shopping cart
Save up to 30% on our Staff Picks
Call us:  800-878-7323 HELP
McAfee SECURE helps keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams.
Contributors | November 10, 2009

Zachary Lazar: IMG Evening's Empire



Without knowing it, I'd always had two unspoken arrangements with the world. The first was that I would not trouble it with unpleasant conversation... Continue »
  1. $17.49 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

Ceremony

by Leslie Marmon Silko

Ceremony Cover

ISBN13: 9780140086836
ISBN10: 0140086838
Condition: Standard
All Product Details

Only 1 left in stock at $7.95!
Out of Print

Staff Pick

Ceremony cast a spell on me; I read it over the course of a day, reluctantly putting it down only to eat and walk with the dog. It is the story of Tayo, whose soul has been horribly broken, and of his perilous journey back to wholeness. How rare it is for me to feel so moved and transformed by a story; this is a novel of devastating brilliance and power.
Recommended by Nichole, Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Tayo, a young Native American, has been a prisoner of the Japanese during World War II, and the horrors of captivity have almost eroded his will to survive. His return to the Laguna Pueblo reservation only increases his feeling of estrangement and alienation. While other returning soldiers find easy refuge in alcohol and senseless violence, Tayo searches for another kind of comfort and resolution.

Tayo's quest leads him back to the Indian past and its traditions, to beliefs about witchcraft and evil, and to the ancient stories of his people. The search itself becomes a ritual, a curative ceremny that defeats the most virulent of afflictions — despair.

Review:

"An exceptional novel — a cause for celebration." The Washington Post Book World

Review:

"The novel is very deliberately a ceremony in itself — demanding but confident and beautifully written." The Boston Globe)

About the Author

Silko is a former professor of English and fiction writing.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
itpdx, October 19, 2009 (view all comments by itpdx)
A young man of mixed Native American heritage returns from WWII and exorcises his demons of alienation, despair and hatred through ceremony. He reconnects with the land and his people.
I long for a way for others who have been damaged by war, alienation, or violence to heal.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
sweetflower619, September 12, 2009 (view all comments by sweetflower619)
I read this book for an English class last semester. I actually liked it, even though I didn't expect it to be interesting. But the story sort of took me on it's own journey, and I guess it is rather accurate to say, that the book is a healing, in itself. Enjoy!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
View all 2 comments

Product Details

ISBN:
9780140086836
Author:
Silko, Leslie Marmon
Publisher:
Penguin Books
Location:
New York, N.Y.
Subject:
General
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
World war, 1939-1945
Subject:
Literature, Modern
Subject:
Western stories
Subject:
Veterans
Subject:
Laguna Indians.
Subject:
Indians, North American.
Subject:
Laguna Indians -- Fiction.
Subject:
World War, 19
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
World War, 1939-1945 -- Veterans.
Copyright:
Series:
Contemporary American Fiction
Series Volume:
98-1012
Publication Date:
March 1986
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
262
Dimensions:
7.82x5.08x.50 in. .43 lbs.

Other books you might like

  1. $5.95 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    Gardens in the Dunes

    Leslie Marmon Silko
  2. $5.50 Used Mass Market add to wish list

    The Pearl

    John Steinbeck
  3. $2.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Their Eyes Were Watching God

    Zora Neale Hurston
  4. $6.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    House Made of Dawn

    N Scott Momaday
  5. $3.95 Used Mass Market add to wish list
  6. $10.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

Related Aisles

  • back to top

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.