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One Book/One Community

The San Juan College One Book/One Community’s 2023-2024 selection is Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah


One Book/One Community is excited to announce our 2023-2024 selection, Calling a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah.

“A moving and deeply engaging debut novel about a young Native American man finding strength in his familial identity, from a stellar new voice in fiction.”

“Oscar Hokeah’s electric debut takes us into the life of Ever Geimausaddle, whose family—part Mexican, part Native American—is determined to hold onto their community despite obstacles everywhere they turn. Ever’s father is injured at the hands of corrupt police on the border when he goes to visit family in Mexico, while his mother struggles both to keep her job and care for her husband. And young Ever is lost and angry at all that he doesn’t understand, at this world that seems to undermine his sense of safety. Ever’s relatives all have ideas about who he is and who he should be. His Cherokee grandmother, knowing the importance of proximity, urges the family to move across Oklahoma to be near her, while his grandfather, watching their traditions slip away, tries to reunite Ever with his heritage through traditional gourd dances.

Through it all, every relative wants the same: to remind Ever of the rich and supportive communities that surround him, there to hold him tight, and for Ever to learn to take the strength given to him to save not only himself but also the next generation. How will this young man visualize a place for himself when the world hasn’t made room for him to start with? Honest, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting, Calling for a Blanket Dance is the story of how Ever Geimausaddle finds his way home.”

- Algonquin Books

 

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About the Author

“Oscar Hokeah is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma from his mother's side and has Mexican heritage through his father. He holds an MA in English with a concentration in Native American Literature from the University of Oklahoma, as well as a BFA in Creative Writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), with a minor in Indigenous Liberal Studies. He is a recipient of the Truman Capote Scholarship Award through IAIA and is also a winner of the Native Writer Award through the Taos Summer Writers Conference. His short stories have been published in South Dakota Review, American Short Fiction, Yellow Medicine Review, Surreal South, and Red Ink Magazine. He works with Indian Child Welfare in Tahlequah.”

- Algonquin Books

 

Author Oscar Hokeah

SJC One Book/One Community Committee

One Book/One Community is a common reading program and a high-impact practice. It brings the college and community together through a shared learning experience. The committee is planning activities and events that feature themes related to this year’s selection. We anticipate a year of powerful and interesting programming! All of our events are free and open to the public. We encourage you to join us!

  • 2010: Montana 1948 by Larry Watson [Fiction]
  • 2011: Animal Dialogues by Craig Childs [Nonfiction]
  • 2012: Code Talker by Chester Nez and Judith Avila [Nonfiction/Memoir]
  • 2013: Yellowcake by Ann Cummins [Fiction]
  • 2014: The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande [Nonfiction/Memoir]
  • 2015: The Circle by Dave Eggers [Fiction]
  • 2016: We Are Called to Rise by Laura McBride [Fiction]
  • 2017: The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko [Nonfiction]
  • 2018: March by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell (illustrator) [Graphic Nonfiction/Memoir]
  • 2019: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor [Speculative Fiction/Afro Futurism]
  • 2020: Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo [Nonfiction/Memoir]
  • 2021: A Dream Called Home by Reyna Grande [Nonfiction/Memoir]
  • 2022: Send a Runner by Edison Eskeets and Jim Kristofic [Nonfiction]
  • 2023: Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah [Fiction]

The mission of SJC One Book/One Community is to promote campus and community dialogue and literacy through curriculum and events.

 

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Contact

OneBook@sanjuancollege.edu 
Phone: (505) 566-3373

4601 College Blvd.

M-F 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.