On The Rez

Rating:
Summary: necessary demythologizing
Review: This is a fine book. It continues the necessary demythologizing and the necessary humanizing of the American Indian experience. Only when we see the experiences of the many tribes as the experiences of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances will we begin to gain the perspective we truly need. I encourage any reader of On the Rez to make Kent Nerburn's Neither Wolf nor Dog a companion read. It will take you further into the places Frazier leads you.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: I purchased this book planning to write something involving Native Americans myself, mainly for research puposes. I thought it gave a very honest description - as much as an outsider can, anyhow - of what life is like on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The respect and esteem which Frazier holds the Oglala people in, and the delicateness with which he treats their lives in this narrative, reveal a gentle man who is genuinely perplexed and concerned with the problems of life on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Of course, he tries extremely hard not to be condescending, and I think he succeeds to the degree that, once again, an outsider can. He has shown a lot of guts writing about the Oglala Sioux, being white and taking on this subject, he has opened himself up for some nasty criticism. But his willingness to cross boundaries is also the strength of this book. As for "making up" the portion involving SuAnne , I have no idea what this "reviewer" is talking about. I have the book right here and have read the notes and by that account Frazier has used standard jounalistic practices - interviews, newspaper clippings - to research SuAnne's life.

Rating:
Summary: Belongs in Fiction category
Review: I found this book very disturbing; fortunately I read the paperback version and carefully read each footnote. This is where I discovered that the author had basically made up the entire SuAnne story. Consequently I found myself not really believing much else in the book either. I really got the impression that he didn't much care about the people on the reservation; he just wanted to be able to pop in and visit at his leisure, then leave again. It is an interesting book, but I suggest you read it with a heightened level of skepticism.

Rating:
Summary: I can tell some of you haven't read the entire book...
Review: Everyone is talking about how they love the book, and relay the how integral Le is to the author and book.

But you leave out an important section of the book, and that is the life and death of SuAnne Big Crow. It's obvious that this young girl's life meant something to the author to devote so much time to it, yet he doesn't quite explain why it does. Yes, he mentions her as an example of "hope" for the reservation. But why so personal? Why does he think only one person is more capable than others? And what about Le's criticism of her and the foundation made in her honor? And why not enough of a retort from the author.

I think there are some large gaps missing. That said, it's still an awesome read. It's smooth and comical, while at the same time, still leaving some of the ghetto in your mouth. You do feel the good and the bad, and the personal elements to this are honest and funny at times. Frazier is a wonderful writer, with a fair take on his subject. But why such gaps????

Rating:
Summary: Describing the nondescript
Review: It's basically an account of life on a Sioux Indian reservation;life that is often nasty, brutish and short. It is framed around the biography of the writer's friend Le and the idealized biography of a girl (SueAnn Big Crow) whom he never met. This framing is loose. He also recounts several visits to the reservation and digresses (very interestingly) into the history of Native Americans. He is very frank about the alcohol and other problems and does not flatter his subjects (except perhaps the deceased girl). Authors with academic credentials whom I have read differ about some of the ethnographic and historical data he presents. Obviously much of the politics is controversial. He has a marvellous gift for describing the nondescript. He can take a straight road running across the prairie, or a piece of barren flat land with some junk and rocks, or an alleyway behind an urban commercial building, and bring it vividly to life in a few sentences.

Rating:
Summary: i loved this book from the moment i opened the first page
Review: i loved this book because it brought memories back from my past, that made me feel good. The Author Ian Frazier, had alot of potential to right this book, it contained his life on the rez and things that changed his life. Ian Frazier is a good man who always would be there for his friends, he always was there for Le when Le needed him. If i had not read tis book i probably would have never been so into the indian culture. Ian said in his book that all he wanted to be was just a plain old indian nothin more nuthin less, and thats what i want to be, just a plain old indian like Ian. The book reminded me of my past years with my grandmother, when i used to live with her i always wondered about indian culture because the way she had it, it was always the first priority. She always had something in the house, like a picture, or a suvenier of indains that always caught my attention, and made me think of indain culture. But after i read the Book i always look back to the day when i lived with my grandmother. The book "on the rez" was the best book i read about living on the rez. I'd like to send a great thanks to Ian Frazier for writing it, it changed the way i look at indians. Thanks Ian.

Rating:
Summary: What i think!!!
Review: I thought the book was pretty good because it was about these two people of both races native american and white. They became friends and kept in touched with each other. the only thing that threw me off the story was when the author talked about all of these things that really didn't fit in with the story like when he talks about the Iroquois, the Iroquois live in the far east and why would you talk about something thats in the east when your main story has it's setting in middle america. Most of the chapters in the book really don't talk about what the titles say this book should of been called "Life and History of Le War Lance and Ian Firazier"

Rating:
Summary: That it was a good book
Review: I like this book because it brought memories from the past. And i enjoyed it alot, and i like it alot ,and i thought it was cool and that i thought that people are ashamed how are people are nowadays. Their not as holy and scared as they were long ago that part that said that he was ashamed to walk on the rez. I was kinda offended but i knew what he meant by that because indians are so, so lazy and it makes the people that are trying to make a life for themselves seem lazy. But are trying to get a life but anyways i thought it was a really good book it made me laugh and sometimes cry sometimes but i liked it. Again, and i would give it a 10 lol but anyways that our rez is here and nothing can change it but someone that is trying to change has to me a strong person but this book reminded me that someone accually cares how our rez is and it made me want to make a difference.

Rating:
Summary: what I think
Review: The book wrighten by Ian Fraizer titled On The Rez was a good book, seeing that it was writen by white mans prospective. I think that the wrighter was beeing fairly honest. All though some of the details were wrong and at times it seems like he made up parts to make things he couldn't think of, but I say it was pritty dam funny and enjoyable to read, this book was one of the best books i ever read, the best book i ever read was titled eaters of the dead. I would recomend reading it to some of my freinds.

I like in chapter two, Le his NATIVE AMERICAN freind is funny as hell. He really likes to B.S. I think that was the funniest chapter in the book. I like when they were sitting and eating some soup wating some T.V. and unlike other men that watch football, they were watching figer scating. And so0me how Le new every thing about the sport, it was very funny.

When I was reading the book I began to suspect that maybe he made all this up, but when he put the pcturs in the book of Le, and all the other people he talked about in the book, like SuAnne Big Crow. And all the other things, like the chiefs, the trible presidant, AIM leader, Rusall Means, and Dennis Banks. I would like to say that this is a great book and i would recomend it to other people, thank you.

Rating:
Summary: Write My Own Review
Review: I really thought this was a good book. Now that it's way different from when he used to live here. I always wanted to know about how the Pine Ridge reservation was back then and my mother's information was not good enough. I liked the way he describes everything, his feelings, the rez, his good friend Le War Lance. It had every single feeling in it such as humor, kindness, hipness, smartness and what not. But whoever didn't read this book yet has to read it. They'll think the same thing.