Reservation Nation

by David Fuller Cook

A powerful tale of great rhythm and grace, David Fuller Cook's Reservation Nation is a complex portrait of life on a North Carolina Indian reservation. The story is told by Warren Eubanks, a young man who struggles to unlearn the lessons of his childhood on the reservation. Eubanks' imperative to uncover truth takes him down Reservation Road to the American Indian Movement and tribal politics. This journey is punctuated by land grabs, oil and mineral rip-offs, murders, and betrayals — a litany of long-nurtured grievances that pit Indian against Indian. Take David Fuller Cook's trip to Reservation Nation and you'll find a remarkable people and come to know an unforgettable young man who stays true to his tribe while he learns to look the world in the face.

208 pages, Hardcover

First published December 10, 2007

Reviews

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading this book, and I really liked much of it. It challenged me, by not sticking to a western narrative structure (it read, I think, like I talk), but as I was reading it I was never certain I was the intended audience. Was this book for me, or about me? By the end I believed that it was for me, in the same way that my mother might have a message for me when she knew I was listening when I should have been in bed. In this case the novel's final pages did seem to say, "I know you are listening, and I have a message for you..." I agreed with the message, actually, but didn't love feeling like I was being addressed this way.

[Tom Southern]

This was a great read. I learned about life on Indian Reservations in last 1/2 of the 20th Century.

[Victoria Slotto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the rambling, conversational voice and the shared wisdom of the American Indian tradition. At times it was a bit hard to follow because it skipped around. Overall worth reading--a quick read.