by Kent Nerburn
First published 2013
A relentless dream pulls Kent Nerburn back to the lands of the Lakota and Ojibwe, where he discovers that visions carry weight and animals serve as guides. He encounters a peculiar young girl whose ties to the past unsettle everyone around her. His journey leads him to a forgotten asylum that official history has buried, forcing him to confront secrets the authorities hoped would stay hidden. Along the way, Nerburn reunites with the memorable figures from his earlier adventures in Indian country. The girl's strange ability to communicate with buffalo becomes central to understanding the mystery that surrounds her origins. As Nerburn travels deeper into this world where the elderly possess unexplained abilities, he must navigate between the visible present and the invisible forces that shape Native American experience. The investigation becomes both a search for truth about the girl's identity and a spiritual education that challenges everything Nerburn thought he understood about reality.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, native-american
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, spiritual-journey
Setting: Lakota, Ojibwe
Period: Ancient Sky
408 pages · Paperback · New World Library