Bowman's Store

Review
By Kliatt

Small of build, nearsighted and blessed with total recall, Joseph Bruchac was raised near Saratoga, New York, by his grandparents, who sheltered him from his abusive father. Only later in life did he learn that his grandfather was an Abenaki Indian, for his family never spoke of this heritage. Bruchac’s journey to himself is a journey to his roots, to his Abenaki heritage. Through his study and inquiries, he has led his sister and his two sons to identification with the traditions, songs and stories of their ancestors. That tale is the background, for this story of his childhood, cared for and lovingly taught by his semi-literate Abenaki grandfather and his law school-educated Yankee grandmother. Now a well-known writer of North American native traditions, Bruchac does honor to his own.