Synopses & Reviews
Ursula K. Le Guin selected Crazy Weather for her contribution to Pharos Editions citing Charles McNichols offhanded skill, the ease with which (he) takes us deep into a complex society and the complex minds and hearts of its people.” In four days of "glory-hunting" with an Indian comrade, South Boy, who is white, realizes he must choose between two cultures. Le Guin explains how she finds Crazy Weather to be about a soul not at home and not at peace: South Boy, who on the verge of manhood is living in and between two worlds, without a clear way to go in either.” Crazy Weather is a unique tale of American identity that serves as an important document in our cultural history.”
Review
"This is the story of a boy who became a man in four days. Into it Charles McNichols has packed an amazing amount of action, adventure, Indian lore, and satisfying psychology....A splendid piece of fiction that can stand up in any company of contemporary novels." New York Times Book Review
Review
"One might almost say that Indian tales in America run the gamut from the romanticism of James Fenimore Cooper to the brilliant realism of Charles L McNichols. Almost within the Greek unties of time, place, and action, he has given us an unforgettable story which embraces the entire Mojave culture." Chicago Sun Book Week
Review
"Crazy Weather belongs with our best beloved stories of a boy's growing up. But it is a story for adults in every sense of the word....McNichols belongs in the great tradition of storytellers." New York Herald Tribune
Review
"The book has anthropological interest and it is filled with good bits of psychology....It is a reminder that racial enmities would die out in a single generation if they weren't kept alive by tradition and adults." New York Times
Synopsis
In four days of "glory-hunting" with an Indian comrade, South Boy, who is white, realizes that he must choose between two cultures. Crazy Weather is a unique, much-revered young adult tale of American identity that serves as “an important document in our cultural history.” This book was selected for Pharos Editions and is introduced by renowned author Ursula K. Le Guin.
About the Author
CHARLES L McNICHOLS was a naval aviator in World War I who later worked in the movies and wrote for magazines. He will always be remembered for
Crazy Weather, originally published in 1944 and his only book-length work of fiction. The Natachee Scott Momaday introduction is reprinted by permission of the University of Nebraska Press and originally appeared in their 1992 Bison Book edition.
URSULA K LE GUIN was born in 1929 in Berkeley, and lives in Portland, Oregon. As of 2013, she has published twenty-one novels, eleven volumes of short stories, four collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation, and has received many honors and awards including Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, and the PEN-Malamud.