Mean Spirit: A Novel

Everyone should read this book. This is "real" history even if catalogued under historical "fiction" and needs to be read by a broad group of people so we can truly understand our past to give us a deeper understanding of what really happened with the Osage Indians and our government. Hogan has done us a great service by writing this story down for those of us who didn't live through anything like this and she had made it known to those of us who are looking for what Really Happened Back Then!

The essence of my recommendation for Mean Spirit is this- I carried the "after glow" of the reading experience around for a while- and then spontaneously ordered another copy gifted to my significant other, and then 10 more copies that I have since distributed to my daughters, granddaughters and significant friends. I only have the word capacity myself to say that for me the book is somehow magical in the depth and complexity of it's story telling- revealing the capacity for humor and sorrow, simplicity and infinite complexity that is woven into every moment of life.

"Mean Spirit" is a fictionalized, but very vivid portrayal of the hardships faced by Native Americans in the former "Indian Country" (Oklahoma) during the 1920s. Most of the main characters are members of the Osage people, who were and to some extent still are better off than many other native peoples because the land alloted to them in Oklahoma sits atop a pool of oil and they retained the mineral rights. However, as Hogan points out, this material wealth was a very mixed blessing in many ways. First and foremost, the Osage became the objects of the manipulations and schemes of various oil barons and others (very likely with the tacit support of the local and even federal authorities) often with fatal consequences - and this is the main theme of the book. Although written in the engrossing style of a thriller, "Mean Spirit" is not a whodunnit novel. It is rather an exploration of the consequences of the U.S. government's policies consistently (either directly or indirectly) aimed against the interests of Native Americans, aided and abetted by society in general. It also shows that even after active fighting and expulsion ended, the war against the Native Americans continued by other means. These messages are skillfully incorporated in a very believable and realistic story (indeed, many characters and situations are based on actual people and events), which is frequently interspersed with some refreshing, very dry humor. "Mean Spirit" is a fantastic novel and a great work of contemporary fiction.

Very Emotional, Moving and Captivating

Linda Hogan has created a world to be entered and cherished. The pain of native americans shines thru her narrative but does not eclipse their bonds to each other and the earth. A wonderful, trascendent reading experience.