Inside Passage: Living With Killer Whales, Bald Eagles, and Kwakiutl Indians

Book Description

Inspired by Robinson Crusoe and Jack London, Michael Modzelewski, jettisoned all baggage accompanying life in the comfortable middle class and set out to find raw, unharnessed wilderness. He found it on Blackfish Sound ("Blackfish" is the Kwakiutl Indian word for the killer whale) in the Inside Passage, the rugged coastline between Seattle and Alaska.

Leaving his home in Aspen, which had become a false Shangri-La for him, Modzelewski settled on a desolate island in the Inside Passage, a place which "after seducing you with beauty would shake you with fear. An unpredictable place that kept you always prepared, honed to the keen edge of life." Here he lived alone for months on end.

Inside Passage describes his experiences in this unspoiled setting, where the sky is his ceiling, mountains are his walls, and physical challenges test him down to the marrow. He also forms unusual friendships with passing yachters, salmon fishermen, Kwakiutl Indians, loners, and the owner of the house he is staying at, Will Malloff, a man of oversized personality -- a healer, builder, woodsman, and thinker. Modzelewski writes with a love for nature and gentle humor about his interactions with the native animals (eagles, whales, wolves), local animals (cats, dogs, "tame" wild boars), and other settlers.

Inside Passage is the powerful story of one man learning the ways of self-reliance in a soul-filled search through the northern wilderness.

Customer Reviews:

Real Deal.......2006-04-25

I live in Alaska and a friend recommended Mr. Modzelewski's book. And now I recommend it to the world. Sure, there's the usual descriptions of animals, ocean, weather and solitude but what makes this book special is the author goes so much deeper into the Spirit behind things. Haven't stopped thinking about his experiences and it's been a month now since I finished the book.

PURE DRAMA.......2005-06-19

I'm an actress and read scripts, rarely books -- but after a producer friend recommended Inside Passage to me, I couldn't put it down! In fact, I read it three times. It was like watching a movie -- that's how vividly Michael Modzelewski writes. Alaska is a far different world than Los Angeles and I escaped completely to a pure and inspiring reality. Thank you, Michael! You are gifted and blessed. And who knows? Maybe we can turn this captivating story into a film, with the author and animals the main characters and could there be a more beautiful setting than the Inside Passage to Alaska -- as evoked so wonderfully in this poetic prose.

Interesting but too idealistic.......2005-04-01

Quick read. Definitely worth it if you have been or are going to be in the region. Some of his scientific stuff is a little off but it's not the right book if you are looking for exacting detail on these subjects. Modzelewski's perspectives were very idealistic and I found it a little difficult to believe that the experiences he relates were quite a spiritual or mind altering as he sometimes makes them seem. The author does pull series of stories or facts together well. The chapters addressed themes - like the tribes, animals, the island's owner, etc. Modzelewski doesn't try to tell you everything there is to know about any of these subjects but selects what he thinks is interesting and relates it briefly. Often the points he makes or the stories he chooses to tell are not ones that you might have expected.

Inside Passage -- Captivating!!!!!.......2004-09-08

A wonderful voyage in mother nature's womb, evoking feelings of awe, and revere at the colossal universe, inhaling the powerful imagery of wilderness through Michael.

Beyond Human.......2004-08-11

Michael Modzelewski writes like a wild animal. If the beasts could speak it wouldn't come out much different than how Michael describes them. The author knows no limits -- extending into and giving shape to all animate matter in super insightful poetic prose.

Average customer rating:

Indian Killer
Well worth a second look
A lot of noise, but not a lot of substance...
Wooden Whites
It'll keep you guessing...

Indian Killer
Sherman Alexie
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0446673706

Amazon.com

Native American Sherman Alexie's new novel is a departure in tone from his lyrical and funny earlier work, which include The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and Reservation Blues. The main character is an Indian serial killer who incites racial tension by murdering whites in retribution for his people's history. The killer leaves clear signs of his motives by scalping his victims, and leaving feathers as gestures of Indian defiance. The killer is a conflicted creation--raised by loving white parents, but twisted by loss of his identity as an Indian. Alexie layers the story with complications and ancillary characters, from a rabid talk show host, to vengeance seeking whites, to liberals who find their patronizing espousal of Indian causes no longer so easy.

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

Indian Killer.......2007-06-13

Indian Killer
Sherman Alexie
New York, NY. Warner Books 1996
420 pages

"The sheets are dirty. An Indian health service hospital in the late sixties, on this reservation or that reservation, any reservation, a particular reservation. Antiseptic, cinnamon, and danker odors, anonymous cries up and down the hallways..."
This is the introduction that Sherman Alexie uses to explain the world, but through the eyes of Native Americans.
Indian killer is the story of john smith, Marie Polatkin, And of course, the Indian killer. John smith was born a full Native American but he was raised by white people. He later meets a Native American activist named Marie And at this time there is a mysterious murder where the victim was scalped, which starts an argument between the white people and the native people of Seattle.
Being Native American but raised by white people, john smith is slipping into madness because he doesn't know what tribe he is from. He has an overwhelming need to be a Native American.
My favorite part of this whole book is when Marie Polatkin argues with the Native American studies teacher who is white. She argued because the teacher was using a book written by a guy who wasn't Native American. This was funny because I could see myself doing something like that.
The theme Sherman Alexie was trying to show is how hard it can be for a race when some kind of media is attacking them. In this case it was the radio.
This book was really great. I liked how it changes from person to person. I would change all the stereotypes that Sherman Alexie uses in the book.
I would recommend this for people who can follow more than one storyline. And I would also recommend this for people who are interested in Native Americans or who are Native American

Well worth a second look.......2007-04-11

After reading other reviewers, I am amused and not a bit surprised. Sherman Alexie can't get a break - sure he is successful by many standards, but the critiques I read were watery. Useless, in fact. This book was a departure from Alexie's shorter stories - any why not? His short stories were a departure from his poems. His films have been departures in a sense, both from his texts, and also one from the other. His poetry bouts and comedy are also departures. What that says to me is you can't categorize Alexie, and thank goodness. Prolific and talented may be the two that could be applied most, and we are fortunate as his audience.
Why should Alexie make white people interesting? Though I would argue he does, this criticism is useless. White people reading his book will most likely be too busy emulating one or more of the characters.
I just finished reading the novel a second time. I read it when it first came out, and promptly gave my copy to my best friend. That was in 1996/7. I lived in Seattle at the time. Since that time I've had time to learn a lot of things from some really understanding and brilliant people. My recent reading of Indian Killer was mind-blowing. Alexie has a keen mind for detail - I am giving a lecture tonight with this text in hand, and the historical context makes my 2.5 hour class an easy one to teach. Adoption of Native children , sterilization of Native women, poverty, alcoholism, racism - all these are trends that were ultimately going to wipe out Native populations - something we know as ethnic cleansing or genocide. And these are just in recent history.
The wannabe Indian movement is where I was nailed, but thankfully schooled about in the early 90s. None of those folks I knew were wannabe drunks, wannabe in poverty, wannabe sterilized, etc. A huge trend in Seattle in the 1990s, with books like Women Who Run With the Wolves and Iron John. These movements were just another way for whites to "deal" with their complicity in how messed up the world is for over half its occupants.
Now everyone has found religion or Prozac. But its clear Alexie won't let us white folks burrow into our complacency without a fight. Thank goodness.

A lot of noise, but not a lot of substance..........2006-11-05

I very much enjoyed the movie "Smoke Signals", which was based on Sherman Alexie's "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven", so it was with substantial anticipation I sat down to read "Indian Killer" as part of a book club selecton. Right away the language was easy and light, and the first few chapters flew by quickly. However, it soon became evident that the story and the writing in general would not hold its appeal for me.

It is set up as a typical "who-dunnit" albeit with an Indian flair. We are treated to lots of stereotypical "observations" about Indians and about Whites, all from the other's viewpoint. There is a desperate attempt to portray political incorrectness; however, it more or less boils down to a meaningless shouting match between people who have in some way been wronged. And the solution to the mystery is a complete let-down. All that for this???

I found various historical tidbits and descriptions of customs interesting; however, I often found myself questioning the amount of objectivity in certain factual-sounding statements. This became especially evident after a certain description of a neighborhood in Seattle mainly inhabited by Scandinavians. The narrator explains the lack of trees in this neighborhood as a direct result of these Scandinavians' wish to emulate the "monotonous flat landscape of their homelands" and thus they proceded to cut down all the trees. Well, I can hardly think of a more inaccurate way to describe the mountainous and forrested countries of Sweden and Norway... After such a blunder, I became perhaps overly sceptical of the remainder of the story.

From the reviews it seems as if most people agree this is not Alexie's best book, and that his first work is far superior. I will therefore conclude that I need to read another of his books to appreciate his writing and popularity, and all I can offer is that if you are reading Sherman Alexie for the first time, this is defintely not a recommended start.

