The White Dawn: An Eskimo Saga
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
3 journalers for this copy...
A peoples of kindness
and endless virtue under a blue sky,
are pulled down into slime.
and endless virtue under a blue sky,
are pulled down into slime.
The big-box-of-trade-books arrived safely today; many thanks! [It's great to be able to knock so many titles off of my wishlist!] This vintage hardcover has an adorable BC bookplate label showing a hedgehog. (The book inspired a 1974 film adaptation.)
Later: This 1970s novel is about three New Bedford whalers stranded in the Arctic in the late 1800s, and whose rescue by the local Inuit (specifically, the Sikusalingmiut of west Baffin Island, now part of the territory of Nunavut in Canada) results in culture clash and eventual tragedy. The story's from the viewpoint of one of the Sikusalingmiut, making the whalers very much the "other", and does an effective job of conveying the emotions of all the characters even though the reader has to deduce that of the whalers through the not-always-correct observations of narrator Avinga. From what I've read of Inuit culture, the author has done a lot of research and gives due respect to the various cultural traditions and survival techniques of the characters, even when the results are harsh.
The prose itself is lovely, with lavish details of the daily lives of the folk who live in the region, the wild landscape and harsh climate, the perils of famine and the joys of plenty... Very much an immersive experience, this!
The author's notes at the beginning describe true events and settings that inspired the novel, and makes it sound as though the majority of the plot was based on fact, including ongoing controversy among the peoples whose ancestors lived the events as to where the main fault lay in instigating the tragedy. "The final judgment of who was right and who wrong, of what was found and what lost, I leave to the reader," Houston concludes.
Later: This 1970s novel is about three New Bedford whalers stranded in the Arctic in the late 1800s, and whose rescue by the local Inuit (specifically, the Sikusalingmiut of west Baffin Island, now part of the territory of Nunavut in Canada) results in culture clash and eventual tragedy. The story's from the viewpoint of one of the Sikusalingmiut, making the whalers very much the "other", and does an effective job of conveying the emotions of all the characters even though the reader has to deduce that of the whalers through the not-always-correct observations of narrator Avinga. From what I've read of Inuit culture, the author has done a lot of research and gives due respect to the various cultural traditions and survival techniques of the characters, even when the results are harsh.
The prose itself is lovely, with lavish details of the daily lives of the folk who live in the region, the wild landscape and harsh climate, the perils of famine and the joys of plenty... Very much an immersive experience, this!
The author's notes at the beginning describe true events and settings that inspired the novel, and makes it sound as though the majority of the plot was based on fact, including ongoing controversy among the peoples whose ancestors lived the events as to where the main fault lay in instigating the tragedy. "The final judgment of who was right and who wrong, of what was found and what lost, I leave to the reader," Houston concludes.
I'm adding this book to the Indigenous Peoples bookbox, which will be on its way again soon. The bookbox journal with the list of books taken and replaced is here.
*** Released for the 2021 Keep Them Moving challenge. ***
*** Released for the 2021 Keep Them Moving challenge. ***
Selecting from the Indigenous Peoples bookbox.
Culling out some books for Goodwill. Hope someone will enjoy them.
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Please make a journal entry to let me know that this book has been caught so I know that it has found a good home with you. If you are new to BookCrossing, please consider joining and indicate that you were referred by perryfran. I hope that you enjoy the book. You can make another journal entry with your comments when you are done reading.
Then, whenever you are ready to send it on its way, make a release note to show where the book was released. Then watch its journey. You’ll be alerted by e-mail each time someone makes another journal entry. And it’s confidential (you are known only by your screen name and no one is ever given your e-mail address), free, and spam-free.
I hope that you will enjoy the BookCrossing experience!
