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Crazy Brave: A Memoir
Crazy Brave: A Memoir | Joy Harjo
51 posts | 36 read | 81 to read
Compressed . . . lyrical . . . unflinching . . . raw. . . . Harjo is a magician and a master of the English language.Jonah Raskin, San Francisco Chronicle In this transcendent memoir, grounded in tribal myth and ancestry, music and poetry, Joy Harjo, one of our leading Native American voices, details her journey to becoming a poet. Born in Oklahoma, the end place of the Trail of Tears, Harjo grew up learning to dodge an abusive stepfather by finding shelter in her imagination, a deep spiritual life, and connection with the natural world. She attended an Indian arts boarding school, where she nourished an appreciation for painting, music, and poetry; gave birth while still a teenager; and struggled on her own as a single mother, eventually finding her poetic voice. Narrating the complexities of betrayal and love, Crazy Brave is a memoir about family and the breaking apart necessary in finding a voice. Harjos tale of a hardscrabble youth, young adulthood, and transformation into an award-winning poet and musician is haunting, unique, and visionary.
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DebinHawaii
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Pickpick

Listening to Harjo read her memoir, heck, listening to Harjo read anything is an immersive experience. I put this one on my #TBR after reading/listening to An American Sunrise last year. Beautiful prose & mystical storytelling about the hard points as well as the highlights of her life. Beautiful & inspiring. 💜

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SamAnne
Crazy Brave | Joy Harjo
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This one had been on my TBR list for a long time. What an interesting creative memoir by one talented powerful woman. All that she weathered to realize her calling and follow her path. A great read for my eastern Oregon camping/hiking trip, a place that gives me strength to weather rough times and get my head clear for my own path.

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DivineDiana
Crazy Brave | Joy Harjo
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Last night, I attended a reading and discussion with Joy Harjo, the United States Poet Laureate, and the first Native American Poet Laureate. She is a woman of many talents: writer, playwright, musician. Joy played a few hypnotic songs on a flute, shared some howling during a story, and told us a real life ghost story. I look forward to reading her poetry and her other books. #nativeamerican

KatieDid927 Oh amazing, I love her! 3y
DivineDiana @KatieDid927 She is an inspiring woman! ❤️ 3y
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monalyisha
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Pickpick

At one point in her memoir, Harjo recalls the moment she learned that poetry could serve her in her Native identity; she writes, “the English language was pleased to occupy new forms.” This book definitely felt like a new form to me! I wasn‘t sure I liked it at first. It felt disjointed as she skipped between memory, family history, dreams, poems, songs, short stories, & visions. But it wasn‘t disjointed. Just new. After settling in, I LOVED it.

monalyisha Note: Trigger warnings galore: most notably for domestic abuse, sexual abuse, substance abuse, addiction, self-harm. 3y
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MallenNC
Crazy Brave | Joy Harjo
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Pickpick

This memoir as my introduction to Joy Harjo, the first Native American poet laureate. I really enjoyed how she wove poetry into this story of her early life. She has a second memoir that I‘m definitely reading. #nonfictionnovember

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megnews
Crazy Brave | Joy Harjo
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Pickpick

Joy Harjo has a beautiful spirit. I‘m thankful to have read her memoir. Looking forward to Poet Warrior and more of her poetry.

#NativeAmericanHeritageMonth

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kspenmoll
Crazy Brave | Joy Harjo
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#falltreasures #nativeamericanday
Celebrating our poet laureate today.

wanderinglynn ❤️❤️❤️ love her poetry! 3y
Butterfinger Love her. 3y
Eggs She‘s amazing 🤗 @wanderinglynn @Butterfinger 3y
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Butterfinger
Crazy Brave | Joy Harjo
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Pickpick

I have to meet her. She created the most beautiful, most painful work that I have read in a long time. The abuse, the fear of abuse touched me because I have been there. I want to meet her so much. This may be the gateway to get me to enjoy poetry.

