Tonto Canto Pocahontas

By Alexei Auld

"Native American readers familiar with the identity issues of reservation based vs. urban Indians, mixed-bloods vs. full bloods, mixed Indian and white peoples vs. mixed Indian and Black or Latino peoples, generational pulls, "authenticity", balancing university education vs. tribal traditional wisdom, Indian nerds vs. cosmopolitan hipsters, will laugh, cry, and reflect deeply on the outstanding way Alexei manages to encapsulate these identity driven themes.

Non-Native readers will get a refreshing exposure to contemporary urban Indian life-a life without tipis, wigwams, or hogans; without horses, wide open spaces, subsistence agriculture/fishing/hunting, chiefs, and tribal councils-but still a very Indian world. Crispy's Indian world is composed of Native American families who were relocated from rural reservations to large cities during Federal urban renewal, individual Indians who migrated for better job opportunities, mixed Indians who do not meet tribal enrollment requirements, and Indians whose ancestors lost their tribal lands due to treaty violations."-- Cultural Survival

"A must-read book"--Indian Country

"Brilliantly written, and an encouraging piece of fiction to signify our stories are still very alive and need to be passed down."--Native Hoop Magazine

Out of the fry bread pan, into the fire! Native American law student Crispy Calusa had big dreams when he left home for the Big Apple, but it's a whole different world off the Rez. While striving for an education, he's managed to piss off the city's locals. And that's not even the awkward part. As he chases women on the singles circuit, he's inadvertently turned on grannies in heat. The last thing he wants to do is give up on his plans, but his mother won't stop telling him to bag it up and come on home.

Before he can put up a fight, he's issued an ultimatum. Crispy's tribal elders put the "ow" in "powwow" and they've ordered him to get engaged to an indigenous woman in thirty days or be kicked out of the tribe.

If he wants his future children to be part of the drum circle and have their turn fancy dancing in his tribal regalia, he's got to shed the "Native Nerd" label and pursue something much more important than a degree: love. Is it possible for Crispy to follow his dreams and still hold on to the past? Will he find his Pocahontas or will a secret wreck his life before she can become a part of his?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 061591179X
• ISBN13: 9780615911793
• Release Date: November 2013
• Publisher: Temrose Publishing
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"