Oklahoma author's novel chosen for One Book One Community program at San Juan College
The debut novel by a Kiowa-Cherokee author from Oklahoma who graduated from the Institute of Native American Arts in Santa Fe has been named this year’s One Book One Community selection at San Juan College.
Oscar Hokeah’s “Calling for a Blanket Dance” was selected for this year’s program by the college’s One Book One Community Committee, which is led by director Andrea Cooper, an anthropology professor at the school. Each year, the committee selects a book and encourages students, faculty and staff members, and community members to read it and take part in several events that are held on the college campus related to the book, including readings, discussions, lectures and other activities.
Cooper noted that this will be the first time in several years the committee has chosen a work of fiction for the One Book One Community program, so it represents a change of pace from other recent selections. It also addresses issues faced by single fathers, “and that’s something we haven’t gotten to explore a lot,” she said.
Each chapter of Hokeah’s “Calling for a Blanket Dance” is written from the perspective of a different character, she said, but it follows the journey of its young protagonist, Ever Geimausaddle, as he struggles to chart his own path while absorbing the mixed identity of his Native American-Mexican heritage.
“It’s pretty raw,” Cooper said of the story, which contains numerous episodes of historical trauma.
But “Calling for a Blanket Dance” also is very inspiring, she said, describing it as a tale of family resilience and hope.
Cooper said when the One Book One Community Committee was sifting through possible books for this year’s choice last spring, the selections that were being considered failed to strike a chord with many people. Cooper said she discovered “Calling for a Blanket Dance” in the San Juan College Library and thought right away it would be a good fit for the program.
“It was an obvious choice,” she said.
When she reached out to Hokeah to let him know his novel — which won the 2023 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel — had been selected for the One Book One Community program, Cooper said he was thrilled, explaining that he already was very familiar with the Four Corners area from his time in New Mexico at IAIA.
In addition to featuring a compelling story, Cooper said the book offers rich character development and lessons in overcoming barriers to which many members of the community are likely to respond.
“We’re always really cognizant of how the books (in the program) resonate with students,” she said, while noting that “Calling for a Blanket Dance” is one of those novels that is accessible to readers of various ages.
“People are going to relate to him,” she said of Hokeah. “He’s going to go places, for sure.”
Virtual group discussions of “Calling for a Blanket Dance” will be held at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12 and at noon on Friday, Nov. 3. Visit the One Book One Community page on the San Juan College website at sanjuancollege.edu/onebook for the meeting link.
Hokeah will appear at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 23 for a reading and book signing in the Connie Gotsch Theatre on the college campus, 4601 College Blvd. in Farmington. Admission is free.
Other events related to the book will be announced this fall. The book is available for purchase at the San Juan College bookstore and at Amy's Bookcase in Farmington.
Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.
This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Debut novel by Oklahoma author chosen for San Juan College program