#Nonfiction2021 Native American @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

Riveted_Reader_Melissa It‘s so great when a book touches you and gives a connection. It always helps to read something and know we‘re not so alone. 3y
Andrew65 Great 👏👏👏 3y
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SamAnne @Butterfinger I've dived into her poetry this year and can't wait to read this memoir. And agree. She attended a dedication for our food co-op that had a beautiful wooden table inscribed with one of her poems. But I was too shy to introduce myself. 3y
Butterfinger @SamAnne I would have been shy too. I have been to her website and she had conferences in the last weeks, but nothing in the future. 3y
kspenmoll I loved this book! 3y
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Eggs
Crazy Brave | Joy Harjo
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There are plenty of #maladjusted characters in Harjo‘s memoir, though with her command of language and imagery (and poetic license) - it‘s easy to see we all have some maladjustment within us and our pasts. Part of the human experience...
#maycharacters @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

SamAnne This has been on my list for a long time. 3y
kspenmoll Really enjoyed her this- 3y
Eggs Highly recommend it @SamAnne 🥰 3y
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sarahlandis
Crazy Brave | Joy Harjo
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Pickpick

First of all, I have a new tablet!!! Which is great news because I‘ve been reading books on my cracked iPhone 7... and this is much more enjoyable.
I enjoyed but didn‘t love this book. A memoir of the incessant struggles and abuse her life gave her. She defines the contemporary warrior (literally in this book and figuratively in her life). She supplements the chapters with her poems.

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j9brown
Crazy Brave | Joy Harjo
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Pickpick

A beautiful and painful memoir. I wished it was longer!

It made me wish I was more interested in poetry but it's still not my thing.

Also this was a great pick to kick off a year of #integrateyourshelf reading! @ChasingOm @Emilymdxn I definitely recommend!

ChasingOm I want to be more into poetry too, but about all I enjoy is seeing the pieces folks post on Litsy, lol. 4y
Emilymdxn I adored this book SO much, I need to reread! 4y
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starrdom
Crazy Brave | Joy Harjo
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Pickpick

Listening to Joy Harjo‘s voice and words is a pure delight. Our nation‘s first Native American Poet Laureate delivers a beautiful memoir that is unique but also feels somewhat representative. Spending an evening in fear because the family matriarch‘s enemy is sitting outside the house in the shape of a bird? I have lived that experience too but never read anyone else recall something like it before. A gorgeous, important tale of a Native life.

Carolyn11215 My favorite book of 2019! She is phenomenally talented! 4y
Reggie Was it an owl? 4y
starrdom @Reggie it was an owl. To this day, I can‘t stand to hear or see them! 4y
Reggie I had a friend who used to live with this boyfriend she had. She knew his previous girlfriend and the gf‘s mother. She had heard that the mother was a witch but thought that was just gossip. One day he had left to work early and she left later. When she walked out of the house, she saw two owls on the electric line and she said she could hear them plain as day. The ex-gf and her mother just chatting and cackling. 4y
starrdom @Reggie that gave me chills. My grandmother had a neighbor who she believed was a witch. She said he had manifested as a stampeding horse before but more often he was a screech owl. We never heard another screech owl outside the house after he died. 4y
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KatieDid927
Crazy Brave | Joy Harjo
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Pickpick

A really lovely memoir from our Poet Laureate. A great read for Native American Heritage Month.

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TheSpineView
Crazy Brave | Joy Harjo
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Suet624 This book is so good. 💕💕 4y
SamAnne Love her poetry and this is on my TBR list! 4y
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TheSpineView @SamAnne Me too!😀 4y
Eggs I read her poetry book 4y
TheSpineView @Eggs That's awesome! 👍 4y
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ReadingEnvy
Crazy Brave | Joy Harjo
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Pickpick

I wanted to read the memoir of the U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo before I read her poetry so I was happy to find the ebook through my public library. From her childhood in Oklahoma until she was accepted into a native American arts school in Santa Fe, this is also the story of how she found her poetry voice. ⤵️

