Book Club at the Museum Discussion Guide for A Thief of Time by

2013-2014 Utah Museum of Fine Arts Book Club Selection

Use the information and discussion guide on the following pages to facilitate your book club’s conversation of this book. Then, visit us at www.umfa.utah.edu/bookclub to schedule your tour.

1. How does Hillerman’s description of the American Southwest landscape enhance the reader’s understanding of the physical and cultural geography of the people? 2. Popular culture often presents preconceived ideas about the American West as a romantic frontier and a place where the American dream is fulfilled. How does Tony Hillerman paint the West in his novels? 3. Hillerman is not an American Indian; however, his portrayal of American Indian culture is central to his novels. Do you think a writer of culturally specific literature needs to be a member of that culture? Why or why not? 4. Hillerman includes elements of American Indian spirituality in his novels. How does spirituality drive the action of the characters in this story? 5. Leaphorn’s wife, Emma, has recently died. Hillerman devotes many paragraphs to Leaphorn’s “ghost sickness,” a concept that Leaphorn had previously regarded as superstitious. How do Leaphorn’s religious beliefs change throughout the novel? 6. Hillerman highlights some ceremonial Navajo rituals in his novel. What role do these rituals play in the story and in the lives of the characters? 7. What is more interesting to you as a reader: the case the detectives investigate, or the life and culture of the American Indian detective? 8. How does the character Jim Chee compare to other famous literary detectives? (Holmes, Poirot, Sam Spade) 9. Chee and Leaphorn are highly developed characters, especially when the reader has read multiple books in Hillerman’s series. How do these characters reinforce or dismantle your personal perception of Navajo people/identity in the 21st century? 10. Discuss the relationship between Chee and Janet Pete. Why do you think Hillerman included this relationship in the story? 11. Illegal hunting of antiquities in southern Utah and the region has recently been in the news. What is your opinion about the rights of Native peoples to retain these lands undisturbed vs. the opportunities for scientists and anthropologists to perform research? 12. Should any artifact be privately owned outside the country or culture of origin? Why or why not?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tony Hillerman was the former president of the Mystery Writers of America and received its Edgar® and Grand Master awards. His other honors include the Center for the American Indian’s Ambassador Award, the Silver Spur Award for the best novel set in the West, and the Navajo Tribe’s Special Friend Award. He lived with his wife in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He died in 2008.

OTHER BOOKS BY TONY HILLERMAN Tony Hillerman has written over 30 books, including 18 in his Navajo police series. Other books include a memoir and books about the beauty and history of the Southwest. Besides A Thief of Time, Hillerman’s most popular books are:

• . Harper. Reprint edition (May 26, 2009). • The Boy Who Made Dragonfly: A Zuni Myth. University of New Mexico Press, 1993 (children’s book) • Buster Mesquite’s Cowboy Band. Sidewinder Publishing, 2006 (children’s book) • Dance Hall of the Dead. Harper. Reprint edition (May 26, 2009). • Listening Woman. Harper. Reprint edition (May 25, 2010). • Sacred Clowns. Harper. Reprint edition (May 26, 2009). • . Harper. Reprint edition (October 25, 2011)

ADDITIONAL READING • Hillerman, Anne. Tony Hillerman’s Landscapes: On the Road with Chee and Leaphorn. Harper, 2009. • Hillerman, Tony and Ernie Bulow. Talking Mysteries: A Conversation with Tony Hillerman. University of New Mexico Press, 2004. • Linford, Laurance D. Tony Hillerman’s Navajoland: Hideouts, Haunts, and Havens in the Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee Mysteries. Harper Paperbacks, 2008. • Noble, David Grant. Ancient Ruins of the Southwest. Cooper Square Publishing Llc, 2000. • Reilly, John M. Tony Hillerman: A Critical Companion (Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers). Greenwood, 1996. • Roessel, Monty. Songs from the Loom: A Navaho Girl Learns to Weave. Lerner Publishing Group, 1995. RELATED WEBSITES • “Ancient Pueblo Peoples (the Anasazi).” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Pueblo_Peoples • “Discover Navajo: .” http://www.discovernavajo.com/ • Mueller, Susan. “Welcome to Hillerman Country: The Unofficial Tony Hillerman Homepage.” http://www.umsl.edu/~smueller/ • “Navajo History.” http://navajopeople.org

AVAILABILITY • Four copies available through the Salt Lake County Library system (audio version available by the author himself) • Eight copies available through the Salt Lake City Library system (audio version available by the author himself) • Available through area bookstores • New and used hard bound and paper back copies available through various online book companies • Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook versions are available • Area booksellers, Frost’s Books, and The King’s English offer discounts on UMFA Book Club books.