the blood runs like a river through my dreams
A Memoir
by Nasdijj
Houghton Mifflin, 216pp., $23
Nasdijj’s memoir embodies his belief that “Memory is not enough. One needs mythology too.” Using stark images, he writes about the fetal alcohol syndrome that has claimed the life of his son and tainted the lives of many on his New Mexico reservation. Participating in the Hopi Snake Dance, he uncovers the magic of an old ritual, but finds himself wanting a cup of McDonald’s coffee afterwards. Being half-white and half-Navajo, the author is not afraid to be authentic and vulnerable to both cultures. History is relived and retold as the writer takes an arduous hike through a path called “The Long Walk Home” where Native Americans were tortured and raped as the military drove them from their homeland. When the local rodeo legend contracts AIDS, Nasdijj nurtures what is left of his spirit and takes him to see the wild horses run across the desert. The reader is compelled to pay close attention because each chapter unfolds like a discovery of a lost legend or a forgotten myth.
the river runs like a river through my dreamsNasdijj
This article appears in December 1 • 2000.