indian Literature & Critical Studies) (Hardcover)

Ed Two-River's book Survivor's Medicine is an important contribution to the literary world both for Indians and non-Indians. The stories unfold to present a fresh perspective on the human condition in general, and the reality of American Indians specifically. As an educator, the collection of stories explores a spectrum of issues and themes that makes it a dynamic book for teaching in the classroom. Each story broadens the reader's perspective about the reality of American Indians' experience today and challenges the reader to consider and question his or her own perceptions. It grapples with history, politics, and culture in a way that is accessible and poignant to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Survivor's Medicine can be used with students of all academic abilities. The story "Slow Walker: Hero of the Mud Flats Battle" which tells the story of childhood lessons and lifelong memories fought out in the bush in Canada, can be read to a third grade classroom or in a college literature class. I highly recommend this book for educators at all levels and encourage Native educators across the country to use this book with their students. Mr. Two-Rivers is a wonderful and rare role model for young Indians today. I anxiously await his next book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Notes from another Shinob, June 9, 2000

By 

Michelle Christensen (Denver, Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Survivor's Medicine: Short Stories (American Indian Literature & Critical Studies) (Hardcover)

I have thoroughly enjoyed this book that brings back fond memories of my own Ojibwe upbringing. Two Rivers writes with a style that is raw and true to his Anishinaabe people. Gchi Migwetch Eddie!