ReadingEnvy At times she wrote a bit obtusely about events, which felt like her taking a step back from her own experience and asking the reader to fill in the gaps. There is a lot of pain there, but also a deep spirituality that has pulled her through her life.
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Also, the next book I picked up after this is memoir, making three in a row. I guess that's where my brain is right now.l
5y
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Caterina
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#BookReport and #WeeklyForecast @Cinfhen : With seminary in full swing, my only fun reading time comes from listening to audiobooks while running, doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc. This week I've been LOVING these two from @Emilymdxn 's #NewYearWhoDis list ( @monalyisha ) and will hopefully finish Crazy Brave next week! It's so gorgeous on audio 😍 And my new boyfriend and I are reading Crime and Punishment together 🥰😁

Emilymdxn I‘m so glad you‘re enjoying crazy brave, even if it is in the tiniest instalments lol. Also a couples crime and punishment read is the cutest thing ever 🥰 5y
monalyisha Definitely adding CB to my list of audio recs. Thanks! 🙌🏻 5y
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Carolyn11215
Crazy Brave | Joy Harjo
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None of the books I have on pile for remainder of 2019 work for any of my challenges so I‘m calling it quits on 2019 challenges. For #booked2019, I managed to do 17 of the 24 prompts. Only season I completely finished was Winter (6 of 6). Spring was 4 of 6, summer was 4 of 6 and Fall was 3 of 6 prompts completed. Favorite book I read for this challenge was Crazy Brave.

Cinfhen Thanks for joining us and sharing your wrap up!!! Still a win for all the books you did complete 🎉🎉🎉Hope you‘ll be back for #Booked2020 5y
Carolyn11215 @cinfhen love the prompts for #booked2020 so I will definitely be back and I‘ll try to be better about posting as well. 5y
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Cinfhen Yay!! Excited to take the #Booked2020 journey with you 🎉😊 5y
alisiakae I‘m glad you joined in! 5y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Y‘know, it‘s not about what you didn‘t read. It‘s about what you did. Not the numbers, but the fun. So I‘m here to say you did an awesome job! 👊🏻📚♥️ 5y
Carolyn11215 @BarbaraTheBibliophage I completely agree. I‘m not disappointed when I don‘t finish a complicated reading challenge because I know it helped me read some amazing books that I otherwise might not have sought out! 5y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @Carolyn11215 Agreed. I didn‘t finish one I started this year. I‘m okay with that too! 😎 5y
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Skygoddess1
Crazy Brave | Joy Harjo
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Pickpick

I‘m sad to say that I did not know of Joy Harjo until after she was named Poet Laureate of the US, the footer Native American to be named so. Since her being named Poet Laureate, I have wanted to read something by her, thus I was excited to listen to her memoir in her own voice. I learned so much about Harjo, for instance her stepfather was abusive and kicked her and her siblings out of the house over the years. #TIL Next, read more Harjo #NFNov

Linsy I need to listen to this one!! 5y
rsteve388 9 pts 5y
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kyraleseberg
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Excited to finally read this!!

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Thndrstd
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Exciting news: Joy Harjo Becomes The First Native American U.S. Poet Laureate https://www.npr.org/2019/06/19/733727917/joy-harjo-becomes-the-first-native-amer...

(Image taken from article at link)

If you haven‘t read her, you should.

SamAnne Good news! 5y
batsy That's great! 5y
Suet624 I was just about to post this news! She is sooo good. 5y
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Carolyn11215
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My 11 reads for February. Not bad for a short month! Favorite books were Crazy Brave (gutting and inspirational), News of the World (loved the relationship of the grumpy old man and the young German girl he is trying to return to her family many years after she was stolen by a Native American tribe and raised as one of their own) and the very amusing We Are Never Meeting In Real Life.

kspenmoll I loved Crazy Brave too. ❤️ 6y
wordzie 🎉👍 6y
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Carolyn11215
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1) Amusing that some people answer in terms of comfort food and some answer in terms of comfort books. Food: a cup of tea if it‘s chilly and some nuts. Books: the ones I think of most fondly even though I haven‘t reread are Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland.
2) Going to theatre to watch Oscar nominated documentary shorts.
3) This memoir has been one of my fave reads in 2019.
4) I can roll my tongue.
5) 🙌
#friyayintro @howjessreads

donnalyy 🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️ 6y
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Emilymdxn
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Pickpick

