Ten Indians: A novel [Hardcover]

Madison Smartt Bell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 29, 1996

From the Haiti of 200 years ago in his most recent, highly acclaimed novel, All Souls' Rising, Bell returns to our own moment, to the racial lines that have riven contemporary America. An edgy, powerful, deeply affecting story of possibility, Ten Indians tells the fast-paced, complex tale of a man who opens a Tae Kwon Do school in a black neighborhood in inner-city Baltimore--and finds himself compelled to enter the lives of his students when the brutality of streets spills into his life.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Bell, recently identified by Granta as one of the 20 best young American novelists, here shows why. Multiple narrators cast different shadows on the story of Mike Devlin, a white, middle-class psychologist whose life is in crisis (whether he knows it or not), who sets up a Tae Kwan Do academy in a black, inner-city neighborhood (in crisis of its own) in Baltimore. The concept of "getting involved" applies in a metaphysical as well as practical sense. "Boundary crossing" also takes on multiple meanings, especially as Michelle, Devlin's teenage daughter, becomes increasingly interested in the academy and the neighborhood. Deliberately understated, the book turns the nice trick of holding the reader despite the fact that the outcome is forecast at the beginning. Readers introduced to Bell with the highly praised All Souls' Rising (LJ 10/1/95), a historical novel of Haitian independence, will find Ten Indians quite different. But the martial arts theme and inner-city setting are in fact much more typical of his oeuvre. Highly recommended for all collections.
-?Robert E. Brown, Onondaga Cty. P.L., Syracuse, N.Y.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Bell is a powerhouse. Just a year after the release of All Souls' Rising a novel about Haiti that landed him on Granta's "Best Young American Novelists" list--he's back with a new, very lean and mean novel much in keeping with his signature themes. Bell, whose inner compass always points to the highest concentration of tension, is one of the few white writers to consistently explore relationships between whites and blacks both socially and as individuals. Here he sets up a dramatic dynamic between Devlin, a white psychologist specializing in the treatment of children, and a group of young black men and women living in the projects in Baltimore. Married and the father of a 17-year-old daughter, Devlin is both savvy and rash and, we suspect, self-destructive and possibly worse. Weary of his privileged clients, he decides to open a tae kwon do school in a dangerous inner-city neighborhood. Initially, his school is a great success. Devlin tells his heavily armed, drug-dealing, but, at heart, sweet-natured students to treat the school as a sanctuary, a "place where things make sense." But discipline and agility are no match for firepower, and Devlin is in way over his head. This is a troubling and profoundly ambivalent drama about violence and the urge to do good that reminds readers, sadly, that there are no simple, elegant answers to complicated, messy problems. Donna Seaman

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon; 1st edition (October 29, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679442464
• ISBN-13: 978-0679442462
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,874,845 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 A Masterpiece!!, January 15, 2001

By 

Daniel E. Wickett "EWN and Dzanc Books" (Westland, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ten Indians: A novel (Hardcover)

Bell's ninth novel is a stunning accomplishment; alternating between the explosive language of Baltimore's drug culture with the meditative qualities of Tae Kwon Do, he examines race relations, hope and compassion, and most specifically, the moral dilemma of doing and not just saying. The novel takes places in modern day Baltimore, both in the suburbs of upper middle class, as well as the inner city urban homes.

Mike Devlin seemingly has it all, a successful psychiatric practice, a nice home in one of the wealthier suburbs, a loving wife and a daughter getting ready to go off to the college of her choice in a year. He is also a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and as the top student in his Master's school, Devlin is sent to start a new branch. This branch is set up in the inner city of Baltimore. It is here that the rest of our cast is introduced.

We meet many inner city youth at his school: Trig, Gyp, Kool-Whip, Freon, Sharmane, Tamara, Buster, D-Trak, Clayvon, Stuttz, amongst others. Here we see the opposite life to Devlin's; those with nearly nothing. Living in projects, one or maybe no parents, and children way before they were ready.

There are virtually no minor characters in this novel besides maybe some of Devlin's patients. They are used to foreshadow some events and to allow the reader the possibility that Devlin is not satisfied with his current life. Over half of the dope dealers and those residing in the projects are fully realized. We understand what they do, how they do it, and sadly, why they do it.

Bell is one of the few authors out there seriously writing about race issues. It's as if he needs to do so, as if his writing about the problem will help him come to some conclusions. In lesser writer's hands, this set up could lead to a very cliché book. In the hands of Bell it becomes anything but. His use of language is true; as the story alternates between various narrators (including an omniscient third person narrator), the language takes on the structure and vocabulary expected.

To the outsider, as Devlin gets more involved in his school, he begins acting strangely. To some it would appear as some sort of a mid-life crisis. Even his wife, an ex-social worker with some professional acumen, feels he is sliding down a tunnel of depression and warns him he won't drag her along. He even struggles himself at times to come to words for what he is doing, but before his final actions he comes to a realization.

He is not succumbing to the notion that one individual can't make a difference. He is following the words of his Master and doing what he says, not just saying it. He is getting involved in lives, trying to make a difference. For an hour a day, he is fairly successful. It is the other 23 that put him to the test.

There is plenty of action throughout the novel; both in and out of the Tae Kwon Do school. Bell does a great job of describing hand to hand combat. His writing allows the reader to visualize each action, almost well enough to believe he or she is learning Tae Kwon Do, banging along with the characters, or watching Devlin's patients describe their lives.

You won't soon forget Devlin, his daughter Michelle, Trig or any of the other characters in this book; their efforts, actions and plight will stick with readers for awhile. Amazingly enough, Bell published this book in between volumes I and II of his Haitian trilogy. With ten novels in print now, and two short story collections, Madison Smartt Bell has enough to keep you busy reading for a long time. Take advantage.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Novel, December 13, 1999

By 

Anthony Pegram - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ten Indians (Paperback)

I'm not much of a reader. As a matter of fact, I used to avoid books like the plague. Ten Indians is a book that I had to read during summer school last year in college, and I am glad that I did. The author did a wonderful job of grabbing my attention and keeping it throughout the entire novel. Basically, this review goes for all you non-readers out there, if you have to read a book, read this one.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book I've read this year., December 14, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Ten Indians: A novel (Hardcover)

Madison Smartt Bell does a masterful job of contrasting inner city and middle-class life through speech, thought, and experience. A good read...compares favorably with Richard Price's "Clockers"