Broken: A Love Story - Horses, Humans, and Redemption on the Wind River Indian Reservation

by Lisa Jones

Writer Lisa Jones went to Wyoming for a four-day magazine assignment and came home four years later with a new life. At a dusty corral on the Wind River Indian Reservation, she met Stanford Addison, a Northern Arapaho who seemed to transform everything around him. He gentled horses rather than breaking them by force. It was said that he could heal people of everything from cancer toÊbipolar disorder. He did all this from a wheelchair; he had been a quadriplegic for more than twenty years. Intrigued, Lisa sat at Stanford's kitchen table and watched. She saw neighbors from the reservation and visitors from as far away as Holland bump up the dirt road to his battered modular home, seeking guidance and healing for what had broken in their lives. She followed him into the sweat lodge -- a framework of willow limbs covered with quilts -- where he used prayer and heat to shrink tumors and soothe agitated souls. Standing on his sun-blasted porch, pit bulls padding past her, she felt the vibration from thundering bands of Arabian horses that Stanford's young nephews brought to the ring to train. And she listened to his story. Stanford spent his teenage years busting broncs, seducing girls, and dealing drugs. At twenty, he left the house for another night of partying. By morning, a violent accident had robbed him of his physical prowess and left in its place unwelcome spiritual powers -- an exchange so shocking that Stanford spent several years trying to kill himself. But eventually he surrendered to his new life and mysterious gifts. Over the years Lisa was a frequent visitor to Stanford's place, the reservation and its people worked on her, exposing and healing the places where she, too, was broken. Broken entwines her story with Stanford's, exploring powerful spirits, material poverty, spiritual wealth, friendship, violence, confusion, death, and above all else,"a love that comes before and after and above and below romantic love."

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Horses, Native American, Biography, Animals, Book Club

275 pages, Hardcover

First published April 24, 2009

About the author

I did not write Bulletproof Diva, although I kind of wish I had. Another Lisa Jones wrote that. Please see my blog on the challenges of being an author named Lisa Jones. I have been a journalist for 25 years, specializing in the Rocky Mountain West, but also covering crime, food, travel, spirituality, geese as pets, swamp coolers for cars and the hazards of dating biologists.

My writing has appeared in High Country News, Orion, Smithsonian, the New York Times Magazine, Tin House, National Public Radio, the Burlington (Vt.) Free Press, the Denver Post, the Christian Science Monitor and the Tico Times (in San Jose, Costa Rica, where I worked for a year.)

She lives in Colorado with her husband and two cats. Broken: A Love Story is her first book.

Reviews

[Cara Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

To me, this achingly honest book is all about surrender. Lisa Jones set out to write a magazine article about a quadriplegic Native American horse gentler and spiritual healer. She ended up taking a life-changing journey through her own spiritual quest, with the healer as her guide. I felt I was riding alongside the author the entire way, and it was a heart-opening ride.

The title says it all. Before he could become a healer, Stanford Addison had to be "Broken." He was a drug-dealing, womanizing, violent outlaw, until an accident paralyzed him. He lost his mobility, but gained a conduit to the divine. Wherever he appears, magic happens to people in need of a cure: physical, emotional, or spiritual. People bring horses to Standord to get "Broken." Instead of breaking an animal's spirit, he teaches horse and rider the art of surrender. This doesn't mean giving up, but accepting what is. Shortly after the author meets Standford, she too, is "Broken," in her stumbling quest for romantic love. But with Stanford as her mentor, she discovers "a love that comes before and after and above and below romantic love."

The author neither glorifies nor degrades Native Americans. She simply explores another way of life, poor in money but rich in human and spiritual connection. In "white" America's constant quest for success, we sometimes miss out on the gifts of surrender. Stanford shows Lisa, both in the heat of the sweat lodge and in the heat of her own heart, that suffering isn't always bad. Although at one point, Lisa's adoration of Stanford approaches that of a disciple, she makes sure to show us that, at bottom, he is simply human. Which is good news, because that means any of us can touch the divine... if only we surrender.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to echo Alexandra Fuller, who calls this memoir "the most important and beautiful book to come out of the West in a decade." BROKEN: A LOVE STORY is a stunning debut. Lisa Jones writes about her life-changing relationship with Stanford Addison in a way that had me belly-laughing one minute, then sobbing on the floor in child's pose the next. This book has some very important things to say about women, and race, and class, and the perpetual longing for our own sense of tribe; and for this reason I hope it continues to get the widespread attention it is already getting. Within a few pages it becomes clear that Jones has a hell of a story to tell, one that's personal, political, spiritual, historical - and brutally honest. Her prose can be arrestingly blunt at times ("...and the brain-damaged Indian and the half-melted cowboy would relax on the row of foam-upholstered chairs..."); her metaphors are dead-on accurate ("Everyone regarded one another silently, hands plunged into sweatshirt pockets like Welsh miners standing in the hail, waiting for welfare checks. Everyone was so, so sad.") If there were more stars to assign here, I would - books like this don't come around very often. We are lucky that Scribner found this writer for the rest of us. Learn more about this gifted writer at www.lisajoneswrites.com