What a mindblowing memoir. I don‘t know that I‘ve ever read such a lyrical memoir of a life with so much pain in it. This is the story of a painful life lived with a lot of hope and creative power. It always impresses me when writers in memoirs are prepared to show you their bad decisions and faults, it makes the whole exercise more vulnerable and honest. Up there with Becoming as the best autobiographies I‘ve read in a while

jmofo I‘m so glad you enjoyed it! 👏 6y
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Emilymdxn
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I meant to read this in January but didn‘t get to it, I‘m excited to be starting it now though

suzisteffen Can‘t wait to hear more from you about your thoughts! 6y
jmofo I really enjoyed her reading. She delivers things in a rhythm that makes the listening feel more personal. I hope you enjoy the book! 6y
GatheringBooks perfect! do feel free to share your thoughts on our ReadAlong Chat for #WomenReadWomen2019. I shared around three discussion points. 6y
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Chrissyreadit
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Pickpick

Book I just finished enjoying my #partyforone .I found it painful and heartbreaking. But it was also musical and poetic. I could hear her voice in my head. Overall a good memoir.

Chrissyreadit @Cinfhen I just realized this counts for a future #booked2019 prompt- indigenous writer- I did not think to look ahead. Is that accurate? 6y
Cinfhen Yup!!! Excellent!! And it sounds like a good read - thanks for posting & sharing 😊 6y
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LitsyHappenings
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Repost for @GatheringBooks :

Hey Litsy folks, here‘s the first #WomenReadWomen2019 ReadAlong Chat prompt for Joy Harjo‘s “Crazy Brave”. If I have failed to tag you but still want to join in, please feel free to do so. This is a fascinating memoir.

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Carolyn11215
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Pickpick

5 🌟 This book was EVERYTHING. Still trying to process. Her poetry and story telling are amazing. Have started listening to some of her music on Spotify as well. Her memoir is raw, devastating and ultimately uplifting. Can‘t wait to delve into some of her poetry collections. #readingwomenchallenge

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GatheringBooks
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Third and Final ReadAlong Chat Discussion Prompt for #WomenReadWomen2019 Book for January, Jo Harjo‘s “Crazy Brave.” Looking forward to reading everyone‘s thoughts and insights. Here‘s hoping you had sufficient time to read Harjo‘s words which felt uplifting for me, notwithstanding its rootedness in pain, fear, and abandonment.

Carolyn11215 Agree that uplifting is ultimately the word I would use to describe this memoir. Her path to deliverance was full of pain and terror, but her spirit pulled her through it. I‘m so glad poetry saved her life. I knew nothing about her before reading this memoir, but now intend to read more of her poetry, listen to more of her music on Spotify, and I‘m following her on Facebook. 6y
GatheringBooks @Carolyn11215 oooh! i didn‘t even know she was on spotify! thanks for alerting me, will try to find her music. i also loved how she transcended that pain and transformed it into something that not only helped herself but also others. Words do heal. 6y
Carolyn11215 @gatheringbooks, yes I loved that at one point her home temporarily became a safe haven for female friends and their children that were experiencing domestic violence. We‘ve always had a dearth of shelters for women in this country and I‘d bet it was even worse for indigenous women. 6y
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suzisteffen I got to see her read, talk, and perform music in Eugene last year. She was great! In terms of this memoir, it was both terrifying and uplifting - and certainly the language was amazingly beautiful. 6y
GatheringBooks @suzisteffen oh that is such a privilege! i am sure that she is even more riveting in person! 6y
GatheringBooks @Carolyn11215 exactly. it is her creating something that she herself needed that i found particularly admirable - a self-sustaining/self-supporting group that was formed so organically. the fact that there is so much stigma surrounding domestic violence and the fact that the culture expects silence and compliance in the face of a much bigger issue at hand that the entire indigenous community is fighting for makes the problem perpetuate even more. 6y
Carolyn11215 @GatheringBooks @suzisteffen as someone who lives in Santa Fe and has good friends in the native communities out here, I‘m also aware of the incredibly high incidence of rape, missing and murdered females in the indigenous communities, which has been ignored by the media. There are now frequent demonstrations at our roundhouse trying to bring attention to the issue so that action will be taken. (edited) 6y
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GatheringBooks
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I have only prepared three ReadAlong Chat Qs for #WomenReadWomen2019 January book, Crazy Brave by Jo Harjo. Here‘s my second prompt. Tagging @Carolyn11215 @suzisteffen @Readergrrl @Chrissyreadit @catebutler @Emilymdxn @IndoorDame @kspenmoll Anyone else who has read the memoir and feel like joining, please feel free to chime in your thoughts.

