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First Person, First Peoples: Native American College Graduates Tell Their Life Stories

First Person, First Peoples: Native American College Graduates Tell Their Life Stories

by Louise Erdrich (Author), Andrew Garrod (Foreword), Colleen Larimore (Foreword)

  • New

    Paperback 1997

    $44.68
Synopsis

Native American students entering college often experience a dramatic confrontation of cultures. As one of the writers in this remarkable collective memoir remarks, When I was a child, I was taught certain things: don't stand up to your elders; don't question authority; life is precious; the earth is precious; take it slowly; enjoy it. And then you go to college and you learn all these other things that never fit. Making things fit, finding that elusive balance between tribal values and the demands of campus life is a recurring theme in this landmark collection of personal essays.

Navajo or Choctaw, Tlingit or Sioux, each of the essayists (all graduates of Dartmouth College) gives a heartfelt account of struggle and adjustment. The result is a compelling portrait of the anguish Native American students feel justifying the existence of their own cultures not only to other students but also throughout the predominantly white institutions they have joined. Among the contributors are a tribal court judge and a professional baseball player, the first Navajo woman surgeon, and the former executive director of a Native American preparatory school. Their memories and insights are unparalleled.

$44.68

Quantity

20+ in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
 Pages: 280
 Edition: illustrated edition
 Publisher: Cornell University Press
Published: 15 May 1997
ISBN 10: 0801484146
ISBN 13: 9780801484148

Media Reviews
Thirteen Native Americans . . . describe their experiences in and out of college, focusing on how they coped with sometimes-conflicting cultural demands and how they carried on their heritage. Some came from poor homes where alcoholism was common; others had highly educated parents who gave them encouragement and support. For most, however, success did not come easily. . . . The essays are fresh and engaging and of high literary and journalistic quality. A unique perspective on a much-neglected aspect of college life; highly recommended. -Library Journal
This unique work assembles autobiographical essays by 13 Native American Dartmouth alumni, each writer compellingly describing his/her social and cultural background, struggles (all share hurt at Dartmouth's use of the 'Indian Symbol') and triumphs in college, and commitment to use education for the good of their peoples. The writers represent a broad diversity in tribal affiliation, gender, age, economic background, and cultural admixture (native and nonnative). Insightful and well written, each contribution provides deep insight into the students' lives as minorities in a mainstream culture. -Choice
The editors successfully and respectfully present the personal narratives of thirteen Native American students who graduated from Dartmouth College. . . . These courageous narratives directly address issues of internal racism, stereotypes, institutional support, politics of identity, and cultural preservation. . . . Through the students' written reflections, readers can fully appreciate the real experiences, real emotions, and real concerns at the forefront of their experience. -Harvard Educational Review
A good read. This compilation of stories written by and about Native American graduates from Dartmouth College is honest, heartening, disheartening, brave, and varied. . . . A valuable contribution to the study of culture, identity, and issues within higher education. -Bryan McKinley Brayboy, Anthropology and Education Quarterly
A telling introduction to the experiences of Native American students within the academy. -Great Plains Quarterly
This book belongs in the collections of all involved in Indian higher education and should be read by Native high school students and their career and college counselors. -Counterpoise
Please read this book. I can think of hardly anyone who would not find it immensely inspiring. Since I teach at a school whose Native American program is Dartmouth's chief rival, it sets my teeth on edge a bit to have to say so many nice things about the (always friendly) competition, but these strong essays of Native American success are so terrific I would use any cliche, any hyperbole to convince people to buy and read it. Having lived so many of their experiences myself, I cried in sadness and in joy, and I laughed so hard I cried. Along with adopting it for the large lecture course on Native American experience I teach each year, I plan on also keeping five or ten copies on hand to give to faculty colleagues, administrators, academic advisers, and others who call me when they are sincerely trying to figure out how they can better understand the sometimes special ways Native students experience and interact with our campus. The voices Larimore and Garrod so lovingly offer us in First Person, First Peoples are strong ones and are stunning proof that Native Americans are doing their part in making Native American communities better places to live. Their lives and this book are, literally, part of the solution. Finally (and I say this to temper my frustrated feelings of rivalry), when will the people who really matter at Dartmouth join universities like the one I work for in getting on the right side of the mascot issue? -Robert Allen Warrior (Osage), Stanford University, and Coauthor, Like a Hurricane: The Indian Movement from Alcatraz to Wounded Knee
Here we have a poetically written text that speaks to our collective pasts to inform our futures. The chapters touch our hearts and move our intellects to create more inclusive collegiate communities. -William G. Tierney, University of Southern California
Author Bio
Andrew Garrod is Professor Emeritus of Education at Dartmouth College. He is coeditor of I Am Where I Come Frome: Native American College Students and Graduates Tell Their Life Stories; Growing Up Muslim: Muslim College Students in America Tell Their Life Stories, First Person, First Peoples: Native American College Graduates Tell Their Life Stories, Balancing Two Worlds: Asian American College Students Tell Their Life Stories, Mi Voz, Mi Vida: Latino College Students Tell Their Life Stories, and Mixed: Multiracial College Students Tell Their Life Stories, all from Cornell.