WATERLESS MOUNTAIN [Hardcover]

Laura Adams Armer (Author)

Book Description

A poignant story of a young Navajo boy's spiritual odyssey and coming of age as a medicine man provides a vivid portrait of the beliefs, traditions, and lifestyle of the Navajo people. Winner of the 1931 Newbery Medal. Reissue.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 222 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (October 12, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067984502X
• ISBN-13: 978-0679845027
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #741,364 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:

3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting but slow moving story about Navahos, February 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Waterless Mountain (Hardcover)

Younger Brother, an eight-year-old growing Navaho boy, and his uncle live in a rocky, hot, dry land called The Waterless Mountain, because there are no springs coming out of the mountain. Uncle taught Younger Brother about his family. Uncle was a very smart man, so he was thought to be a Medicine Man. Even the whites held Uncle in high regard. The white men, are called Big Men because of their smartness, power, and their size. Uncle also taught Younger Brother about the Special people known as the people of the sky, heavens, and Earth. This had inspired Younger Brother to go to the west, but since he was still only eight, he could not go. Three years later Younger Brother, now eleven, rides to the wide west by himself.

This was a great book about Navahos and their special powers they believe they hold inside of them. This is a great book for people who like adventure and mysteries. Even though my teacher made me read this, right from the beginning, I was fascinated by the way the author brought my attention to the difference between are lives today and the lives of the Indians in the year 1924. The ideal reader for this book would be a sixth to eighth student.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The story of a Navajo boy., May 21, 1999

By 

R. D. Allison ([e-mail]) (Gainesville, Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: WATERLESS MOUNTAIN (Hardcover)

This novel won the 1932 Newbery Medal for best contribution to American children's literature. It is the story of a young Navajo boy in the 1920s who wishes to become a medicine man like his Uncle. The book is filled with the fables of the old Navajos and descriptions of some of their ceremonies. I agree with the 1998 reviewer from Washington, D.C., that the comments made by the Horn Book seem a little too harsh. Apparently, there was a great interest in Navajo culture at this time in the U.S. The 1930 winner of the Pulitzer Prize in fiction was "Laughing Boy" by Oliver La Farge. But, the Horn Book probably doesn't care for that book either!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book to share with children, April 11, 2000

By 

R. Zimmer (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: WATERLESS MOUNTAIN (Hardcover)

I do not agree with the review given by Horn. This is a gentle story told with compassion and respect. It does not degrade the Dine nor their culture. Laura Armer respected the Dine and, in turn, was respected by them. They called her "the woman who wears turquiose" (she wore turquiose long before it was popular to do so) and "hard-working woman." This story can be appreciated by children who have secret places and are in awe of the beauty and wonder of nature. There is a magic quality to it that supports many children's belief in the mystical realms. I read it to my son when he was seven and we both loved it. I think it might even encourage some to find out more about the Dine people and their culture and beliefs. I suppose the reaction of the Dine characters when they are in the city could be taken as demeaning by those looking for that particular view. However, these people's lives were based on relating, daily, to important life issues, not the non-essential elements that abound in city living and the art/museum world culture - this could make them appear simple. Yet, if the situation were reversed, and the people from the urbanized world were put on the Dine reservation, especially in the 1930's, they would appear awkward, superficial, and "illiterate" in the ways of survival. I would recommend this book to anyone.