Memoir of a Reluctant Shaman / Ty Nolan

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/ Native American/ Magical Realism

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: NO

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Ty Nolan is a professional storyteller and a therapist. He was asked to teach STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) professors how to use Storytelling (a retelling of traditional Native American Stories)  to more effectively communicate complex concepts about technology to a general audience. Most recently he has worked with the National Science Foundation's Flagship Project, Synergy.

He currently lives in Arizona near South Mountain Community College, where one can be certified as a storyteller at one of the only Storytelling Institutes in the United States.

Description:

Ty Nolan's coming of age story with Native American Magical Realism interwoven with traditional American Indian Legends.

Appraisal:

Ty Nolan gets up close and personal in this coming of age memoir about his life, possibly a little too personal for some. He doesn't pull any punches about being a gay man. The narrative is about the spiritual truths he experienced as a young man. Frankly, I found it to be an amazing history. Yes, I am hesitant to call this a story even though many will relate to it as such.

This is Mr. Nolan's own personal experience he is sharing with us for our own enlightenment, he is sowing seeds. He has also woven certain Native legends with these experiences and expanded into other spiritualism’s as well. We are also given insight into life on a reservation as well as his family's life. I thought it was humorous and creative that Mr. Nolan referred to his brothers and sisters by their astrological signs instead of their names. I found it all fascinating and had trouble putting the book down to sleep. I also enjoyed the author's sense of humor that is injected into the narrative as asides occasionally. It served to relieve tension and made it more personal.

This author has expanded the realm of possibilities in his books and I look forward to reading more from Ty Nolan. He is obviously an intelligent man with a lot of wisdom to share and a skilled Storyteller.

FYI:

Certain subject manner may be offensive to some.

Format/Typo Issues:

I noticed a small number of proofing errors.

Rating: ***** Five stars