Miracle Hill the Story of a Navaho Boy

by Emerson Blackhorse Mitchell, T.D. Allen

Book by Emerson Blackhorse Mitchell, T.D. Allen

Genres: Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Craig Monson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Along with the rest of the class, Blackhorse—do not call him “Emerson”—received an assignment to write his own biography. To his teacher’s surprise, what he turned in was not the usual page or two, but what became the basis of this book. When it appeared (several decades before the “2004” date on the U of AZ edition), it created something of a stir (e.g., reviews in such unaccustomed places as the New Yorker). Some questioned the retention of Blackhorse’s distinctive approach to English. It was worthwhile reprinting the earlier edition as a window onto a comparatively unmediated representation of Native American culture half-a-century ago. Blackhorse still lives next to “Miracle Hill” (which is not Shiprock, on the book cover), still shears sheep in June, sings, both healing ceremonies, traditional Navajo songs (“American Bar” is even on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsHhq... ), and his own take on rock and roll, and teaches teacher education in Tsaile, AZ.

[Kerry Pickens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read another book that was a collection of Native American writing and the authors discussed their influences. Many of them referred to this author's book so I purchased it to read. You have to keep in mind the author was a teenager when he wrote this book, but it was really the first book where the author described his childhood and growing up on a pueblo. There are issues with the writing like a lack of writing conventions (verb tense etc).