Library book club reads ‘Calling for a Blanket Dance’ by Oscar Hokeah
– The public is invited to join the Paso Robles City Library’s monthly book group for a discussion of “Calling for a Blanket Dance,” by Oscar Hokeah. This title is available in print through the Black Gold Library System, as an eBook on the Hoopla digital platform, and as an eBook and audiobook on the OverDrive/Libby digital platform.
About the book
Oscar Hokeah’s award-winning electric debut takes us into the life of Ever Geimausaddle, whose family, part Mexican, part Native American, is determined to hold onto their community despite obstacles everywhere they turn. Ever’s father is injured at the hands of corrupt police on the border when he goes to visit family in Mexico, while his mother struggles both to keep her job and care for her husband. And young Ever is lost and angry at all that he doesn’t understand, at this world that seems to undermine his sense of safety.
Ever’s relatives all have ideas about who he is and who he should be. His Cherokee grandmother, knowing the importance of proximity, urges the family to move across Oklahoma to be near her, while his grandfather, watching their traditions slip away, tries to reunite Ever with his heritage through traditional gourd dances. Through it all, every relative wants the same: to remind Ever of the rich and supportive communities that surround him, there to hold him tight, and for Ever to learn to take the strength given to him to save not only himself but also the next generation.
How will this young man visualize a place for himself when the world hasn’t made room for him to start with? Honest, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting, Calling for a Blanket Dance is the story of how Ever Geimausaddle finds his way home.
This title is available in various formats in the library catalog. Registration is required for each participant. This activity is designed for ages 16 and up.
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