Title: The Way to Rainy Mountain
Author: N. Scott Momaday
Genres: memoir, biography, folklore
Read Great Things Challenge 2020 category: A book about the great outdoors (sort of).
This book was read by Stephen Brooks, Main Campus Reference Librarian.
Why did you read this book?
It was assigned book club reading. N. Scott Momaday is the descendant of Kiowas, a Native American tribe indigenous to the Great Plains of what is now the United States. This book is many things, including a biography of Momaday’s grandmother, who was a young child when the resistance by the Kiowa people against white buffalo hunters and the expanding United States ended; folklore tracing the beginning of the Kiowa tribe and its traditions; and the author’s reflection on his heritage, through stories, poems and drawings.
What did you like about it?
Well, it was short! (Not lying, that’s one thing I liked about it.)
I started reading it when we first began our isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I was very anxious, having small panic attacks, not sleeping well, and I wondered what the future would hold. Reading this book gave me some perspective. People have persevered through greater suffering and economic and environmental devastation in the past. Humanity is resilient and we live on beyond our natural lifespan through the stories we tell and the people whose lives we touch. At least, I found this comforting.
Is there anything noteworthy about the book?
The Way to Rainy Mountain has been cited as an example of a writer “transform[ing] a variety of oral and written styles and public and private subjects into a coherent and original form of tribal, family, and personal history.” It is an engaging, accessible introduction to the history and culture of the Kiowa tribe.
What feeling did the book leave you with?
It left me longing for untouched wilderness and a desire to connect with the natural world. In the few weeks since I finished the book, I have spent time bird-watching in my yard and neighborhood. We have also planted a garden at our house, which we had not planned to do this year. My home office looks out on a privacy hedge, bushes, and tall trees. I hear many birds–right now, Great Crested Flycatchers and a House Wren, two summer bird species in North Carolina–calling throughout the day.
Who else might like this book?
Readers interested in Native American history, literature, and culture will enjoy this book. I think students of creative writing will find some ideas in it too.
What would you pair this book with?
As I said, it paired well in my case with being in a pandemic lockdown. For a very different example of Native American literature, check out my review of There, There by Tommy Orange.