[Jacqie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. The author started out writing a magazine piece about a crippled horse trainer and parlayed it into a book. For her research, she returned again and again to the reservation on which the trainer lived. She writes affectingly about the poverty and endurance of the people on the reservation. She also gets herself into some trouble because of her poor boundaries.
Jones is at her best exploring the issues of white privilege. I could take or leave some of the mysticism. There wasn't as much about the horses as I thought there would be, which disappointed me.
Think of the author as a closer-to-home, less humorous Elizabeth Gilbert. She writes honestly about some bad choices, but I felt she could have gone a bit deeper.
One caveat: there is a really brutal scene about horse castration in this book. Not for the faint of heart.

[Laura Cornish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story of Lisa's journey into Arapaho culture by innocently heading up to the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming to do a story on Stanford Addison, but ends up staying on & off for 4 years to write a book about Stanford's life.
This is a book that needed to be written about an amazing man. After reading the book it made me want to travel to the reservation, break a horse, and endure a sweat lodge!!
This is a great read & I highly recommend reading this one!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover and tag line make this look like the most ridiculous horse/white person/spiritual quest/broken heart story. Which, hey, I love Eat, Pray, Love. So bring on some horses.

It does get a bit gooey and a bit awkward. What with the outsider telling the story of an Arapaho family.

It still struck me as sweet. The writer seemed truly invested in life alongside Stan, who would become something of a teacher and something of a friend. I like reading about sagebrush from time to time. I like reminding that there are cultures where family is the center, where generosity and prayer look very different, and where being rooted to one physical location for more than a college-degree-length-of-time shapes you.

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lisa Jones first met Stanford Addison (a quadriplegic, Northern Arapaho, horse-breaker and healer) when she was assigned an article on his horse-breaking techniques. She found herself returning regularly, however, for the spiritual connection she felt in his presence. Eventually, she pitched the idea of a book about Stan’s life, so she could spend more time getting to know him. Broken is that book. Broken is also a lot of other things – it’s a little bit about horse-breaking, a little bit about Native American traditions and beliefs, a little bit Stanford Addison’s biography, a little bit about reservation life, and a little bit about Lisa Jones’ own personal transformation (spiritual memoir?) as she learned more about Stan and his people and their way of life.

I read this compulsively, but in the end I wasn’t completely satisfied with it. Lisa’s personal journey took main stage and I was most interested in Stan, his horse-training (which got short shrift – maybe the article she wrote is more in-depth) and the kind of healing Stan did. There are some stories, and there are Lisa’s experiences to draw from, but I don’t feel like I really got inside of Stan’s head as much as I wanted to.

I tried to describe this book to someone in 3 words and her response was something like, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” This cracks me up. I don’t either! I just read something about a woman’s spiritual transformation, but I’m a bit lost because I went into it thinking it was going to be about a man and his affinity with horses. Secondary!

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colorado author Lisa Jones set out to write a book about Stanford Addison, a quadriplegic medicine man and horse breaker who lives up in Wyoming's Wind River Indian Reservation. And certainly he was a main character (and an EXTREMELY fascinating one whose broken body
freed him to soar), but "Broken" is more about Lisa herself. She finds a home, and more importantly herself, interviewing this amazing man and hanging out with his large, eclectic and somewhat wild family. She's fearless about telling her story, even when it paints her and her own family in a less than flattering light. I think women everywhere, especially women who feel a bit "broken" themselves by what their life has handed them, will identify with her. In addition, she does a tremendous job of capturing the spirit of the west as it lives and breathes today within the shadows of it's violent past. The 'medicine" in this book is thought provoking and hope-giving, especially Stan's tale of what the animals taught him about medicine, healing and living life. Read this book and see what all it has to offer for yourself--an to yourself.

[Tattered Cover Book Store]

Colorado author Lisa Jones set out to write a book about Stanford Addison, a quadriplegic medicine man and horse breaker who lives up in Wyoming's Wind River Indian Reservation. And certainly he was a main character (and an EXTREMELY fascinating one whose broken body
freed him to soar), but "Broken" is more about Lisa herself. She finds a home, and more importantly herself, interviewing this amazing man and hanging out with his large, eclectic and somewhat wild family. She's fearless about telling her story, even when it paints her and her own family in a less than flattering light. I think women everywhere, especially women who feel a bit "broken" themselves by what their life has handed them, will identify with her. In addition, she does a tremendous job of capturing the spirit of the west as it lives and breathes today within the shadows of it's violent past. The 'medicine" in this book is thought provoking and hope-giving, especially Stan's tale of what the animals taught him about medicine, healing and living life. Read this book and see what all it has to offer for yourself--an to yourself.

Jackie

[Lance Gideon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a hard time at first relating to any of the characters in this book, particularly the author who is a middle aged woman struggling with romantic relationships, and one that infused her own conflicts into the story of Stanford Addison's life. But as the book progressed, I began to appreciate Lisa Jones' personal story and its connection with the people at the center of this writing - the Arapaho tribe on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. Having her life become so intertwined with the Arapaho's, especially the Addison family, in fact made the characters come more to life - their strengths, their weaknesses, their shining moments, and the deep sorrow and difficult trials that plague their people regularly. Stanford Addison is a man I would love to meet, and his family, a people I would greatly appreciate spending time with. Jones became a member of the Addison family - an experience I truly envy - and because of this, she penned a wonderful work that is a window into the lives of a people that, sadly, I have been unable to relate to at such a deep and intimate level.

You will appreciate this book, because you will appreciate those that it is dedicated to.

[Marjorie Elwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first part of the story was interesting as the author began researching the life of Stanford Addison, a Northern Arapahoe who spiritually fixes horses and humans. She soon left any possible journalistic equanimity behind, however, and I didn't have the same reaction as she did to a 'miraculous' mini-tornado (that she said was spirits trying to tell her something) or to the 'demon dogs'. I didn't feel that she'd built up the story sufficiently that I could suspend belief to that extent. It kind of petered out for me....

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to remove this book from my Animal bookshelf on goodreads because guess what? It's NOT ABOUT ANIMALS! Inspite of a horse taking up the entire cover, horses play the smallest part in this book. So not only was that disappointing, but I just didn't really care for the author. I was so excited to read about people a county away, but I also had heard a few people say they didn't care for it. I didn't care for it either. And it was so sad that at least once I was brought to tears by the heartbreak that continues on reservations.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a beautiful cover and an intriguing premise, promising a great spiritual journey. I believe the spiritual journey may have taken place, but I think the best parts of it aren't in the book. The book is more a glimpse of what a spiritual journey looks like from the outside, which is not interesting as it mainly takes place on the inside. On the outside, you're just visiting the Walmart on the reservation frequently.

[Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. In a nutshell, the author travels to WY to interview an Arapaho medicine man/"horse whisper," and ends up staying on & off for 4 years. In the process, Lisa Jones learns a lot about the difficult life on an Indian Reservation, the magic of Stan (medicine man), and how love always triumphs over fear.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lisa Jones was suppose to write a book on Stanford Addisons. The story is hiding between her issues and she has loads of them. Highly disappointed in this book.

[Books I'm Not Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

Video forthcoming on this one, but very, very disappointed mainly because it wasn't what I believed it to be.

[Kenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was like an anchor for me. Being in touch with Stan Addison reminded me of my strength and my shared kinship with humans and non-humans alike.

One of the central metaphors of the book is when the author describes how Stan would gently tame a horse: he would erect a pulley system that would require the horse to stand at the center of the training area in order to be comfortable. The horse could try to escape by moving to the edge, or it could submit and stand comfortably at the center. I would argue that much of the book was the author's experience of a similar taming, and I found it to be beautiful. To some degree, we all create our own suffering and make it worse by looking for an escape. And hopefully, as we grow wiser, we realize we can choose to find our center.

I wish there had been even more information on horse training, but the book is more of a holistic view of sweat lodges and life on the wind River reservation. Living in Oklahoma and having friends of various tribal nations, I felt like the picture painted rang true, both for the subjects of the book and the author herself. I thought the author did an excellent job writing the complexity of whiteness in Arapaho culture. Her training in meditation added depth, I thought.

Ultimately, I am grateful to the author and those she worked with for sharing what they did. It's not comfortable to see suffering in the world, but we all have the choice to participate in healing, for ourselves, and each other.

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an unusual story of Stanford Addison, quadriplegic Arapaho healer and horse gentler who was also a soul whisperer. Lisa heard about Stanford and after a 4-day magaxine assignment focusing on his method of working with horses, she decided to embed herself in the community, growing to love Stanford in the largest sense of the world which is to say to learn to love him as a spiritual teacher and healer, and to learn to live with her own vulnerability. It also is a look at the intersection between Native American culture and history at the crossroads as the youth of the reservation struggle to find the good path in this life, and Lisa opens herself to questioning all she thought she understood in her own life. Set in the wind-swept iconic landscape of Wind River, Wyoming, it is a look at a complex relationship between the people of Wind River and the larger context of a changing world.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Picked up this book at the Grand Teton National Park store in the airport at Jackson Hole. I had high hopes for deep learning about spiritual growth, horse training, Native American beliefs and life, and Wyoming history--but sadly it was a maudlin and disappointing read. Though the writing is expressive and the characters vibrant, the story quickly became directionless and mired. Hope springs eternal, however, and I kept slogging through, waiting for the Light to shine. Nope. I recommend you steer clear of this one--it's a sad, muddy, confusing, self-centered tome.

[Nasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful, inspiring and moving book this was. I most certainly learned from this book, and I feel like I could come back to it in difficult times. Although I read this book slower than I read novels, I could not put it down. I thought about it throughout my day, and this book actually made me cry full tears. This books makes me want to be more grounded, to stop running from pain and fully embrace myself. This book makes me want to work, spiritually. I highly recommend this book!

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt like I was on the reservation in Wyoming. Lisa Jones' writing takes you right into the sweat lodge, the corral, Stan's house. It's evocative and compelling and so beautifully written. Highly recommend.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not much depth to this story.

Poor character development. Depth of feelings expressed about the relationships were not credible. Difficult to read about so much pain and suffering without a meaningful resolution in the story. Won’t be recommending this book.

[Lorri · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Stopped at page 86. Was chosen for our book club. Had such hopes, being from WY it sounded like it would be good. Unfortunately, none of us could get into the book. The writing style just wasn’t enough to keep us interested. None of our book club finished the book.

[Caren · Rating 2 out of 5]

not. about. horses.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing and moving story about the healing power of love.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story. Remarkable how sometimes medicine doesn't help that much, but other things really do.

[Nyree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond excellent.

[Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled with this book. I'm not even sure what to write about it b/c so little resonated. I appreciate its blunt and brutal honesty, but...yeah, that's all I can write right now.

[Marisol Hurtado · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book actually surprised me and was quite fun to read!

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written account of the author's time on the Wind River Res with the Addison family. Life is gritty and harsh but Lisa Jones writes with realism and honesty so that one feels as if we too had shared in the losses, togetherness and heartbreak.

[Margo Berendsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a fascination for Wyoming, my adopted state, that this author apparently has also, because she captured part of the mystique and also added to it, which I deeply appreciated. I have driven through the Wind River Indian Reservation so many times and wondered about the stories that were hidden within it, and this book richly revealed some of those stories and pathos.

I was very, very impressed with the writing. This woman can write sharp, vivid prose and dreamy prose as well. She can capture the heart of a person in a few words, or the poignancy of a moment that would otherwise seem muddled. I learned so much about tribal life and reservation life from this book, beautiful and painful details both. One thing that struck me is that Arapahoes don't ask someone where they live; they ask them "where do you stay?"

What I would have loved even more would have been more direct quotes from the Arapahoes, less synthesized through a white women's lovely writing. Though to give her credit, she was very humble about her whiteness, her pretensions to write about another race, another culture. I was surprised at how Stanford's family and tribe embraced her, but I think that was because she came in brokenness and not in pride.

From the preface:

The day I met Stanford Addison, I sat with him outside his corral watching the horse inside it try to escape.... Stanford watched until she was finished. Then he said in a low voice, "I can't save you."

I wasn't trying to write an authoritative book about Native Americans or Native life. I was there to write a book about Stanford's evolution from what he had been, a bad-boy outlaw, into the renowned spiritual healer he had become. But I didn't get the information I needed in the quick question-and-answer sessions that that been the staple of my worked as journalist. I learned to wait and watch. And a lot of what i ended up watching was what was going on inside of me. Only when I was nearly finished with this book did I realize what it was about - the journey I took following Stanford's gentleness back toward its source, a journey so joyful, painful, and different from anything I'd experienced that there was no way to prepare for it.

Which brings me back to the mare, breathing hard and kicking up dirt and trying to make sense of where she had found herself. That was exactly what I did for much of the time I spent at Stanford's. I, too, skidded to a halt and silently pleaded with him to save me, or at least explain what was happening. But he couldn't. Or wouldn't.

The thing is, not only horses get broken around here. Everything does, starting with the ground itself....a new mountain range broke though the ancestral Rocky Mountains, leaving the original range's broken remains leaning against the flanks of the Wind River Range... in 1878, at the end of the Indian wars, the Northern Arapaho people arrived at the upthrust of the Wind River Range in their own state of brokenness, defeated and hungry.

And then there was Stanford. His accident had smashed his spine and ...left him in a wheelchair. Along with his physical paralysis had come some powerful healing gifts... He had been broken...his body changed forever, but so was his heart. This happened in different ways to a lot of people around Stanford.

I have more quotes I want to add as I have time.