Song of the Hummingbird

Rating:
Summary: a real eye-, mind-, and heart-opener!
Review: --- a blend of fact and fiction that is bound to make even historians reconsider their previously learned "facts" to date.

graciela limon, with her Song of the Hummingbird, has created a thought-provoking literary masterpiece! deep from within its lyrical pages we hear huitzitzilin (hummingbird) as she sings the songs of her ancestors. she sings to set the record/s straight, "to break the silence that has broken her people's spirit" and to tell a story that demands to be heard.

as her appointed confessor, father benito finds himself forced to sit and listen to what he, at first, considers to be mere "ramblings" of an old mexica -- who proceeds to quickly and surprisingly engage him - as she proudly, passionately and, at times even playfully re-tells the past as she knows, remembers and has lived it. after many hours, that carry over into days, spent with the outspoken and intelligent woman, the priest slowly begins to see things from a different "i" -- and not only hears huitzitzilin's words, but also begins to feel the pain of her cry -- as she paints for him a picture of a past that had never before been imagined by his foreign eyes.

although at times shocked and often astounded by hummingbird's "warblings," the young man of the cloth begins to question that which he was, as a naive school-boy, taught, and he, as a novice, learned -- and finds himself conflicted and curiously "torn" .... why had he never before conceived of the natives as having families? how is it that he never believed them to shed tears? who was more savage and barbarian? -- the bearded warriors who spilled blood in the name of the cross and salvation -- or the mexica lords with their crimson-stained sacrificial slabs -- both the practices and preachings led to torture, suffering, death and .... annihilation -- of individuals, masses, cultures and entire civilizations; losses to be mourned.

with their songs, both hummingbird and limon help to open closed hearts and broaden narrow minds by reminding listeners and readers that there is often a fine line between fact and fable; and that one must look to the past, not only with a discerning mind, but with an understanding and human heart -- as, in the end, did father benito; who, in a sense, as he re-wrote history, was reborn. thanks to his, and limon's efforts, hummingbird's song "will live on forever - because her words have been captured on paper!"

absolutely beautiful! a refreshing new perspective on the culture clash, conquest and coming together of an old and the new worlds. a book that makes a strong statement and argument (several) about and for, above all things,: understanding differences, accepting diversity and "forgiving" the most incomprehensible behaviors.

written in tenderly touching, humorously entertaining and educationally engrossing ways.

i highly recommend it to - and for - everyone!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent reading !!!!
Review: An incredible account of history through the perspective of the conquered. Powerful interaction between the priest and 'Hummingbird' whose confession challenges his version of history, religion, and the truth. Beautifully captured is the strong emotion felt by the characters as the story unfolds.

Rating:
Summary: The confession
Review: An old Mexica woman confesses her "sins" to a Spanish priest and the clash of cultures is retold and relived by the two characters once again. For my tastes this book lacks a punch and hence is less than riveting reading. There are several reviews here, including the editorial feature that give a synopsis but most fail to see the transparency of the writing. I did enjoy the book but could never feel so engrossed that I had to read bunches at a time but rather heard the "confession" of Huitzitzilin, or hummingbird, as she delivered it , in sessions. Since this is a novel I feel more liberty should have been taken to enrich the story although the "factual" information that was from an indigenous pespective was interesting. I would recommend this book for someone who is just beginning to learn about the conquest of Mexico because there is nothing Earth shaterring here. If you'd like more in depth perspectives of the conquest from an indigenous point of view I would recommend "The Broken Spears" , also "Aztec Thought and Culture" and "Native mesoamerican Spirituality" by Miguel Leon- Portillo. Also you might try the excellent history "The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico" by Bernal Diaz del Castillo which is an eyewitness account(1568) from a sympathetic Captain. All in all the book was entertining but less than satisfying. Since the language is not too challenging it is appropriate for young readers. School age kids, either middle or high school children, especially those who are bilingual might really enjoy this story that is part fact and fiction

