Minuk: Ashes in the Pathway

Minuk of the Yup'ik group of Inuits in Alaska in the 1890's tells us right away some of things a girl must know to become a "good" woman: *Take food to the men in their house and wait to take away the dishes *Eat little, save the best for family, never eat alone *Sew beautiful clothes (to be praised by the husband in front of other men, for this was an honor) *Always obey the rules for women so as not to spoil a husband's luck in hunting. *To obey all rules for women in order to be praised as a "good woman." By laying out rules of behavior early on, writer Kirkpatrick Hill, who grew up in Alaska, sets the tone for the rest of the story of Minuk and her tribe's encounter with white missionaries, who come in "to civilize" them. The ways of missionaries have surely changed since the last century. The two adult Hoffs arrive with a superior attitude: only Christian beliefs are correct and all other people will go to Hell for not accepting them. However, their son David accepts the Yup'iks as they are, although, on one occasion, he is nudged into repeating his parents. When qualities of "good women" are first outlined, I had to squash my feminist hostility. Incredibly, by story's end, I agreed with Minuk's choice to stay with the tribe and the deep sense of community it brings to each member. One surprising aspect of this culture is that a woman may renounce her husband for abusive behavior. All she has to do is go before the men's council and say she renounces him. Afterward, Mr. Hoff goes before them to express his displeasure with the renouncing because divorce is "wrong" before God. Such a sick belief goes back to the misognynist belief that women have less value an abusive marriage. Don't let me get started! I thought Mrs Hoff would be a representative character of the good Christian, but the excessive workload wears down her spirit and makes her gripey and grumpy. Eventually, the couple and their son move on to their next "call" in a new location. The white nurse returns to her home in Massachusetts. Girls of Many Lands is an excellent series published by the American Girl conglomerate. What I particularly like about the books is the clarity of writing and the booming good stories of life and girls in other times and places. If we are to be citizens of the world and avoid xenophobia, we must encourage our girls to broaden horizons. My library girls eat up these books as fast as I can get them in. What better recommendation than that! Other books in the series: Spring Pearl: The Last Flower (Girls of Many Lands) Neela: Victory Song (Girls of Many Lands) Saba: Under the Hyena's Foot (Girls of Many Lands) Leyla: The Black Tulip (Girls of Many Lands) Kathleen: The Celtic Knot (Girls of Many Lands)

The book itself is actually extremely sad. If you're in the right mood, you will cry. But despite this, it has great originality. I shuffled through the section and spotted this book which was recommended to me. I grasped it and cracked it open, seeping into a chair, captivated by the 1st chapter. I love the voice in it. It's recognizable and understandable. This book is very real and interesting. Whilst reading this book, you are also learning! Imagine that! :) I enjoyed it; I'm sure you will too.

I loved this book. When I first became a teen, I picked up this book at the bookstore and couldn't put it down. It was a very easy read with simple writing. I felt that the author did a very good job because the narrating really did seem like it came from a 12 year old Yup'ik girl. Minuk was spunky, always curious, and ready to learn. This gave me an inside peek into the life of Yup'ik eskimos. The ending was so good, that I read the last chapter over and over again after finishing it.

Minuk: Ashes in the Pathway has not only been an extremly good book to read, but it has also been a very helpful tool for me, both in school and in boredom. First, I'll tell you how I came upon this book. While I was on summer vacation, I spent it at my mom's work place. After a week and a bit, I had already exhausted the supply of books which I had brung with me. After work the next day, my mom and I went out to the bookstore and bought this book. The next day I started it and, without stopping, finished it in no time flat. The book was amazing. It made me think of missionaries and Alaska in a different way, when before, I really hadn't though about them at all. The details are beautiful. You can almost believe that you're there in the village along with Minuk. Also, the fasination that Minuk experiances when she hears and sees all these new things is very believable, not fake like you read in other books. I liked how Minuk was so surprised at some of the things the Hoff's did, because it was understandable. She seemed so real to me as I read the book that I read it another time, and then skimmed it another time. Also, the book was correct gramatically and literrarly. It was easy to understand, but it might be better to get some background information first, because some cultural terms may be confusing. In the end, everything ties together neatly though, so even that you may not need to do.This book has also been a helpful tool for me at school. We were studying Alaska first thing (which I didn't know at the time that we had bought the book). I found that I knew quite a few things about the Yup'ik culture. Then, in the middle of the quarter, we were asked to complete a project. This project consisted of us picking an Alaskan Native American culture. After we did that, we had to write a one page report on their lifestyle (food they ate, clothing they wore, houses, etc.). As soon as I heard of the project, I was determined to do the Yup'ik culture, because I knew that this book would help me. I finished the project in no time at all and got a perfect score on it with nothing but this book and one internet site for research.All in all, I really love this book and reccomend it for all readers. It has entertained me and helped me and I believe it will do the same to you.

Reading this book gave me a fascinating peek into Alaskan Indian and particularly Yu'pik culture through the eyes of an older girl who is on the cusp of womanhood (the Yu'pik womanhood ceremony is the source of the title's reference to "ashes in the pathway"). Although the book was obviously geared for a younger audience than me, I really enjoyed it. (Slight spoiler ahead) My sole criticism is that the book ended rather suddenly; I would have enjoyed a little more info about how Minuk's village kept going after the terrible tragedy that occurred. I have read all of the books (and own all of the dolls!) in this series, and I highly recommend them for both older children and adults. I do think that girls and women will identify better with the first-person narrative than boys and men might.