House Made of Dawn

Before you read this excellent book you must set aside your expectations of logical sequence and a consistent point of view. Should you fail to do this you'll find the book confusing and difficult. If you become aware of relationships between characters or events, welcome this as a surprise bonus but don't work for it or try to figure it out. Take what comes as it comes and let the book, not you, do all the work. Appreciate the vivid scenery, the masterful use of language, the emotional impact of violence, sex, anger, frustration. Gain insight (by what is presented so you experience it rather than merely through an intellectual understanding of what is explained) into the impact of divrse cultures to which a Naive American strives to adjust.

House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday is a fictional book that tells the story of a young American Indian man named Abel. He hails from an Indian reservation where he has deep family roots and was brought up around their traditional culture. Though the story is fictional it maintains perfect historical accuracy throughout. This novel goes into the issue of Indians participating in WWII and how that affected their culture and the demographic shift that occurred after the war. The fact is that "More than 90 percent of Indians resided on reservations in 1940 and six decades later more than half lived in cities, with a large concentration in southern California." (American Pageant p.830). During the war there were more than 25,000 American Indian men serving in the armed forces and many were famous for being "code talkers" and used their native languages to fool the Japanese. When they returned home after the war these Indians experienced the repercussions of new policies relating to Indians. Abel is thrust into the city as he is basically forced to assimilate into white culture. This story illuminates the plight of these Indians when the US ultimately forced them west and our of their rich reservation land. We can see how these citizens were disregarded directly from the implanting of HCR 108 in 1953 which removed all special status for Native Americans.
This new bill made them responsible for taxes which they had previously been exempt from and was intended to force them off the lands which our government perceived as economically valuable. This novel has a big effect on the readers understanding of the real issues that went on between our government and American Indians. Abel experiences a downfall and a total confusion about his cultural identity. This is stripped from him as he was involved with the war. His turmoil can be seen in the assimilation of many others which hurt the Indian culture greatly. Abel finally realizes that he must battle the "white man's" influence not by violence but by embracing his Indian heritage and immerse himself in the culture that he was brought up in regardless of what social changes were occurring. This book is a must read, and would definitely be a 4 out of 5 as it accurately reflects the strife of the American Indians during the Post WWII era and how they had to deal with a sort of forced assimilation. The novel is slightly dark as it traces Abel's downfall, but this helps to support the overall theme of identity and cultural ties that are prevalent throughout the book and concludes with him understanding and running free of all burdens.

N.Scott Momaday like myself is a Native Oklahoman, and that makes me proud. His work is a work of Native power; it breathes in and breathes out as if it were a living being. The Pulitzer Prize was definitely well-deserved in the case of this book.
There is an almost magical sense of being to the characters. Like the overwhelming majority of the people in this state, I am a mix of several Native Bloods and White. Momaday's work speaks in a strong, honest voice to all who will listen. The characters are real; I have known them, lived among them, went to school with their children and watched the way of life Momaday seeks to capture fade into another realm.
His words are words of power; they hold truth and strength and they weave a story as expertly as the tribal storytellers of that lost generation. His voice is the voice of Native America. It carries the heartache and sorrow of a people relegated to change brought on by another culture. It relects the nature and the understanding that so many aim for but never reach.
I have read this work multiple times now and never fail to be moved by its strength and definition of character. I will read it again, and I will continue to recommend it to all who want to hear an authentic Native voice. This is a people speaking through Momaday.

This book was assigned as a college reading assignment for an American Literature course, so I knew right off that I wasn't in for a real literary treat. The criteria for a reading assignment are: a main character must suffer and then die, and language and plot must work to confuse the reader. If you're looking for an entertaining read, do not choose this novel. If, however, you are looking to read something for the sole purpose of telling others that you have read it, and wish to brag at dinner parties and other things of that nature, this is probably the book for you. Personally, I like to believe that I have better things to do than read something that is depressing, boring, and poorly written.

In Momaday's Pulitzer Prize winning novel "House Made of Dawn," a young Native-American Indian named Abel, returns to Walatow Reservation in New Mexico from World War II. Only to discover that he is caught between two worlds. This book is a great example of Native-American fiction, it reveals the hardships of the Native-Americna people. Anyone who loves a good book based on storytelling and myth will find this book a must-read. It draws the reader in, with it's vivid description of the landscapes and ceremonies. At first I was a bit apprehensive in reading this book, because I have been told this is not a good book to read if you're reading Momaday's work for the first time. Yet, I enjoyed reading it, I apprieciated Momaday's effort to draw the reader in with the struggle of Native-American Indians living in industrial America. I recommend this book to anyone who is in search of a good book.