Carolyn11215 It pretty much all felt harrowing to me. She‘s a warrior to me because she pulled herself and her children through all those challenging/terrifying moments. I can‘t imagine having to deal with what life threw at her with such young children. I have suffered through moments of what felt like pretty intense anxiety, but they were nothing compared to what she apparently lived with. 6y
Carolyn11215 The scene where she is fighting the feeling that she is going to die with every nearly paralyzing step on her mile walk home was particularly harrowing to me. 6y
GatheringBooks @Carolyn11215 agreed! when i read this part, my clinical psychologist‘s mind kicked in and cannot help but think that she was clearly suffering from a panic attack. the fact that her husband/ignored her call for help was particularly telling and demonstrated her total isolation. she is all alone. she has no one else. 6y
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Carolyn11215 @gatheringbooks Panic attacks are so terrifying, especially when you have your first one. I‘m sure many of us know people who‘ve been to the ER because they thought they were having a heart attack/couldn‘t breathe and it turned out to be a panic attack. 6y
suzisteffen @Carolyn11215 @GatheringBooks And she kept on having them - this wasn‘t the only time. So intense, her mind and spirit telling her to get out and get her kid(s) out too. 6y
Carolyn11215 @suzisteffen @GatheringBooks yes, i loved the final epilogue where she talks about when the panic/anxiety finally lifted while peacefully rowing in Hawaii. I love the tattoo she has on her hand. Looks kind of North Pacific or Maori to me. 6y
GatheringBooks @Carolyn11215 agreed. 🧚🏼‍♀️ it is also such a sobering reminder how this sense of peace is so hard-earned and ultimately so fragile, and needs a lot of work to sustain. i admire harjo‘s resolve and how she is able to constantly redefine herself. @suzisteffen (edited) 6y
GatheringBooks @suzisteffen and @Carolyn11215 what i especially found harrowing was her time with the Poet - just when I felt that she was about to put her life back together after a failed relationship from very young, and she was at the threshold of something great, here comes another charming man to muck it all up. 6y
suzisteffen @GatheringBooks @Carolyn11215 YES. I think her main quest, at least the way she identifies it in this (first?) memoir, is to follow her art and not someone else‘s - not some charming, or pseudo-charming, dude‘s, but her own. 6y
Carolyn11215 @suzisteffen @GatheringBooks I hope this is just the first of more memoir to come! There is so much more I want to know about her. Hoping that I can glean some of that by reading her poetry, listening to her music and following her on Facebook, where she seems pretty active. 6y
Chrissyreadit I was heart sick for her motherhood. And the loss of her step daughter. And the loss of tribe that she lived but had never known. 6y
GatheringBooks @Chrissyreadit that is one of the things i was wondering about - her relationship with her own children and how it has been adversely affected by the constant abuse. 6y
Emilymdxn Afraid I‘m quite late to the party here I just finished it. The part that punched me hardest was her getting to Lupita at school (sorry if spelling wrong, I listened to audio) and realising she was too late to stop the boys getting to her when she was drunk. That was the bit where my heart dropped hardest into my stomach 6y
GatheringBooks @Emilymdxn absolutely no worries, glad that you had a chance to read it. that was pretty heartsick-inducing indeed. it also appeared to me that the brightest women, those who show the greatest promise and potential are the ones targeted even more - either by fellow women or by men who prey on them. 6y
GatheringBooks @Carolyn11215 i am so glad you mentioned that she plays music too. been listening to her now on spotify. 🧚🏼‍♀️😍💕 6y
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GatheringBooks
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Hey Litsy folks, here‘s the first #WomenReadWomen2019 ReadAlong Chat prompt for Joy Harjo‘s “Crazy Brave”. If I have failed to tag you but still want to join in, please feel free to do so. This is a fascinating memoir.

