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Shell Shaker Red Shoes, the most formidable Choctaw warrior of the eighteenth century, was assassinated by his own people. His death has haunted Native American historian Auda Billy, who herself is accused in 1991 of murdering Choctaw Chief Redford McAlester. Moving between the known details of Red Shoes' life and the riddle of McAlester's death, LeAnne Howe's novel traces the centuries-old history of the Billy women whose destiny it is to solve both murders. "Very few writers can shift a narrative skillfully between centuries and negotiate an enemy language, tribal governments and a slew of spirits while doing so. Very few can translate the soul of such a legacy into words, and allow the shape of such a story to weave itself, like stomp dancers around the fire, naturally. LeAnne Howe has done it. Shell Shaker is an elegant, powerful and knock out story. I'm blown away." -Joy Harjo, Mvskoke poet and musician "LeAnne Howe has written a gripping and magical tale of ancient Choctaw blood lust and unbreakable family love in modern-day Oklahoma. Shell Shaker is a delicious read, a powerful journey into the hearts of some incredibly strong Indian women." -Adrian C. Louis, author of Skins "A brilliant, surprising, hilarious, heartbreaking work that layers vision upon vision and cracks America wide open. LeAnne Howe has created a literary landscape you have never seen before and will never forget." -Susan Power, author of The Grass Dancer "LeAnne Howe's stunning first novel resonates with Choctaw history and mythic tales while confronting contemporary tribal issues. Howe seamlessly integrates a history of desperate and gruesome fights for survival with modern Faustian pacts with materialism and wealth. At the heart of the story are generations of Choctaw peoples who persevere with ritual gestures of 'life everlasting.' A cast of heroic women carries on traditions of difficult choices and of dancing with turtle shells, hence the novel's title. They are complemented with a number of strong male characters. In this presentation of Choctaw world view, even the most vile characters can obtain some redemption. The themes and events of Shell Shaker render actual occurrences with portentous consequences, yet Howe's sharp wit and humor punctuate even the most dire circumstances. Howe echoes and criticizes canonical literature with plays on 'Hamlet,' the captivity of Nora in 'A Doll's House,' and James Joyce. In one wonderfully constructed scene a character also takes on traditional American history that obscures Choctaw and other tribal histories. Not only has Howe splendidly presented this sovereign, indigenous history throughout this novel, she demonstrates its vitality in the present." -P. Jane Hafen, MultiCultural Review Aunt Lute Books |
LeAnne Howe Before writing fiction, plays, and scholarly essays, LeAnne Howe worked in Oklahoma as a waitress and in a factory making the stems for plastic champagne glasses. She has worked on Wall Street for a securities investment firm, and has been a journalist. Most recently she has taught at Carleton College, Grinnell College, Sinte Gleska University on Rosebud Sioux Reservation, and at Wake Forest University. She is an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
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