Wooden Whites.......2006-03-10

I've read this book four times now. There are a few passages so well-crafted that I enjoy reading them even now. However, the book is not without problems, at least in my opinion. These problems do not by any means destroy the story. They simply make it a bit less than it could be.

In my opinion, any novel that addresses issues of race and racism best strikes a chord when a reader can see his reflection in one or more of the characters. Indian Killer revolves around the interaction between whites, Indians, and, peripherally, blacks. I can't speak for Indian or black readers, but as a white reader, I couldn't see myself or any friends or acquantances in the book's white characters. The white characters seemed as wooden and as stereotyped to me as Indian characters from old movies or novels must seem to Indians. While Indian readers might find the book's white characters believable, I did not. This, in turn, made me question the authenticity of the Indian characters, leaving me with little choice other than to take the author, as an Indian, "at his word" regarding the aforementioned authenticity.

I think that if I ever wrote a novel about racial issues, I'd ask Indian or black or latino friends to contribute to my development of my book's Indian, black, or latino characters. I wouldn't be asking so much for help with vernacular, dress, mannerisms, etc. as I would be for input regarding deeper emotions, feelings about other races, etc. Similarly, if I were Alexie and I had no mentally ill children at the time of my writing of Indian Killer, I'd ask friends or acquantances with mentally ill children, or more specifically schizophrenic children, to help me develop my mother and father characters, characters in Indian Killer who slowly but steadily lose their son to psychosis. Had Alexie done so, I think he would have created a more plausable scenario for his novel. Great fiction allows the reader to logically, if only temporarily, suspend reality in favor of the author's fantasy. I wish this good novel would have done that very thing for me.

It'll keep you guessing..........2006-01-18

The Indian Killer has two sub-stories within one book. The main story is about a criminally insane man that is going around Seattle committing murders. The other is a story about how an Indian boy who was adopted by a white family and has to deal with the fact that he will never know his racial heritage or where he comes from. This is an exiting book, from page one it catches your attention and keeps you interested till the last page. The plot is filled with twists and turns and it will keep you guessing till the last chapter. I must say that the ending is a little dull, but the book is filled with surprises and I guarantee that you won't be able to put it down. Another interesting thing about Indian Killer is that every chapter is about a different character. There aren't two chapters in a row that are about the same character. I would like to close by saying that Indian Killer was one of the greatest books that I have ever read.

Kit Carson: Indian Fighter or Indian Killer?

Average customer rating:

Presentism Fails Again

Kit Carson: Indian Fighter or Indian Killer?

Manufacturer: University Press of Colorado
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Customer Reviews:

Presentism Fails Again.......2007-08-30

In the historical profession the term "Presentism" denotes writing a history book or article using the values of the present to judge the events of the past. For instance, apologists for the Confederacy--called neo-Confederates--have attempted to rewrite Civil War history. They attempt to prove--from their modern perspective--that slavery was wrong and had nothing to do with the outbreak of the Civil War because the "noble" leaders of the Confederacy could not have fought for so evil a cause. Much better to claim that they fought for states rights. Similar attitudes damn Presidents Washington and Jefferson for holding slaves despite the fact that abolition was an idea that had barely appeared in the American consciousness of their time. Similarly, other "presentists" damn the whites for taking land from the Indians at a time when taking land from aboriginal inhabitants any where in the world was then the norm. One wonders what sins our generation will be condemned for two or three centuries in the future because we did not have the wisdom to see that far ahead.

In this vein, R.C. Gordon-McCutchan, as editor of "Kit Carson: Indian Fighter or Indian Killer" has collected essays from modern scholars who have done their best to place Carson in his correct time and place. In short these authors have tried to let Carson live by the standards of the mid-19th Century rather than those of the 20th (the book was published in 1996).

Carson lived in a time and place where, since 1607, the Navajo raided first the Spanish, then Mexicans and finally the Americans. During this long period the Navajo also raided the resident Hopi, Pueblo, and Zuni, whose urban-agricultureal life produced a wealth worth stealing. There is some irony in the fact that both the archaeological and historical evidence clearly shows the Navajo were themselves invaders of the area.