Carolyn11215 Wow. Just wow. Thank you so much for bringing this amazing book to my attention. I was absolutely smitten. As for the question, I always find it heartbreaking when women fail to support each other, particularly when they have undergone (or are currently undergoing) similar challenges. When it‘s a mother that does this with her daughter I find it particularly infuriating/unforgivable. 6y
GatheringBooks @Carolyn11215 I am glad that you liked the memoir. I am actually wondering about Joy‘s mother. It is clear that she loves her children. However, she also felt paralyzed by the new husband that she may have felt she had no choice (?). I am still trying to be sympathetic, mainly because it is also evident how Jo did not feel resentful towards her mother and still seemed pretty understanding towards her. 6y
Carolyn11215 @GatheringBooks agreed that Joy didn‘t seem to hold it against her mother but that doesn‘t mean that I have to be so forgiving. It‘s one thing to be unable to protect your children. It‘s another thing to believe the abuser over the children, which Joy indicated her mother did. 6y
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GatheringBooks @Carolyn11215 i know. i am really so conflicted over her mother whom she describes so beautifully but also seems to be without any sense of agency at all when around the men in her lives. men whom she chose to be with. it is baffling, but also not unusual for women who are victims/survivors of domestic violence. 6y
Carolyn11215 @GatheringBooks agreed that it‘s not unusual unfortunately. 6y
suzisteffen Ah, sorry, @GatheringBooks! I woke up early and meant to respond and then ... forgot all day until now! It‘s so true that her mom was under the thumb - literally sometimes - of the (rather evil) stepfather, who was an abuser and a molester. So many children need and deserve more from their parents! It was sad. Re the mother-in-law, Harjo makes us feel her need to control what she can bc of a lack of control in the larger world. (True of ... ) 6y
suzisteffen ( ... most of the women in the book). Sorry @Carolyn11215 meant to tag you too. So much lack of agency - though she acknowledges that and reclaims her own, by the end. 6y
suzisteffen And there‘s the grandmother too! She really went through it. @GatheringBooks @Carolyn11215 6y
GatheringBooks @suzisteffen very true re lack of agency, but this may also be largely systemic: an effect of too much gaslighting and messages conveyed from young about disempowerment and turning the other cheek and “resilience” and the fight for something larger than one‘s self - may make women feel that what they are experiencing is something so “minor” or negligible in the face of a more systemic abuse and loss of power. @Carolyn11215 (edited) 6y
Carolyn11215 @gatheringbooks, YES. She talks about the pressure to support native men regardless of their behavior because 1) they are native men in a white world and thus have a very difficult time and 2) the greater cause of the fight for native rights demands it. @suzisteffen (edited) 6y
Chrissyreadit I‘m about half way through. It is heartbreaking so far. Was domestic violence always present in tribal culture or did it evolve with the changes and harms Europeans brought to them? 6y
GatheringBooks @Chrissyreadit i have a feeling domestic violence is not particular to any culture - but may be exacerbated by societies that perpetuate patriarchy. 6y
Chrissyreadit @GatheringBooks yes- that makes sense. And in context to many tribes following matriarchy. 6y
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Carolyn11215

Rabbit is Up to Tricks, an amazing poem in her memoir, is also a spoken word/song on one of her CDs. Here‘s link to YouTube video. https://youtu.be/X6QyVpNFSAY #readingwomenchallenge

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Carolyn11215
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Listening to some of her music on Spotify while I read this memoir for #readingwomenchallenge.