Rating:
Summary: The confession
Review: An old Mexica woman confesses her "sins" to a Spanish priest and the clash of cultures is retold and relived by the two characters once again. For my tastes this book lacks a punch and hence is less than riveting reading. There are several reviews here, including the editorial feature that give a synopsis but most fail to see the transparency of the writing. I did enjoy the book but could never feel so engrossed that I had to read bunches at a time but rather heard the "confession" of Huitzitzilin, or hummingbird, as she delivered it , in sessions. Since this is a novel I feel more liberty should have been taken to enrich the story although the "factual" information that was from an indigenous pespective was interesting. I would recommend this book for someone who is just beginning to learn about the conquest of Mexico because there is nothing Earth shaterring here. If you'd like more in depth perspectives of the conquest from an indigenous point of view I would recommend "The Broken Spears" , also "Aztec Thought and Culture" and "Native mesoamerican Spirituality" by Miguel Leon- Portillo. Also you might try the excellent history "The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico" by Bernal Diaz del Castillo which is an eyewitness account(1568) from a sympathetic Captain. All in all the book was entertining but less than satisfying. Since the language is not too challenging it is appropriate for young readers. School age kids, either middle or high school children, especially those who are bilingual might really enjoy this story that is part fact and fiction

Rating:
Summary: Read Gary Jennings Instead
Review: If I hadn't already read Gary Jennings "Aztec" I probably would have liked this book much better. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The main character, Huitzitzilin, is great, but the the Priest was AWFUL. One minute he'd be shocked and appalled by what she said, and the next, all of a sudden and lo and behold! he was feeling compassion and understanding for her. Completely not believable.

On the other hand, the Gary Jennings book is basically the same story (written PRIOR to Song of the Hummingbird) about an elderly Mexica man, and really built up the characters, made you a part of their lives and was a truly entertaining way to digest the history of this subject.

Read Jennings instead.

Rating:
Summary: Hear the Story Hernan Cortes Did Not Write
Review: The old Mexica woman wishes to confess, so a young priest is sent to her. What she actually wants to do, however, is tell her story because she is old and knows death approaches. History being written by the victors means that the story of the indigenous peoples of Mexico has not been told. Huitzitzilin, Hummingbird, will tell the story under the guise of confession. The young priest is astounded with what he hears and the reader will be also. Huitzitzilin was in the middle of the action and knows what happened when Moctezuma gave over his part of the kingdom of Tenochtitlan or Mexico. She saw Cuauhtemoc, another king, tortured by having his feet burned. Ultimately, she saw Moctezuma hanged. It is the time of the 5th sun with prehistory ending, and civilization entering with the Spanish conquerers forcing themselves into peaceful kingdom of the Aztecs, the Mexica. The other side of the story has captured my students. There's love, betrayal, sacrifice, and survival. Also the young priest finds he has been changed considerably. Read this one. It's a winner!

Rating:
Summary: A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF THE MIND
Review: This book, Song of the Hummingbird, was very interesting to me, because it is one of the first books that I read that is based upon my Aztec Ancestors.

When I read the summary on the back of the book it seemed to me that I would be very impressed with the story. I realized when I began to read the first two chapters I wasn't very impressed. Huitzitzilin had an interesting but not attracting story, as many people agree. She told her story of a young girl that was a princess to a slave. I would not recommend this story to just anyone this story is for some one that would like to learn information about Aztec culture. Otherwise you will tend to not understand much.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This was a very disappointing book. The idea behind it was interesting and I enjoy reading about that period in history, but the character interactions were all poorly done. The brother/priest who comes to hear Huitzitzitl's confession is wraught with historical innacuracies. There is no way he would have acted the way Limon has him act. He also seems to me to be a very incompetent priest. I kept reading this book, hoping it would get better, but it never did and in the end I was left with a feeling of discontent and that I had wasted my time. Save yourself the trouble. For a good novel of this era try Captain from Castile by Samuel Shellabarger. You can probably find it on alibris or some used book website.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This was a very disappointing book. The idea behind it was interesting and I enjoy reading about that period in history, but the character interactions were all poorly done. The brother/priest who comes to hear Huitzitzitl's confession is wraught with historical innacuracies. There is no way he would have acted the way Limon has him act. He also seems to me to be a very incompetent priest. I kept reading this book, hoping it would get better, but it never did and in the end I was left with a feeling of discontent and that I had wasted my time. Save yourself the trouble. For a good novel of this era try Captain from Castile by Samuel Shellabarger. You can probably find it on alibris or some used book website.