The Americans were simply another group to raid as were any other non Navajos of the area. Kit Carson, as a man of the 19th Century, was in reality just carrying on an established pattern, and he did it, according to the research in this book, in a remarkably--for the time-- humane manner. The Navajo rendidtions of his cruelty are mainly, according to this book, legends that were spawned in the 1970 through the 1990s. They were not part of the Navajo opinion of the 1860s,

Timothy R. Roberts Ph.D (Univesity of Missouri 1976)

Crow Killer: The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson

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Excellent historical novel
Definitely not the movie...but still a good read.
Mountain man
It ain't the movie
Jeremiah Johnson was a wimp!

Crow Killer: The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson
Raymond W. Thorp , and Robert Bunker
Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 025311425X

Customer Reviews:

Excellent historical novel.......2007-07-23

The author has put together from varying pieces of history the story of a true mountain man whose legend is grown to larger than life. The early west was a brutal and harsh environment, not the romantic scenes that are painted in most novels. This is a good glimpse into the reality of the time and the people who shaped the country as we know it today.

Definitely not the movie...but still a good read........2006-10-27

If you've watched "Jeremiah Johnson" and enjoyed it, then you should take some time and read the book that spawned the movie. But be forewarned, the movie takes a few liberties here and there and if (that's a big if) the book is generally true, then the chronology of many things in the movie aren't correct. You could say that the movie is like a radio-friendly death metal song...a little missing here and there but you get the overall picture. I loved the movie and I admit the authors of the book seem to stretch the truth a little, but it's still a good read. I can only laugh at the politically incorrect accusations made in other reviews. Things were a lot different back then on both sides of the fence and I really don't think many mountain men nor American Indians went around feeling warm and fuzzy about their fair and balanced treatment of all of mankind. In fact, if you read other historical accounts of this period, you will find that the relationship between trapper and most American Indian tribes was most likely more honorable than the realtionship that the tribes would have with Indian agents, missionaries, and other traders (look up germ warfare). In fact, Christian missionaries were more deadly to the tribes and their culture than many of the so-called politically incorrect mountain men. The big-screen version of Johnson would most likely cower if he met the book version of Johnson. Overall, a good read.

Mountain man.......2006-03-19

I was amazed with the story of this man. Thorp was careful to research the book, but this resulted in a dry read. The book "Mountain Man" was a much more interesting read but did not reveal the true nature of Johnson. Thorp did. I have lived in these mountains and plains for 40 years and that made the book very interesting. I have been to many of the places in the book. Worth reading.

It ain't the movie.......2005-08-09

This is an unusual book with lots of interesting stories but probably requires a specialty audience. The writing style is very different from your standard novel. It is a collection of stories taken down from people who were with John Johnson and then arranged basically in as cronological an order as possible or arranged by topic. For someone who is mountainman buff or is otherwise familiar with the historic time period, it is a great insight into the life and hardships of these men and women. One of the characteristics of many westerners was the art of understatement and that shows up in the retelling of these stories and so reading between the lines is helpful. As a history teacher, I enjoyed the book. If you are looking for a romantic extention of the movie "Jeramiah Johnson," this ain't it.

Jeremiah Johnson was a wimp!.......2005-08-02

The movie "Jeremiah Johnson" found some of its inspiration and history in the true life adventures of John "Liver-Eatin'" Johnston. As tough as Jeremiah was, he can barely hold a candle to the tough mountain man who ate the livers of his vanquished foes.

The feats of survival, tracking, and hunting boggle the mind. While the authors draw from oral history (and perhaps have been taken in with some broad embellishments), the remarkable vengeance Johnston extracts from the Crow tribe for the death of his wife and unborn child is staggering. The Crows, troubled by Johnston's relentless vengeance, dispatch 20 warriors on a mission to find and kill the tribe's nemesis. Over a period that spanned over a decade the solitary Crows fall to Johnston. He killed them all.

This is not a book for the politically correct...the book originally appeared in the 1940s. Don't expect to confront descriptions of other races that include hyphens.

For those who have read the Dan O'Brien books, THE CONTRACT SURGEON and THE INDIAN AGENT, there is a reference to Valentine T. McGillycuddy. For fans of the HBO Original Series DEADWOOD, "Colorado" Charlie Utter warrants several mentions.

An interesting read for those who harbor any admiration for the real pioneers.

Average customer rating:

Highly recommended for 3-4 year olds
A classic, beautiful book
I simply fell in love with the artwork and its young hero.

