Book Review: Rain Is Not My Indian Name

                                                                                   BOOK INFORMATION:                                                                  

It's been six months since her best friend died, and up until now, Rain has succeeded in shutting herself off from the world. But when controversy arises around her aunt Georgia's Indian Camp in their mostly white midwestern community, Rain decides to face the outside world again—at least through the lens of her camera.

Hired by her town newspaper to photograph the campers, Rain soon finds that she has to decide how involved she wants to become in Indian Camp. Does she want to keep a professional distance from the intertribal community she belongs to? And just how willing is she to connect with the campers after her great loss?

In a voice that resonates with insight and humor, Cynthia Leitich Smith tells of heartbreak, recovery, and reclaiming one's place in the world.

                                                                        MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK                                                              

I have been trying to read more Own Voices story. I was so excited about this book. In a world where there are a million different children and middle-grade novels, it is amazing to me that we have almost no contemporary Native American books. It is very rare that a Native American novel isn't problematic so I went into this both excited as well as very weary. This book blew me away. Cynthia Leitich Smith is a wonderful storyteller and created one of the best middle-grade novels I have read in a long time. 

The book follows the cute character of Cassidy Rain Berghoff. She is a very relatable girl and I feel like most kids will be able to relate to her on some level. She just seemed real, she had real emotions. She was just dealing with life and trying to figure out what her purpose was here. She had hard times but she got through them. She showed real growth throughout this small book. 

This book tackles some pretty serious issues. It does this flawlessly and with so much grace. As the story unfolds we learn that Rain (Cassidy) is dealing with some pretty serious grief. She has lost both her mother and her best friend Galen's death. Her friend Galen has just past away and it brings up that pain she experienced when her mother died a few years earlier. To make matters worse her father is stationed overseas and she misses him. Only being able to exchange letters and audio recordings. She feels as if she is drifting away from her family. 

In the town that she lives everyone knows everything, and the women are catty and nosy. She is the minority here, and they don't seem to ever let her forget it. She is also trying to figure out where her heritage is going to take her. All this makes the book a beautiful coming of age story. 

This is a great story about what it feels like to be culturally mixed in a white community. I think for readers that aren't native American reading this novel will expose you to various microaggressions, cultural biases, and blatant racism, and will be an eye-opening experience. Don't get me wrong though, this book is so much more than just a book about racism. This book is really about a girls journey to healing. It is about grief and acceptance. It's about going through life after the death of a close, maybe even best friend. 

The only complaint I have about this book is that is pretty short, which makes things seem rushed at the end of the book. When a book is this short ( took me only three hours to read while watching a little one) you need to pack a bunch of detail and action into a few pages. This book just was boring in a few points which a book this short couldn't afford. 

Overall this was such an amazing book. 

                                                                                   AUTHOR INFORMATION:                                                                  

Cynthia's fiction is noted for its diversity, humor, lyricism, and mid-to-southwestern settings. Still early in her career, she has shown tremendous range and loves to experiment.

JINGLE DANCER, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, (Morrow / Harper-Collins, 2000)(ages 4-up) was a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award, runner-up for the Western Writers Association Storyteller Award, and Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies. It was also named to the Texas 2 x 2 List. School Library Journal said, “…a welcome addition to stories about traditions passed down by woman of a culture.” Book magazine named it among “Debuts that Deliver.” 

RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME (HarperCollins, 2001)(Listening Library, 2001)(ages 10-up) also was an Oklahoma Book Award finalist and earned Cynthia the title of 2001 Writer of the Year from Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. Kirkus said it was “tender, funny and full of sharp wordplay.” School Library Journal called it, “a wonderful novel of a present-day teen and her patchwork tribe.” Audio File adds,"Rich with sorrow and the longing for resolution in a life diminished by loss, the story of Rain's journey toward her own identity is captivating and exceedingly hopeful." And Bob Langstaff at WAMV AM/Amhert, VA noted, "It's kind of like a combination of 'Northern Exposure' and 'Party of Five'." The audio production was aired as the November 2005 Book of the Month by Red Tales, Aboriginal Voices Radio, The Earth 106.5 (based in Canada).

Cynthia also is the author of INDIAN SHOES (HarperCollins, 2002)(ages 7-up). Kirkus declared: "A very pleasing first-chapter book from its funny and tender opening salvo to its heartwarming closer. An excellent choice for younger readers." School Library Journal hailed: "a good book for any elementary-aged reluctant reader and a necessity for indigenous children everywhere." INDIAN SHOES has been named a Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, a finalist for the Texas Institute of Letters Award, to the 2003 Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education; and to Choices 2003, Cooperative Children's Book Center. It also was named to the NEA Native American Book List and the 2004-2005 Crown List. Most recently, INDIAN SHOES was chosen as the featured intermediate title for "Read On, Wisconsin!" (an online book club for students sponsored by the state's First Lady) in March, 2005.

Cynthia's latest picture book is SANTA KNOWS (Dutton, 2006), a holiday title, co-authored by her husband, Greg Leitich Smith, and illustrated by Steve Björkman. SANTA KNOWS is Cynthia and Greg's first book written together. The Horn Book Magazine named it among "Holiday High Notes." Kirkus Reviews called it "…a newly minted winner." Publishers Weekly cheered it as "fantastic," and The Miami Herald highlighted it among "Worthy Titles for the Holidays."

Cynthia's first upper YA novel is TANTALIZE (Candlewick, 2007))(Listening Library, 2008)(Walker U.K., 2008), a gothic fantasy aimed at ages 14-up. It’s one of the new books that signal an expansion of her writing from contemporary realistic fiction to also embrace fantasy. TANTALIZE also is her first title set in Austin, where she now makes her home. The Horn Book calls the novel an "intoxicating romantic thriller." BookPage says the book "will appeal to fans—both teens and adults—of Buffy the Vampire Slayer." TANTALIZE was named a Borders Original Voices Nominee in March 2007 and Chapters (Canadian bookstore chain) named it a Junior Advisory Board Pick. In addition, the novel was chosen for the 2007 Texas Book Festival and the 2007 National Book Festival. The Bloomsbury Review cheers, "Cynthia Leitich Smith is the Anne Rice for teen readers."

Cynthia’s latest YA Gothic fantasy is ETERNAL (Candlewick, 2009), a companion book to TANTALIZE.

Cynthia has published short stories, including "The Gentleman Cowboy"