Sacred Fire - Hardcover

Gr. 7^-12. In poetry and prose, Wood meditates on the Pueblo Indians' world. Once "powerful and continuous," this season-village-ritual-centered life changed drastically after the Spanish conquistadors invaded New Mexico in 1540. Their society fractured, their very existence was threatened, and the Indian people turned to the old ways of legend and belief to find preservation. Using the traditional figure of the Old Man--a good spirit who brought fire to the pueblos--as a recurring symbolic presence, Wood writes affectingly about the interconnectedness of the people and the natural world, about the Sacred Fire that symbolizes their spirit, about the demon of progress, and about the need to strengthen the things that remain. Matching Wood's words in intensity and imagination are breathtakingly beautiful paintings by the late Frank Howell. As much lamentation as celebration, Sacred Fire is haunting in its evocation of the past and of memories that indict the poverty of the present in "the sacred land of our ancestors." Less formidable in length than The Serpent's Tongue, edited by Wood, a 1997 Booklist Youth Editors' Choice, Sacred Fire will be a wonderful lead-in to that volume. Michael Cart

Grade 7 Up-For the Pueblo people, the Sacred Fire is associated with wisdom, purification, potential, longevity, and hope, and it must be kept burning so that the they can "remember the ways of their ancestors." These themes are explored here in poems and poetic prose that discuss the Native American experience, including creation stories; relationships with nature in the forms of the elements, plants, animals, and spirits; and the immediate and lasting effects of the European incursion on the people and their traditions. Strength and beauty are evident but are often overwhelmed by sadness, despair, confusion, and rage. Simple language leads readers to complex thoughts, emotions, and images. Spectacular artwork accompanies the text. Many of these haunting paintings begin with a detailed and deeply textured face, then drift off from realism to a dreamlike spread of color and movement. Some of the stunning paintings and drawings bring to mind Georgia O'Keeffe, or the art-deco style. All of them are intriguing. A unique book that is both evocative and thought-provoking.
Darcy Schild, Schwegler Elementary School, Lawrence, KS
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