Storm Boy
Paul Owen Lewis
Manufacturer: Tricycle Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1582460574

Customer Reviews:

Highly recommended for 3-4 year olds.......2007-06-19

I orginally bought a copy of this book for my eldest son in 1997 on a visit home to Vancouver Island. My younger son, aged 3, discovered it in the bookshelf and absolutely loves this story and wants to read it nearly every night. It has all the elements of a great children's storybook - the illustrations are lush and vibrant, with great attention to historical, cultural and artistic detail. The story is simple, with minimal text - half of the story is alluded to via the illustrations. The boy accidentally finds himself in a parallel supernatural undersea world, and eventually returns to his own village bringing spiritual gifts to his people. I will definately be buying a copy of Frog Girl. More please...

A classic, beautiful book.......2001-12-04

People will be framing the artwork from this book fifty years from now. And it's one of my son's favorite books. Great for reading aloud, one of the books you keep reaching for. A classic story, well told and beautifully rendered with images that are faithful to the actual traditions and styles of the Haida and Tlingit people. So it's not just "mind candy" -- it's an introduction to a culture.

I simply fell in love with the artwork and its young hero........1998-01-03

Paul O. Lewis does a great service to children by using a scholarly approach to his young hero. Giving us not only rich and evocative artwork but portraying the ancient tale of the mythic hero with fresh and innocent eyes is a wonderful gift. Readers seeking the beauty of a children's book that provides an uplifting experience and faithful cultural feeling will fall in love with this book just as I have. -V.S.

Eye Killers (American Indian Literature and Critical Studies Series, Vol 13)

Average customer rating:

Merging traditions, challenging dominance

Eye Killers (American Indian Literature and Critical Studies Series, Vol 13)
A. A. Carr
Manufacturer: University of Oklahoma Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0806128542

Customer Reviews:

Merging traditions, challenging dominance.......2000-06-02

_Eye Killers_ brings together and reconstructs two traditions in fiction. It is another healing novel by and about American Indians of the Southwest in the tradition of Momaday's Pulitzer Prize winning _House Made of Dawn_ and Silko's _Ceremony_. It is also a vampire novel, but not one that romanticizes vampires for the gothic crowd. _Eye Killers_ presents vampires as the monsters they are. Along the way, however, A. A. Carr presents new antidotes to the stock of vampire lore. I don't want to say too much here and ruin the surprise that many readers seek, so I'll keep it general. Unlike most Western vampire lore that reinforces the truth-claims of Christianity and validates the world-views of Western civilization, _Eye Killers_ offers a narrative that validates Pueblo beliefs, healing rituals, and sacred ceremonies. Furthermore, one of the characters, and one suspects the author, considers the presence of vampires in Albuquerque a symptom of the world out of balance as a consequence of the mining of uranium (and a civilization that considers such exploitation of the land a benefit to humanity). The vampires must be destroyed, but the evil that brought them into existence is a stronger adversary.

My story: from jungle killer to Christian missionary,: As told to Ethel Emily Wallis (Harper jungle missionary classics)

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My story: from jungle killer to Christian missionary,: As told to Ethel Emily Wallis (Harper jungle missionary classics)
Tariri
Manufacturer: Harper & Row
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007DZ5MI

Tobacco Use by Native North Americans: Sacred Smoke and Silent Killer (Civilization of the American Indian Series)

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Tobacco Use by Native North Americans: Sacred Smoke and Silent Killer (Civilization of the American Indian Series)

Manufacturer: University of Oklahoma Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0806132620

Book Description

Recently identified as a killer, tobacco has been the focus of health warnings, lawsuits, and political controversy. Yet many Native Americans continue to view tobacco--when used properly--as a life-affirming and sacramental substance that plays a significant role in Native creation myths and religious ceremonies.

This definitive work presents the origins, history, and contemporary use (and misuse) of tobacco by Native Americans. It describes wild and domesticated tobacco species and how their cultivation and use may have led to the domestication of corn, potatoes, beans, and other food plants. It also analyzes many North American Indian practices and beliefs, including the concept that tobacco is so powerful and sacred that the spirits themselves are addicted to it. The book presents medical data revealing the increasing rates of commercial tobacco use by Native youth and the rising rates of death among Native American elders from lung cancer, heart disease, and other tobacco-related illnesses. Finally, this volume argues for the preservation of traditional tobacco use in a limited, sacramental manner while criticizing the use of commercial tobacco.

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The green killer (The Avenger)
Kenneth Robeson
Manufacturer: WARNER PAPERBACK LIBRARY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0006WFL8S

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INDIAN KILLER
Sherman Alexie
Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N71NAQ

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