Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 05/01/2012 *Starred Review* Editor McLaughlin has assembled a rich collection of poetry and poetic prose written by Lakota students who attend the Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The creative work is divided into seven sections that reflect the students’ lives and culture: “Natural World”; “Misery”; “Native Thoughts”; “Silence”; “Spirit”; “Family, Youth, and Dreams”; and “Language.” At turns moving, angry, and introspective, the book offers keen looks into both the exterior and interior lives of these Native American students. The work is especially rich in its evocation of relationships and the natural world, but it also features the darker aspects of reservation life and white attitudes: “Racism is like a gun in a child’s hands / loaded with all the words a devil would say,” or “Feeling lost in another world, but still in the same / You’re alone in a dark dark place.” The work is beautifully enhanced by Nelson’s remarkable acrylic illustrations, each of which is accompanied by the artist’s own perceptive commentary. Further context is provided in an introduction by Joseph M. Marshall III, an expert on Native American literature, and a concluding note from McLaughlin about teaching at Red Cloud Indian School. This is an important collection that offers opportunities for insight into a culture that has too often been either ignored or misunderstood. - Copyright 2012 Booklist.