In this collection that blends poetry and prose, stories are grounded in the landscapes and lifeworlds of the Native Northwest and explore the inventive and unforgettable pattern of Native American life in the contemporary world.
In this eloquent and elucidating debut story collection she brings the Native experience to life—from the long line of broken treaties and the tragic effect on Native tribes from coast to coast to contemporary repercussions from forced attendance at Indian boarding schools ... touching ... Piatote draws the reader in with spare and perceptive language and resonate empathy for each struggling yet resilient character.
...the stories and poetry in Beth Piatote’s The Beadworkers are...blatantly political ... Piatote has a lot on her mind when it comes to the negative way Native Americans have historically been (and are still) treated, and it comes through in her writing ... Though not all the offerings in The Beadworkers are...solid...[it's] a collection that gives voice to what is so often left unsaid.
Piatote’s debut collection mixes poetry, verse, and prose to form an impressive reflection on the lives of modern Native Americans. Piatote, a Nez Perce enrolled with the Colville Confederated Tribes, fits much nuance and profundity into stories that often reflect on the ways in which contemporary mainstream American culture continues to erase the identities and traditions of indigenous groups ... This beautiful collection announces Piatote as a writer to watch.