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suzisteffen
Pickpick

“If you do not answer the noise and urgency of your gifts, they will turn on you. Or drag you down with their immense sadness at being abandoned.” 🎯 Too real. A moving and intense memoir that leads up to everything else I know about poet, essayist, and musician Harjo. Can‘t wait to discuss it with @GatheringBooks et al in the 2/2 #WomenReadWomen2019 chat!

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GatheringBooks
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Just a quick check-in that our first #WomenReadWomen2019 ReadAlong Chat is on 02 February. Will be posting discussion questions to “chat” about. 🧚🏼‍♀️😍😘💕📚 Let me know if you would like to join!

Cinfhen Sounds good! Don‘t think I‘ll find a copy in time for discussion, though 😟 6y
suzisteffen One more direction to go! Thanks for the chat reminder!! 6y
Carolyn11215 I want to join...I have the book now! 6y
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GatheringBooks @Cinfhen aww, that‘s alright- maybe for the next one? forugh farrokhzad was just fierce in her lifetime. 6y
GatheringBooks @suzisteffen no problem! 🧚🏼‍♀️📚💕 6y
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GatheringBooks
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Pickpick

First #24in48 book done! Granted, I only needed to read the last 30 pages or so. The time (28 mins or so) also includes a few pages on to my next title, Every Heart A Doorway. And since I am discussing this title with other #WomenReadWomen2019 ReadAlong participants next week, suffice it to say that I enjoyed its heartbreaking truths thoroughly. I was deeply immersed in this memoir. Heartbreaking and liberating.

Kaye 👍🏼 6y
kspenmoll Loved Crazy Brave! 6y
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GatheringBooks
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A pretty modest #Bookstack to begin with for the #24in48 Challenge as we are on our way to doing community service. Will read in the bus. #ReadEverywhere. Both books fit our #WomenReadWomen2019 theme as well as our ReadAloud! :)

ErikasMindfulShelf I‘m listening to Every Heart a Doorway right now and it‘s great!! 6y
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suzisteffen
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Alert! #WomenReadWomen2019 first book for Feb. 2 chat is Joy Harjo‘s lyrical #memoir, Crazy Brave. Chat will be hosted by @GatheringBooks , who organized this entire plan (and from home I am sharing this post ). Hurray!

GatheringBooks thank you for sharing!! 🧚🏼‍♀️💕 6y
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suzisteffen
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“I was entrusted with carrying voices, songs, and stories to grow and release into the world, to be of assistance and inspiration. These were my responsibility. I am not special.” 😍 Joy Harjo! #WomenReadWomen2019 @GatheringBooks

GatheringBooks lovely quote! i am just about to begin reading the book today! 🧚🏼‍♀️💕📚 6y
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GatheringBooks
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Our first book for the #WomenReadWomen2019 ReadAlong Chat is Joy Harjo‘s “Crazy Brave.” To give us more time to read, the chat is scheduled on 02 February. Do join us or please do share just in case there are people who are keen on joining.

catebutler Ooh! This sounds great! I‘ll see if I can find a copy - I‘d love to follow along. 6y
GatheringBooks @catebutler nice! will be happy to tag you for this one. :) 6y
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suzisteffen
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Excited to start this for #WomenReadWomen2019! I love Joy Harjo, and I got to see her speak last year at the Eugene Public Library. I read her poetry often, including a couple of books last year. Looking forward to the memoir. @GatheringBooks

GatheringBooks awesome!!! :) 6y
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GatheringBooks
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As you know, we are doing a #WomenReadWomen2019 theme over at GatheringBooks. And we thought of doing a #ReadAlong. Please feel free to read these books for the first quarter of the year along with me. If there is enough interest, I can post updates and points for discussion at the end of each month with the hashtag above. Do let me know if you are reading along so I can tag you, and see whether it is a feasible reading challenge this year.

