People of the Whale
ABOUT
THE BOOK
Raised in a remote seaside village, Thomas Witka Just marries Ruth, his beloved since infancy. But an ill-fated decision to fight in Vietnam changes his life forever: cut off from his Native American community, he fathers a child with another woman. When he returns home a hero, he finds his tribe in conflict over the decision to hunt a whale, both a symbol of spirituality and rebirth and a means of survival. In the end, he reconciles his two existences, only to see tragedy befall the son he left behind.
NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS
Linda Hogan has penned a parallel story about a Native America man’s struggle for redemption and reconciliation in his personal life and his tribe’s attempts to reconcile their cultural values versus western (capitalistic) values. Hogan effectively switches back and forth between a straight forward descriptive narrative and the almost dream-like quality of her Native America characters. In doing so, she develops a rhythm to the story which is a delight to read. It’s a thought-provoking work about addressing the jagged splits in one’s life and the life of a community.