When the Nightbird Sings

NAPRA Review

The stories are poignant and humorous, the descriptions of summer, rocky hills, the seasons, and the sweetness of prairie grasses translucent-a wonderful reminder of how beautiful life really is.

VOYA

The title of this memoir brings to mind Maya Angelou's autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Random House, 1996). Both works describe their particular author's coming-of-age in a life of poverty and social isolation, but the similarity ends there. Hifler's nearly plotless work captures in a compilation of her inspirational newspaper columns memories of her girlhood spent in the Cherokee Country of Oklahoma through a series of gentle vignettes that follow the natural cycle of the seasons. Through these glimpses, readers are introduced to her family. E lis I, Hifler's grandmother, is wise in the lore of plants and folk medicine, and E li sti, her mother, is a columnist for the Nowata Star. Readers also meet Hifler's "Papa," the father figure who adopts her when he enters the Army Corps of Engineers during the second world war so that her mother is eligible for a monthly payment of eight dollars from the U.S. government. It is only through indirect clues that readers come to understand the terrible poverty of the Cherokee people, for this book is not about grinding poverty or social injustice. Hifler is descended from the Cherokee Indians who were marched to Oklahoma over the infamous Trail of Tears, but she does not dwell on the tragedies of Native American history. Rather she writes, in simple but poetic language, a positive and inspirational book about spirituality and the unique bond between Native Americans and their land. This book would be appropriate for any teen with a special interest in Native American history or in spirituality and the quest for enlightenment. Index. VOYA CODES: 3Q 2P M J S A/YA (Readable without serious defects; For the YA with a special interestin the subject; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult). 1999, Council Oak, 174p, $19.95. Ages 12 to Adult. Reviewer: Vivian Howard

SOURCE: VOYA, October 2000 (Vol. 23, No. 4)

Library Journal

Hifler, a syndicated columnist and the author of A Cherokee Feast of Days (Council Oak Dist., 1992), shares brief vignettes of her childhood in the Cherokee country of Oklahoma. These tales are interspersed with bits of inspirational wisdom on faith, prayer, and our relation to nature. The reader gets tantalizing glimpses of Hifler's youth, her many relatives and friends, and the countryside of rural Oklahoma. But the book is too short and scattered to provide detailed description, ultimately descending to a series of quick but thoughtful sketches, many of which began as newspaper columns. Light reading suitable for larger public libraries.--Gwen Gregory, New Mexico State Univ. Lib., Las Cruces Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Internet Book Watch

When The Night Bird Sings is a beautiful collection of meditations or essays by the author of A Cherokee Feast of Days. How easily and how gently these pages read, like clear water flowing in a stream. As they are absorbed page by page, sequentially or haphazardly, the reader experiences a feeling of renewal. An example of her inspiration is found in Living by Personal Measures: "Plan for good...Rise up and make your own decisions. Open your mind and spirit to new understanding and new ability to overcome any problem - especially inertia. What appears to be impossible may be the wall you can only see from your present stance. If you are willing to give thanks for something you want before you see it, you will not be disappointed. Be constant and faithful to your goals, show gratitude - and one day you will look back and wonder why you ever doubted (p.81)." All of this book of days is to be treasured. It is a gift to the heart. Highest recommendations for inspirational reading.
—Internet Book Watch