Customer Reviews

Walking the Choctaw Road : Stories from Red People Memory

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Written by acclaimed Choctaw storyteller Tim Tingle, Walking The Choctaw Road is a delightfully presented, inherently entertaining, and thoughtfully informative collection of original tales drawn from personal, mythical, and oral accounts. Written in a down-to-earth, highly accessible style, Walking The Choctaw Road is a joy to read, embracing tribal traditions with wry humor, enhanced with liberal highlights of both energy and excitement. Walking The Choctaw Road is an enthusiastically recommended contribution to personal reading lists and Native American Studies collections.

I originally heard these stories read by Tim Tingle. The book is very good on its own but hearing the stories makes them come alive. A wonderful book, easy to read, very personal and accessible. Appropriate for adults and older children, I gave this book to my teen-age son for Christmas.

The photos in the book were chosen carefully, they reflect what people wore, how they looked and lived. The illustrations by Choctaw artist Norma Howard are exceptional as well.

The only caveat is this is storytelling, fiction, not every word should be considered historical fact.

After marrying into a Choctaw family, I wanted to learn more about my husband's culture. These stories are a great representation to describe where the Choctaw have come from and what experiences have made them who they are today. My only complaint is that the book is too short! Now my appetite is whetted for more.

The story tellers of the Choctaw people passed down to us 11 stories reflecting the heart, soul, faith,disappointments,and hope of the native people.They described both the joys and tragic history of living under a federal government that disrespected and denied them their traditions, language,and culture. The power of the story teller reclaims their heritage.Take that walk down the Choctaw road as I did and you will enjoy it.

Walking the Choctaw Road is a book filled with tales told from tongue to tongue, and heard generation after generation. Oral history and the beauty of a culture that makes the time to pass on wisdom, dreams, legends through communication, in person communication. Tingle grasps ancient tribal memories, supernatural events, and historical accounts to further the heritage of the present day Choctaw people. Walking the Choctaw Road contains eleven stories that give a glimpse into the core of the strength and desire to endure of the Choctaw people.

Tim Tingle doesn't leave out the horrors, the sadness or the tale of the journey, he embraces the devastation just as much as the victory as all being of equal importance to the generations to come. In a world of immediate gratification, I see the value in learning to wait, being patient, and not getting everything you want exactly when you first want it.

There is something magical in hearing words passed on which have endured generation after generation. I hope to someday have a chance to sit in on a storytelling, but for now I am satisfied with Tim Tingle and reading Walking the Choctaw Road. I enjoyed reading the stories, it holds and as I read I could imagine myself sitting listening to a master storyteller, with a deep voice and pacing slightly. This was a great read!

For all of my reivews go to B&b ex libris:[...]

Tim Tingle is a treasure-chest full of stories. He engages all ages and will make you laugh, cry, and appreciate.

This is an easy to read yet poetically significant history of the stories of the Choctaw Nation. Some of them made me laugh, and others brought me to tears. I've been raised to appreciate the struggles my ancestors went through on the Trail of Tears, but Mr. Tingle's story of the boy who carries his Mother's bone bundle not only brought me to tears but has stayed with me. A must read!