I Am Nuchu

Gr 9 Up—After a divorce, Cal, Doran, and their younger sister move with their mother from Spokane, WA, to "the res"—Fort Duchesne in Eastern Utah. Older brother Cal is unhappy with the move, while Doran, a "contented soul," is willing to make the best of it. They move in with their grandfather, a tribal elder, and begin to experience their Indian heritage. The author doesn't sugarcoat the drinking and the dead ends that exist at the Fort. The shortcomings of white folks in town are just as starkly portrayed, with taunts of "Tonto" and racist cutouts taped to lockers at school. The author treads lightly when discussing Native American traditions, as her characters are out of touch with their Indian heritage, and readers and Cal learn together that Nuchu is the name that Ute people call themselves. The story and characters sometimes seem thinly drawn. The revelation that Eddie (a possible victim of fetal alcohol syndrome) is a close relative causes barely a ripple of comment. There is a paternity secret that everyone (but the two brothers) seems to be in on, and a long-past murder and one within the narrative, both of which get little real investigation. The stories of some of the characters seem to be missing pieces or are unfinished. Suicidal tendencies of one of them appear out of nowhere. Still, the strong sense of place, a basketball plotline, and Cal's gradual appreciation of both sides of his heritage might draw some readers to this novel.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX