Shaman or Sherlock: The Native American Detective

(Hardback)

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Highlights and explores the range of Native American detective fiction and the many sociocultural agendas at work in this subgenre of the crime fiction story. Fictional depictions of Native American concepts of justice, crime, and the investigation of crime are explored in this original work. Shaman and Sherlock explores depictions created by Native American authors themselves, as well as those created by outsiders with mainstream agendas. The most successful of these writers fuse authentic Native American culture with standard genre conventions, thus providing an appealing, empathetic view of little-understood or underappreciated groups, as well as insight into issues of cross-cultural communication. Dealing with such significant concepts as acculturation, regional diversity, and assimilation, this unique study evaluates over 200 detective stories. Though the crime novel began in Europe as a manifestation of Enlightenment rationality and scientific methodology, the Native American detective story moves into the realm of the spiritual and intuitive, often incorporating depictions of non-material phenomena. Shaman or Sherlock explores how geographical and tribal differences, degrees of assimilation, and the evolution of age-old cultural patterns shape the Native American detective story.

Reviews

"Gina Macdonald (Nichols State Univ.) and Andrew Macdonald (Loyola Univ.) have produced a solid and thorough treatment of Native American detective fiction. Like Kathleen Klein's edited collection Diversity and Detective Fiction (1999) and Stephen Soitos's outstanding The Blues Detective: A Study of African American Detective Fiction (CH, Sep'96), the present study attests to the growing interest in detective fiction as a means of addressing questions surrounding issues of race and gender. Dealing with much more than Tony Hillerman's work, the authors study a vast range of Native American authors by concentrating on regional and tribal variations. Throughout, the contrast is between "stories dominated by native spiritualism and shamanistic approaches to detection [and] stories dominated by the more assimilated outlook of ratiocinative detectives..,.".A sensitive introduction to Native American culture as reflected in detective fiction, this is a book for academic and general readers at all levels."-Choice
Gina Macdonald (Nichols State Univ.) and Andrew Macdonald (Loyola Univ.) have produced a solid and thorough treatment of Native American detective fiction. Like Kathleen Klein's edited collection Diversity and Detective Fiction (1999) and Stephen Soitos's outstanding The Blues Detective: A Study of African American Detective Fiction (CH, Sep'96), the present study attests to the growing interest in detective fiction as a means of addressing questions surrounding issues of race and gender. Dealing with much more than Tony Hillerman's work, the authors study a vast range of Native American authors by concentrating on regional and tribal variations. Throughout, the contrast is between "stories dominated by native spiritualism and shamanistic approaches to detection [and] stories dominated by the more assimilated outlook of ratiocinative detectives..,.".A sensitive introduction to Native American culture as reflected in detective fiction, this is a book for academic and general readers at all levels.-Choice
I have always noted that incorporating supernatural elements into detective fiction can be tricky, but it can be done and Shaman or Sherlock has given me much to think about. This book will definitely challenge readers who insist that detection must be based solely on logical, methodical thought...recommended for academic libraries, especially those with popular culture collections.-MultiCultural Review
"I have always noted that incorporating supernatural elements into detective fiction can be tricky, but it can be done and Shaman or Sherlock has given me much to think about. This book will definitely challenge readers who insist that detection must be based solely on logical, methodical thought...recommended for academic libraries, especially those with popular culture collections."-MultiCultural Review

Author Bio

GINA MACDONALD is a professor of English at Nicholls State University. Her books include James Clavell: A Critical Companion (Greenwood, 1996), Robert Ludlum: A Critical Companion (Greenwood, 1997), and, with Andrew Macdonald, Shape-Shifting (Greenwood, 2000). ANDREW MACDONALD is a professor of English at Loyola University who has published widely on popular culture issues. His books include Howard Fast: A Critical Companion (Greenwood, 1996) and, with Gina Macdonald, Shape-Shifting (Greenwood, 2000).