Tony Hillerman: The Man and His Books

Every time we travel through the Four Corners area my eyes follow those little dusty roads that disappear off over the horizon. I find myself thinking about Tony Hillerman’s characters Jim Chee, Bernie Manuelito, and Joe Leaphorn, driving alone to some far-off hogan to investigate a mysterious death. The books of Tony Hillerman are set in this part of the country, and although I started reading them long before I came to New Mexico I could already see those lonely little roads in my mind’s eye.

Hillerman writes with respect and knowledge about both the Navajos (as exemplified by Leaphorn and Chee) and the Hopis (the wonderfully named Cowboy Dashee, for example). In reading his books, you learn about this part of the country and its peoples--their beliefs, their ceremonies, their prayers, their homes, and their customs and traditions.

While I've been a fan for many years, here is what I’ve always wondered about Tony Hillerman: How accurately does he portray Native Americans and what do they think about his writing?

In searching for the answer to this question, the most helpful and complete biographical information that I have found so far online is from the Public Broadcasting System’s Mystery! web site. Here is a quote I found there: Although the tribe has named him a Special Friend of the Dineh [Navajo people] for his accurate portrayals of Navajo life, Hillerman still worries about getting it wrong. He reads copiously and runs his manuscripts by Navajo friends to check not only for accuracy, but for believability as well. He even had a Navajo English class in Shiprock consider a subplot he was planning to see if it would work. When the students said no, he junked it. "For me, studying the [Navajo] has been absolutely fascinating," Hillerman told Publishers Weekly, "and I think it's important to show [my readers that] aspects of ancient Indian ways are still very much alive and are highly germane."

It's also interesting to note that Hillerman has also received the Center for the American Indian's Ambassador Award, and the Silver Spur Award for the best novel set in the West, in addition to a great many other awards.

For a chronology of Hillerman’s books and reviews of each one: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/writers/writerdetails.asp?cid=92230

For information about the films that have been made from Hillerman’s books: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384917/

To get some insight into Hillerman’s character, his writing process, and how he
feels about the Navajo people, read the PBS Interview with Tony Hillerman: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/mystery/american/navajoland/hillerman_intv.html

See a video interview of Hillerman at http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=3487

Tony Hillerman’s web site: http://www.tonyhillermanbooks.com/

My Favorite Blogs

My favorite bone

You may have noticed my list of favorite blogs on the left side of this page. Here is a little additional information about each one. Go ahead, check them out--but beware of blog addiction!

Animals

-Bonobo Handshake: Vanessa is a writer and researcher with the Hominoid Psychology Research Group. Her blog is about her 2007 research trip to study endangered bonobos in the Congo.


Books
-A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy: Liz B. writes about books, movies, and TV shows, with an emphasis on books for children and teens.

-Incurable Logophilia; reflections on a love of words, of literature, of language: A wonderful resource when you’re looking for books to read next.

-A Patchwork of Books: Amanda is a bookworm and children’s library assistant who is working toward her Master’s in Library Science. She writes about children’s and young adult literature.

Fiber Arts
-Knit Lit: Kate says “I write. I knit. I write about knitting. And I like you. I really, really like you.” Great writing, terrific ideas and photographs, and a list of links that includes I May Be Knitting a Ranchhouse, Skein Cocaine, and Fondle My Sweaters . What else do you need to know?

-Yarn Harlot; Stephanie Pearl-McPhee goes on (and on) about knitting.

Food and Recipes
-Desert Candy: Mercedes does some wonderful Middle Eastern cooking, then photographs and writes about it in this beautifully designed blog.

Life in the Southwest
-greenchilesandroses: Night Lightning Woman is a retired social worker who has lived her entire life in New Mexico and Texas.

-If the Creek Don't Rise: Lin (“I figure that fantasies should be game plans”) writes about living off the grid in the remote desert Southwest.

-La Casa de Towanda: Sharon is doing some New Mexico dreaming while planning her move from Kansas to Santa Fe. She writes lovely posts on northern New Mexico, with gorgeous photographs and a stylish layout.

-Picturing New Mexico: Lots of intriguing photos.

-Santa Fe Journal: “New Mexico, past and present, with photos and text.”


Sites That Appeal to My Librarian Self
-Love the Liberry : Amy and Marian write about the weird stuff that happens in libraries; librarians won’t be surprised, but you may be!

-Planet Esme: Children’s author (Sahara Special, etc.) Esme Raji Codell writes about children’s literature.

Impossible to Classify
-Overheard Lines: I love those snippets of conversation you hear when passing through a crowd. This eavesdropping playwright captures odd bits in that most fertile of listening posts, the San Francisco Bay Area.

-Philip Greenspun's Weblog: A posting every day, an interesting idea every three months. I’ve always loved Philip G’s photographs, now we can find out what he has to say.

-PostSecret: Anonymous handmade postcards each tell a secret never before revealed about their maker; an ongoing community art project that is now featured in several books. People slip even more postcards into the books on the shelves of bookshops and libraries.

-to-do list : A collection of lists and what they reveal (“quirks, compulsions, and habits”) about the people who make them.

Picturing New Mexico

Before we ever came to New Mexico, we had vague impressions of what it might look like—red rocks and sand (me), snakes rolling down hills after people (Beez). Just in case you are wondering about our scenery, fill your eyes with these photographs of New Mexico and the Southwest.

Bob Thornburg Photography, Images of the Southwest: http://www.photowebs.com/thornburg/SouthwestGallery/index.htm

Don Bain’s Virtual Guidebook—New Mexico: http://www.virtualguidebooks.com/NewMexico/NewMexico.html

Fotofeed: http://www.fotofeed.com/index.html

Geraint Smith, Photo of the Day:
http://geraintsmith.com/potd/pages/archive.html

Gerald Brimacombe, Southwest: http://www.geraldbrimacombe.com/southwest.htm

Helmut Kuhn, Southwest Portfolio: http://www.helmutkuhn.com/portfolio/southwest/P_SW03.html

New Mexico Entertainment Photographs (indexed by town): http://www.newmexicoet.com/nm_photographs_01.html

Pam Segura, La Mesilla, NM: http://www.pbase.com/pamspics/la_mesilla_nm&page=all

Ramblin’ Cameras--Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge: http://www.ramblincameras.com/Bosqueth.htm

Ramblin’ Cameras—Organ Mountain Scenic Photography Galleries:
http://www.ramblincameras.com/Omthome.htm

Ramblin’ Cameras—White Sands Balloon Invitational.
Gallery 1: http://www.ramblincameras.com/Wbfest.htm
Gallery 2: http://www.ramblincameras.com/Wbfest2.htm

TaosWeb Snaps: http://www.taoswebb.com/snaps/