cover image Desert Indian Woman: Stories and Dreams

Desert Indian Woman: Stories and Dreams

Frances Sallie Manuel, Deborah Neff. University of Arizona Press, $39.95 (229pp) ISBN 978-0-8165-2007-7

Born in Kolm Wawhai, Ariz., in 1912, Frances Manuel continues to preserve the Tohono O'odham culture through her storytelling, basket weaving and other activities as a tribal elder. In Desert Indian Woman, Manuel relates her many stories to anthropologist Deborah Neff, who has known Manuel for more than 20 years. From growing up in a mesquite brush home to attendance at American boarding school, exposure to Mexican culture, time in the barrios before returning to the reservation, and many more incidents, Manuel relates her story with wit and perspective. (Oct. 18)