A moving and deeply engaging novel about a young Native American
man as he learns to find strength in his familial identity.
Told in a series of voices, Calling for a Blanket Dance takes
us into the life of Ever Geimausaddle through the multigenerational
perspectives of his family as they face myriad obstacles. His
father's injury at the hands of corrupt police, his mother's struggle
to hold on to her job and care for her husband, the constant
resettlement of the family, and the legacy of centuries of injustice
all intensify Ever's bottled-up rage. Meanwhile, all of Ever's
relatives have ideas about who he is and who he should be. His
Cherokee grandmother urges the family to move across Oklahoma to find
security; his grandfather hopes to reunite him with his heritage
through traditional gourd dances; his Kiowa cousin reminds him that
he's connected to an ancestral past. And once an adult, Ever must
take the strength given to him by his relatives to save not only
himself but also the next generation of family.
How will this young man visualize a place for himself when the world
hasn't given him a place to start with? Honest, heartbreaking, and
ultimately uplifting, Calling for a Blanket Dance is the story
of how Ever Geimausaddle found his way to home.