The woman who watches over the world : a native memoir

"A deeply courageous account of Hogan's personal and tribal history...staggering."Pam Houston, O Magazine "I sat down to write a book about pain and ended up writing about love," says award-winning Chickasaw poet and novelist Linda Hogan. In this book, she recounts her difficult childhood as the daughter of an army sergeant, her love affair at age fifteen with an older man, the legacy of alcoholism, the troubled history of her adopted daughters, and her own physical struggles since a recent horse accident. She shows how historic and emotional pain are passed down through generations, blending personal history with stories of important Indian figures of the past such as Lozen, the woman who was the military strategist for Geronimo, and Ohiesha, the Santee Sioux medical doctor who witnessed the massacre at Wounded Knee. Ultimately, Hogan sees herself and her people whole again and gives an illuminating story of personal triumph. "This wise and compassionate offering deserves to be widely read." Publishers Weekly , starred review ""I sat down to write a book about pain and ended up writing about love," says award-winning Chicksaw poet and novelist Linda Hogan. In The Woman Who Watches Over the World, she recounts her American Indian identity, her difficult childhood as the daughter of an army sergeant, her love affair at the age of twelve with an older man, the legacy of alcoholism, and the troubled history of the two daughters she adopted. She reveals how historic and emotional pain are passed down through generations, and she blends personal history with stories of important Indian figures of the past such as Lozen, the woman who was the military strategist for Geronimo, and Ohiyesha, the Santee Sioux medical doctor who witnessed the massacre at Wounded Knee. Ultimately, Hogan sees herself and her people whole again, and in doing so gives us an illuminating story of personal and spiritual triumph."--BOOK JACKET. In this book, the author recounts her difficult childhood as the daughter of an army sergeant, her love affair at age fifteen with an older man, the legacy of alcoholism, the troubled history of her adopted daughters, and her own physical struggles since a recent horse accident. She shows how historic and emotional pain are passed down through generations, blending personal history with stories of important Indian figures of the past such as Lozen, the woman who was the military strategist for Geronimo, and Ohiesha, the Santee Sioux medical doctor who witnessed the massacre at Wounded Knee. Ultimately, Hogan sees herself and her people whole again and gives an illuminating story of personal triumph

"A deeply courageous account of Hogan's personal and tribal history...staggering."—Pam Houston, O Magazine

Pam Houston

A deeply courageous account of Hogan's personal and tribal history...staggering.

I REMEMBER THE first time I saw the clay woman.