The Map of Who We Are: A Novel

by Lawrence R. Smith

The Map of Who We Are is Lawrence R. Smith's epic vision of the last one thousand years of American history. A work of astonishing breadth and imagination, the novel combines Native American myth and prophecy, Chinese alchemy, and European esotericism to depict a radical transformation in our sense of who we are and where we belong. Central to the novel are the Travelers, who communicate across apparent divisions in time and space by means of the Network, a grid of interlocking energy vortices. Among the Travelers are Handsome Bear, a Chacoan who visits Kublai Khan's China in an attempt to restore vitality to his dying culture; Joey Malone, a Neanderthal healer; Walker Thompkins, a contemporary Lakota woman; Wong Fu Gee, a Chinese revolutionary posing as a fisherman in nineteenth-century Monterey; and the jazz pianist Thelonius Monk. These characters struggle to oppose the Death Squad, whose aim is prevent the Great Millennial Shift, which will mark the end of racial, ethnic, and gender conflict in America.

In a virtuoso blending of fact and fiction, Smith stands historical assumptions on their heads. For example, Native Americans become early intercontinental travelers and "discoverers" (though not conquerors) of other lands. The novel's brilliant interweaving of myriad plot threads culminates in an inspiring vision of the peace predicted by Christian, Native American, and Eastern religions: the reign of the lotus, the cactus, and the crimson rose.

308 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1997

Reviews

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a difficult but interesting book. I didn't quite like it due to the post-modern style, but the message it portrays is very intriguing. This is a thought provoking book. It stays with you a long time.

One aspect that has stayed with me is the idea that even though the Native American's way of life was destroyed, they would still live on, penetrate the next generations. They would not die. There was a lot of jumping around in time, so this idea was able to reveal itself in the book. If I remember correctly there were two ways they would achieve this, by having children, mixing the races and by subverting culturally.

From what I remember this book is similar in the underlying premise of Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. Clearly not as popular as Quinn's book, and with the difficult writing style not surprising.

Since it's been such a long time since I read the book, I feel it is one I should re-read. Perhaps the jarring jumps won't be so significant the next time around.