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RE: Question for Tim Tingle
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From: tim tingle <timtingle_at_hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2014 17:33:31 +0000
Nancy, Thank you for the insightful comments. If I were asked to succinctly explain the survival and modern success of the Choctaw Nation, I would say "Humor and the strength to forgive make us who we are today." I am proud of Isaac, proud of his living descendants. AND....someone texted me, asking if Snowmonsters were traditionally Choctaw. I am LOLing as I type. There are those academically-minded folk who may feel that if it is not recorded in history, it is unauthentic and false. (no, none of the readers of this site would ever feel that way!) Hoke, that is why I write fiction, so my imaghinings can play. IF––Isaac's father had any Choctaw humor in his soul, he'd want to see his sons happy, even for an hour or two. No, Snowmonsters are not a part of traditional Choctaw culture, recorded or -un. But everything my Uncle Kenneth did to make us laugh is unrecorded, too. I love the Snowmonsters, love that Isaac play's a joke on Jumper. To Choctaws, if you love someone, you tease them. The more love, the more laughter.
From: wflood_at_hotmail.com To: timtingle_at_hotmail.com; ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu Subject: RE: [ccbc-net] Question for Tim Tingle Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2014 09:54:12 -0700
I wish to make a brief comment, first to applaud Tim's suggestion, "lets roll our sleeves up and shine some light on the darkness." And also I think that is exactly what Tim was able to do in "Ghost." Isaac immediately becomes a real boy to the reader. We care about him, and as Tim pointed out, we care so much we are willing to walk along with him through horrific experiences. His courage and compassion become infectious. That, I believe, is the power of a good story well told, it dissolves the barriers between "we" and "they," the ones we were discussing earlier. Isaac is Choctaw and wonderful details and specific descriptions unfold to enlighten us as readers what it means to be Choctaw. We learn about specific and unique differences but we connect emotionally with the universal feelings we share with this young boy. "Ghost" speaks to everyone.
"Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." Having had the privilege of living on the Navajo Nation this past decade, I have learned from their kindness how deeply they believe in forgiveness if one is to walk in beauty, in harmony. Lastly, for those who can make it to the Tucson Book Festival in mid-March, Tim Tingle will be story-telling on Saturday morning, March 15th and speaking several times on Sunday - topics include magical realism, journeys of survival, and the price of forgiveness. Nancy Bo Flood
From: timtingle_at_hotmail.com To: ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu Subject: RE: [ccbc-net] Question for Tim Tingle Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2014 02:07:15 +0000
Rather than share stories of American Indian invisibility, which are nationwide, let us agree to roll our sleeves up and shine some light on the darkness.
(Count the Cliches in that one!) I would rather discuss "How I Became A Ghost." Kids in Texas love it.
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2014 17:33:31 +0000
Nancy, Thank you for the insightful comments. If I were asked to succinctly explain the survival and modern success of the Choctaw Nation, I would say "Humor and the strength to forgive make us who we are today." I am proud of Isaac, proud of his living descendants. AND....someone texted me, asking if Snowmonsters were traditionally Choctaw. I am LOLing as I type. There are those academically-minded folk who may feel that if it is not recorded in history, it is unauthentic and false. (no, none of the readers of this site would ever feel that way!) Hoke, that is why I write fiction, so my imaghinings can play. IF––Isaac's father had any Choctaw humor in his soul, he'd want to see his sons happy, even for an hour or two. No, Snowmonsters are not a part of traditional Choctaw culture, recorded or -un. But everything my Uncle Kenneth did to make us laugh is unrecorded, too. I love the Snowmonsters, love that Isaac play's a joke on Jumper. To Choctaws, if you love someone, you tease them. The more love, the more laughter.
From: wflood_at_hotmail.com To: timtingle_at_hotmail.com; ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu Subject: RE: [ccbc-net] Question for Tim Tingle Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2014 09:54:12 -0700
I wish to make a brief comment, first to applaud Tim's suggestion, "lets roll our sleeves up and shine some light on the darkness." And also I think that is exactly what Tim was able to do in "Ghost." Isaac immediately becomes a real boy to the reader. We care about him, and as Tim pointed out, we care so much we are willing to walk along with him through horrific experiences. His courage and compassion become infectious. That, I believe, is the power of a good story well told, it dissolves the barriers between "we" and "they," the ones we were discussing earlier. Isaac is Choctaw and wonderful details and specific descriptions unfold to enlighten us as readers what it means to be Choctaw. We learn about specific and unique differences but we connect emotionally with the universal feelings we share with this young boy. "Ghost" speaks to everyone.
"Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." Having had the privilege of living on the Navajo Nation this past decade, I have learned from their kindness how deeply they believe in forgiveness if one is to walk in beauty, in harmony. Lastly, for those who can make it to the Tucson Book Festival in mid-March, Tim Tingle will be story-telling on Saturday morning, March 15th and speaking several times on Sunday - topics include magical realism, journeys of survival, and the price of forgiveness. Nancy Bo Flood
From: timtingle_at_hotmail.com To: ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu Subject: RE: [ccbc-net] Question for Tim Tingle Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2014 02:07:15 +0000
Rather than share stories of American Indian invisibility, which are nationwide, let us agree to roll our sleeves up and shine some light on the darkness.
(Count the Cliches in that one!) I would rather discuss "How I Became A Ghost." Kids in Texas love it.
---
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Received on Thu 20 Feb 2014 11:34:07 AM CST
