Sprinting Backwards to God

Massachusetts-based storyteller and teacher Sings-Alone has collected dozens of stories about Native American spirituality. Some, such as ""Coyote Gets His Name,"" will be familiar to those acquainted with Native American myths, but most are autobiographical; though his tales are filled with the sights, sounds and smells of Native American folklore, Sings-Alone's primary aim is to give us an old-fashioned spiritual autobiography. The son of a Protestant minister, Sings-Alone grew up in a family ""in which our Cherokee blood was valued but the sacred teachings and ceremonies were not."" Though he acknowledges that many Cherokees find their spiritual home in the Church, Sings-Alone could not. As a young man, he became an ordained pastor, but his Christian teachers always disapproved of his preference for spirituality over theology. Feeling increasingly out of place, Sings-Alone left the Church and entered a period of despair; his marriage fell apart, and he floundered, spiritually adrift, dipping into yoga, LSD and free love. Gradually, in the 1970s, Sings-Alone discovered Native American spirituality, and he has devoted the last 20 years to studying and teaching Native practices. Too often his stories degenerate into forgettable solipsism. However, there are occasional reflections on larger questions: alcoholism on Indian reservations; health, weight and exercise; the power of prayer in healing physical ailments; even mothers-in-law. His spiritual trajectory, from Christianity to Native American spirituality, is sufficiently unusual and compelling that readers may forgive any navel-gazing. (Feb.)