Paper Trail: Essays

In essays previously published during the 1980s and '90s in newspapers and such magazines as Family Circle and Booklist , Dorris thoughtfully considers matters both lighthearted and serious. Many of the pieces reflect his long involvement with such social issues as the rights of Native Americans and the affects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), a condition limiting brain development that afflicts children born of mothers who drank heavily while pregnant. Dorris's late adopted son was a victim of FAS; the author movingly describes the despair and frustration he faced in researching this condition, which is the subject of his book, The Broken Cord. In a lighter vein are Dorris's reminiscences about his childhood, including tributes to his mother and aunts and a humorous commentary on math anxiety. First serial to Scholastic Literary Cavalcade Magazine. (Apr.)