Joy Harjo

The focus of this memoir is naturally Joy Harjo, and readers follow Harjo’s growth from birth through her early twenties as she recounts memories from her early years that shaped her worldview, her understanding of people, and her connection to her ancestors. Harjo, born in Tulsa, spent her childhood years in the home of her mother and biological father. The early years, like most children, were filled with wonder of the world and a period of discovery, especially of natural surroundings. The early Harjo adores her mother: her singing, her ability to create, and her attentiveness. Although she describes her father as distant, she equally adores and fears him. Her parents’ divorce when she is eight is a major shift in her limited world, a world that lacks the expansive view of an elder’s consciousness and because much of her connection to the divine...