RavenShadow (American Dreamers)

From a three-time Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers Writer of the Year, this tale of lost faith and crowning redemption follows one American Indian’s spirit journey to heal his past and claim his future. “RavenShadow has the impact of a hurled war lance.” —Dee Brown, author of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

Before he was born, Joseph Blue Crow was chosen to carry the sacred ways of the Sioux. But instead of walking the good Red Road of his people, he put his feet on the white man’s road of basketball and booze, women and the blues.

Haunted by the loss of his Lakota heritage and the inexplicable suicide of the woman he loves, Blue sinks into alcoholism and despair. He soon finds himself on the precipice of oblivion, a train roaring toward his car on the railroad tracks. Only his best friend’s words can save him:“You got to go on the mountain.”

Blue’s journey takes him on a tortuous path, guided by a shaman and a spirit bird under whose wing lies the shadow of the past. He relives the massacre of Wounded Knee, standing beside his family and his people as they fall under fire of guns and cannons. Blue seeks redemption and healing through the course of this extraordinary story.

Reviews

“RavenShadow has the impact of a hurled war lance.” —Dee Brown, author of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

“Win Blevins has long since won his place among the West’s very best. RavenShadow adds a new dimension to reputation.” —Tony Hillerman

“An outstanding novel that people from age eight to eighty should read. . . . [Blevins] is a true storyteller in the tradition of Native people.” —Lee Francis, chair of the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers

“Blevins’ prose is razor sharp, his characters are clearly defined, and his heart, like so many, is at Wounded Knee. An outstanding novel.” —Booklist

“A strong, thoughtful story.” —Kirkus Reviews

“[RavenShadow] is destined to become an American classic. . . . [Blevins] raises the genre to a new level.” —Roundup Magazine

“Powerful and poetic.” —Tulsa World

“No one can come away from this magnificent work without feeling humble and meditative. . . . Blevins beautifully and skillfully merges the past and the present.” —El Paso Times