Authentic Alaska: Voices of Its Native Writers ed. by Susan B. Andrews, John Creed (review)

Book Reviews 319 erature that is “powerfully expressive of central Mormon ideas and concerns but not marred as literature . . . written to promote either religion or antireligion ” (162) to Marden Clark’s theory that any Mormon poet has an “advantage over the [Wallace] Stevens poet . . . simply because the order within the Mormon poet has deeper roots . . . plus . . . the order of the holy spirit” (45). While this broad spectrum provides a widely varied perspective, this breadth limits the ability of this collection to stay focused on any spe­ cific aspect of Mormon literature. Anyone interested in Mormon literature or the literature of the American West will benefit from a perusal of this col­ lection, though it only scratches the surface of this immensely important area of western literature. Authentic Alaska: Voices of Its Native Writers. Edited by Susan B. Andrews and John Creed. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1998. 171 pages, $35.00/$15.00. Reviewed by Jeane Breinig University of Alaska, Anchorage We have so few anthologies of contemporary writings by Alaskan Natives that new voices are always welcome additions— and this collection of essays and autobiographical accounts is no disappointment. The anthol­ ogy came about as part of a University of Alaska (Kotzebue) student writ­ ing project called Chukchi News and Information Service. Unlike other school-based publishing projects that generally create a newspaper or mag­ azine to publish student writings, the Chukchi Information Service locates already existing publications into which student writing may be placed. The editors culled the most compelling and “book-adaptable” selections from this service. The writings represent perspectives from four Alaskan Native cultural groups: Inupiaq, Siberian Yupik, Central Yupik (Eskimo), and Athabascan (Indian); and the collection provides a unique and much need­ ed perspective on aspects of Native life in northern Alaska. The book is divided into five sections titled “Autobiography,” “Rural Alaska Life,” “Stories of the North,” “Formal Schooling,” and “Traditional and Western Cultures.” Sections are preceded by brief introductions from the editors to explain important facets of Alaskan Native history and expe­ rience that may be unfamiliar to many readers outside Alaska. A map and selected photographs are important additions that help readers unfamiliar with Alaska locate and visualize rural villages such as Kivalina and Noatak. The best part of the book is that Native writers speak for themselves. A minor drawback is the brevity of the pieces— a constraint no doubt of the original publication sources: newspapers and magazines in Alaska. I would also like to have seen some contributions from Native writers in the 320 WAL 33(3) Fa l l 1998 Southeast Alaskan panhandle and the Aleutian chain, but given this pro­ ject has been Kotzebue based, it is understandable why the primary focus is upon Native experiences in northern Alaska. Overall, this is an excellent addition to the growing body of Alaskan Native literatures; the text is a good choice for those looking for insight into Alaskan life. Writing Tricksters: Mythic Qambols in American Ethnic Literature. By Jeanne Rosier Smith. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997. 196 pages, $45.00/$ 15.95. Reviewed by Barbara J. Cook University of Oregon Tricksters, both in folklore and American literature, exist on the bor­ ders of a community; however, in Writing Tricksters: Mythic Gambols in American Ethnic Literature, Jeanne Rosier Smith explores a “trickster aes­ thetic” emerging in contemporary ethnic literature that is simultaneously “marginal and central to [a] culture” (2). Smith finds a commonality in recent novels written by women of color— a focus on trickster characters and tricksterlike narrative forms which “play a crucial role in building and transforming culture” (3), a key element for ethnic women writers as they seek to combine “a feminist concern for challenging patriarchy with a cul­ tural interest in breaking racial stereotypes and exploring a mixed cultural heritage” (2). According to Smith, the trickster aesthetic is central to the novels of Maxine Hong Kingston, Toni Morrison, and Louise Erdrich— authors who focus on the trickster as integral to the survival of the community and the building of an identity. Although tricksters have traditionally been seen as shocking and morally bankrupt, in many cultures outside of the Western lit­ erary tradition (Native American, African, and...