Memoir Monday... Ghost Dances

Ghost Dances: Proving Up on the Great Plains by Josh Garrett-Davis... Growing up in South Dakota, Josh Garrett-Davis knew he would leave. But as a young adult, he kept going back—in dreams and reality and by way of books. With this beautifully written narrative about a seemingly empty but actually rich and complex place, he has reclaimed his childhood, his unusual family—and the Great Plains. Among the subjects and people that bring his Midwestern Plains to life are the destruction and resurgence of the American bison; Native American "Ghost Dancers" who attempted to ward off annihilation by supernatural means; the political allegory to be found in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; and current attempts by ecologists to "rewild" the Plains, complete with cheetahs. Garrett-Davis infuses the narrative with stories of his family as well—including his great-great-grandparents' twenty-year sojourn in Nebraska as homesteaders and his progressive Methodist cousin Ruth, a missionary in China ousted by Mao's revolution. Inspiring and fascinating, Ghost Dances is a fluid combination of memoir and history and reportage that reminds us our roots matter.

Memoir Monday returns today with a memoir that sounds like a historical romp through the American Midwest. The cover is what caught my eye at first. I just love that cover! I did not see it in a store, it's publishing date is set for August 21st, but found it while reading some reviews online. The reviews are good, but I couldn't even see a sample of Josh Garrett-Davis' writing! I thought I would highlight Ghost Dances: Proving Up on the Great Plains because it seemed so fresh. Not your average coming of age memoir, but something that intertwines a unique history with the roots that invisibly tie us down or tether us to the place we call home. That is my hope for Josh Garrett-Davis' book, but I'll have to wait! And so will you! Little, Brown and Company is publishing it August 21, 2012! And it will be Kindle Ready too!