Green Grass Reading Guide

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THOMAS PLOT SUMMARY OTHER READING GUIDES GREEN GRASS, KING AVAILABLE FROM RUNNING Green Grass, Running Water is a multi-faceted Thomas King, who story—part myth, part hilariously off-kilter PerennialCanada WATER is of Cherokee and reality—of contemporary Native experience as it Greek descent, has merges and crosses the realities of modern North BY THOMAS KING become one of American life. The White Bone by Barbara Gowdy Canada’s most 0-99-990405-1 thomas king beloved and It is the story of five Blackfoot Indians who live in critically acclaimed Blossom, Alberta, or on its nearby reserve. The Red Shoes by Rosemary Sullivan writers. He is an Although they live seemingly separate lives, their 0-99-990408-6 NATIONAL BESTSELLER award-winning nov- existences are connected in ways that are at once elist, short story coincidental, comical and cosmic. Alberta, a From Stone Orchard by Timothy Findley “Impressively ambitious and funny.” writer, scriptwriter and photographer. university professor who wants a child but not the 0-99-990410-8 THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW trappings of husband and marriage, finds herself King’s first novel, Medicine River, won several involved with not one, but two men, who pull her The Garden of Eden by Sharon Butala awards, including the runner-up for the 1991 into their opposing orbits: Charlie the flashy and 0-99-990409-4 Commonwealth Writers Prize, and was made into a ambitious big city lawyer, and Lionel, the local TV television movie starring Graham Greene. Green salesman, self-effacing to the point of near-erasure. The Healer by Greg Hollingshead Grass, Running Water, his second novel, was short- 0-99-990407-8 listed for the Governor General’s Award in 1993 and Latisha, Lionel’s sister and guerrilla marketing whiz, won the Canadian Authors Award for Fiction. A runs the Dead Dog Café, a local hangout named for The Story of My Life (so far) by Charles Foran national bestseller, it was also named one of Quill & its mythic culinary delights, much to the titillation 0-99-990411-6 Quire’s Best Canadian Fiction of the Century. of gullible tourists who take it to be the simple truth. And then there’s Eli, who left Blossom to Honey and Ashes by Janice Kulyk Keefer green grass, King has also written two acclaimed children’s seek a professorship in Toronto, only to find his 0-99-990412-4 books—A Coyote Columbus Story, which was nom- destiny in a tiny streamside cabin. Green Grass, running water inated for a Governor General’s Award, and Coyote Running Water is a rich tale, weaving subtle, magical Sings to the Moon. The highly praised short story humour, revisionist history, muted nostalgia and collection, One Good Story, That One, was pub- complex humanity into one bright, whole cloth. Reading Guides come in packs of 20 lished in 1993 and became a Canadian bestseller. and are available free of charge His most recent novel, Truth & Bright Water, was Funny, provocative and illuminating, Green Grass, through your local bookstore or by visiting our website at 0-00-648513-8 • 432 pages published by HarperFlamingoCanada in the fall of Running Water involves itself with many of the www.harpercanada.com $18.95 tpb 1999. major questions which face contemporary Native North Americans. It also reminds us of three Having received a doctorate in literature from the essential things: the vibrancy of stories, the need for University of Utah and having taught at the univer- balance, and the transformative capacities of PerennialCanada sities of Lethbridge and Minnesota, he currently language and people. Reading Guide ISBN: 0-99-990422-1 An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers holds the position of associate professor of English www.harpercanada.com at the University of Guelph.

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QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION PRAISE FOR PRAISE FOR

GREEN GRASS, thomas king TRUTH & BRIGHT WATER 1. Discuss examples of the revision of central RUNNING WATER Judeo-Christian, literary and cultural myths in the one good novel. What questions do these revisions raise? “Impressively ambitious and funny…” “A storyteller of the first order...(Truth & Bright —The New York Times Book Review story, Water) is a world only Thomas King could create, 2. Green Grass, Running Water is a carefully stories whimsical and contemporary and smart, rooted and structured novel, revolving around at least three “With this brilliant, enduring novel, King has knowing and sad.” interconnected plot lines. Of these various plots, demonstrated an apparently effortless mastery —The Globe and Mail is there one that is of central importance to the over narrative…” that one novel? If so, why? If not, how does the —The Globe and Mail “...a sparkling triumph.” structure work? —The Toronto Star NATIONAL BESTSELLER “With this clever, vastly entertaining novel, King 3. Interesting groups of customers visit Latisha’s establishes himself firmly as one of the first rank of “The brilliance of misery well done.” Dead Dog Café. Of what significance (literary, contemporary Native American writers—and as a —The National Post political, historical, cultural) are the names and gifted storyteller of universal relevance.” characters of these customers? —Publishers Weekly “...master storyteller delivers again.” —Edmonton Journal 4. What role does Coyote play in the novel? “King has established himself as a first-rate comic What does his relationship with the narrator novelist. At his best, he is as savagely and darkly suggest? funny as Twain…King has produced a novel that PRAISE FOR defies all our expectations about what Native 5. The four “Old Indians” are intriguing American fiction should be. It’s a first-class work ONE GOOD STORY, characters, each with at least three different of art.” THAT ONE names. Discuss the significance of the various —Newsweek names they are given. “There’s a sly, tart intelligence at work in many of “...King is equally at home with his vivid, often these stories...the writing is taut, sharp-edged and 6. How do the actual Native and non-Native comic characters and with the vibrant natural world very funny.” influences on the characters in the “Blossom” in which their dramas are played out.” —The Globe and Mail plot come across in Latisha, Charlie, Eli, Lionel —People and Alberta? “...all these stories clearly display King’s trademark wit and intelligence, his facility with character- 7. Where does the title phrase “Green Grass, ALSO BY THOMAS KING ization, and his mastery of narrative art...” Running Water” come from? What is the irony —The Ottawa Citizen inherent in this title? Truth & Bright Water 0-00-225503-0 • $32.00 cl “...written with that apparently effortless control of language and imagery which is the hallmark of King’s One Good Story, That One best work...King excels as a writer of the border 0-00-224000-9 • $14.95 tpb zones between races, cultures and individuals.” —The Canadian Forum

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