Readergrrl I‘m thinking of joining in! Sounds very intriguing and I just signed up for your blog. 6y
Chrissyreadit I am going to add the books to my wish list but not sure when I will read them. 6y
GatheringBooks @Readergrrl glad to hear that! yes, please do read along if you are so inclined! would love to hear your thoughts about the book! :) 6y
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GatheringBooks @Chrissyreadit no worries! glad you are adding them to your to-read stack! :) 6y
suzisteffen What a great idea! Would love to read along. 6y
GatheringBooks @suzisteffen wonderful!! will tag you in my post by end of the month for the first book! :) 6y
suzisteffen @GatheringBooks I‘ve read one and have Insurrecto in my library pile right now! 6y
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peacegypsy
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One of my top five favorite poets.

kspenmoll Just read this & absolutely loved the book & her writing.❤️ 6y
peacegypsy @kspenmoll She writes beautiful literature! Glad you enjoyed it! 😊 6y
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kspenmoll
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Pickpick

#MakeMeReadIt
Finished Crazy Brave,a beautifully written,sensual, spiritual, gritty memoir.She chronicles her journey from birth with”knowing”to guide her,& expresses her spirit & her Native American world in a country that has stolen her people‘s land &culture.They are the“ disappeared”.She discovers poetry, dance & music as her ways of expression.An unsettling,powerful depiction of a passionate, activist for change& recognition of her people.

Suet624 I‘m so glad you liked it and I love your review. I hadn‘t read anything by her before and I fell in love with her while reading this. 6y
kspenmoll @Suet624 I had only read some children‘s poetry, but knew nothing. When this ended I wished she would write about the rest of her life! Thanks for the recommendation! 6y
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kspenmoll
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#MakeMeReadIt
Joy Harpo was 5 years old when this happened. Imagine my delight at sharing this memory & similar feelings of anger & the injustice of it all. I was about the same age when this happened to me: I was running shirtless with my boy cousin who was my age,& my brother who was 18 months older in my cousin‘s yard. My aunt from Oklahoma called me in to put a shirt on, as “ladies do not go shirtless”. I acquiesced like Joy, but never forgot.

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kspenmoll
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Susanita The quote frustrates me greatly, but the kitty is adorable. 6y
kspenmoll @Susanita Understand your frustration! Thanks; this is Em(EmilyDickinson, named by the English teacher who sheltered our two feral cats!) we think she is a cutie too! 6y
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kspenmoll
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britt_brooke Such a beautiful reading spot!! 6y
kspenmoll @britt_brooke Thank you! I truly bought this house for the front porch!!! 6y
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SomedayAlmost
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I remember how the lilac tree outside our house near Boston would whisper to my sisters & I. #naturepoem #JoyHarjo #poetrymonth

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Suet624
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Pickpick

“It was the spirit of poetry who reached out and found me as I stood there at the doorway between panic and love.” This memoir is heartbreaking and hopeful. Harjo weaves poetry and spirituality into her tales of childhood and marital abuse. She recounts her ancestors' voices and the things that saved her. She was a new author to me and I have so much to catch up on. I read the book much too fast. This deserves a slower reread in the future.

saresmoore Beautiful review, Sue! You've certainly inspired me to read it. 😊 7y
Suet624 Thanks @saresmoore. Catching up on some book reviews. 😀 7y
minkyb Lovely review! 7y
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Suet624 Thanks @minkyb. 😀💕 7y
Lindy I love this memoir too. Nice review! 7y
Suet624 Thanks @lindy. 7y
readinginthedark I read some poetry by her in my American Indian Lit class in college; I need to pick-up this one! 7y
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Suet624
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I believe that if you do not answer the noise and urgency of your gifts, they will turn on you. Or drag you down with their immense sadness at being abandoned.

batsy Oh, wow 7y
merelybookish What a quote! 7y
Suet624 @batsy @merelybookish This is a very special book. 7y
saresmoore Ooh, this gave me chills! 7y
kspenmoll Thanks for recommendation. Enjoy her poetry. 😍 7y
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Lindy
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Pickpick

A heartfelt and inspiring memoir by a celebrated poet of Creek and Cherokee heritage. #nativebooks #IndigenousVoices

Lindy @prowlix ... If you are in the mood for memoir. 8y
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