Crazy Brave

In this transcendent memoir,grounded in tribal myth and ancestry, music and poetry, Joy Harjo, one of ourleading Native American voices, details her journey to becoming a poet. Born inOklahoma, the end place of the Trail of Tears, Harjo grew up learning to dodgean abusive stepfather by finding shelter in her imagination, a deep spirituallife, and connection with the natural world. She attended an Indian artsboarding school, where she nourished an appreciation for painting, music, andpoetry; gave birth while still a teenager; and struggled on her own as a singlemother, eventually finding her poetic voice. Narrating the complexities ofbetrayal and love, Crazy Brave is a memoir aboutfamily and the breaking apart necessary in finding a voice. Harjo's tale of ahardscrabble youth, young adulthood, and transformation into an award-winningpoet and musician is haunting, unique, and visionary.