Berthoud Community Library District

"Lately, seventh grader Nizhoni Begay has been able to detect monsters, like that man in the fancy suit who was in the bleachers at her basketball game. Turns out he's Mr. Charles, her dad's new boss at the oil and gas company, and he's alarmingly interested in Nizhoni and her brother, Mac, their Navajo heritage, and the legend of the Hero Twins. Nizhoni knows he's a threat, but her father won't believe her. When Dad disappears the next day, leaving...

"Navaho Legends is one of the earliest collections of Navajo oral traditions in English, and still the best." "Originally published in 1897, this sensitive translation by Washington Matthews (1843-1905) contains an extensive version of the Origin Legend plus two other tales. These richly detailed legends remain among the most complete sources of Navajo cultural, ritual, and ceremonial information." "This edition is fully faithful to the original,...

Jerrold E. Levy's analysis of Navajo creation and origin myths shows convincingly that the Navajo religion is as complete and nuanced an attempt to answer humanity's big questions as are the religions brought to North America by Europeans. Looking first at the historical context of the Navajo narratives, Levy points out that Navajo society has never during its known history been either homogeneous or unchanging, and he goes on to identify in the myths...