About this title: Norris writes about the dynamics of small-town life in this tribute to the Great Plains and their power to inform the human spirit. Filled with descriptions of a harsh and desolate, yet sublime landscape, "Dakota" weaves together the lives of farmers, townsfolk, Native Americans, and a community of Benedictine monks.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Good. No spine creases, shelf wear & long bend on cover. Aging pages, name on endpage, no marks in text. Amazon: After 20 years of living in the ""Great American Outback, "" as Newsweek magazine once designated the Dakotas, poet Kathleen Norris (The Cloister Walk) came to understand the fascinating ways that people become metaphors for the land they inhabit. When trying to understand the polarizing contradictions that exist in the Dakotas between ""hospitality and insularity, change and inertia ... read more
Edition: First Trade
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780395710913ISBN:039571091X
Description: Good. Light cover & edge wear, marker line on outside edge of pages, clean inside, light page yellowing. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Mariner Books
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780395710913ISBN:039571091X
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. A great copy with only minor edge wear and rubbing to cover. Pages are like new! Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 224 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Edition: No Edition Stated
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780395710913ISBN:039571091X
Description: Very Good. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Crease to front wrap. Light shelf wear. Solid copy with clean pages. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780395710913ISBN:039571091X
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 224 p. Audience: General/trade. softcover, light edge wear to covers, small crease to corner of cover at top, about 10 dog ears, page 11 has one sentence underlined. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Mariner Books
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780395710913ISBN:039571091X
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Sparse underlining in one section. Shiny cover. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 224 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780395710913ISBN:039571091X
Description: Very Good. No Jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Very good clean flat paperback with only very light overall wear. pages clean and unmarked. nice copy! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Mariner Books
Date Published: 1994-09-07
ISBN-13:9780395710913ISBN:039571091X
Description: Very Good. Very good paperback. Pages are clean and unmarked. Covers show light edge wear.; 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed! Free Delivery Confirmation! Ships same or next business day! read more
"Perhaps it was the stage of life when I read this, but I found it to be quite moving. This is a artist's reflections on spirituality and life after she moved to a sparsely populated area of South Dakota after living in New York City. I read it during winter before Desmond was very reliable in stores and when I was feeling particularly isolated as a new mom. It helped me embrace the silences in my life and learn to listen."
"Norris is pure poet, and her prose is delightful. Her subject matter is foreign to me - I have never experienced the stark constrasts and landscape of her Dakota. But after reading this book, I certainly feel like I've tasted it.
Her stories about small town insularity struck a cord - I grew up in a small town. And there is a deep truth in her conviction that she discovered incredible grace, courage, and generosity in the small communities of faith there. Groups of good people united around a common dialogue, faith, and commitment are powerful entities. Such small communities have been the greatest example of faith, God on earth, and love in action. And I've been blessed and graced by similar communities in my small town.
Norris has left me longing to visit her Benedictine monastary, to absorb the silence and have one of those retreats where liturgy takes over and my brain finally shuts off. What a delightful prospect!"
"In "Dakota," author Kathleen Norris captures accurately, affectionately and yet also brutally honestly, what it is like to live in the American plains/Canadian prairie region of North America. On the positive side, she addresses the stark beauty, vast unpopulated territory, recent frontier history, and interesting ethnic mix. On the negative side, she confronts the isolation (both geographic and psychological) and potential loneliness which follows from it, often prevalent provincial attitude, unfriendliness and even hostility shown to strangers, and severe climate.
Interwoven with all of this is Norris's spiritual journey. A sophisticated New Yorker with a rising writing career, she is surprised to find herself at home in a small Protestant church on the plains that is more conservative by far than she is. Her spirituality is not limited to things religious, however, and she grows into a winsome understanding of God that embraces her newfound place on the plains as much as it does her church. Plains and prairie people will appreciate and perhaps find a new perspective in the way in which her profound love of both place and God meet.
I found this book to be extremely helpful, especially since Norris's experience of moving from big-city New York to small-town South Dakota is mirrored by my own move two years ago, from Canada's largest city, Toronto, to small-town Saskatchewan. In addition, this book is a wonderful way to explore what it is like to live on or move to the plains and prairie regions, if you are a reader from another part of the world. At heart, though, this book helps anyone, anywhere, from any religious bent, to examine their own place and spiritual journey. And it's a treat to read."
"An amazing blend of spirituality, practicality, history and storytelling. My favorite line: " Oh, Jesus Christ, is that you again?" and the monks' "Ora et Labora." I felt that I was spiritually enriched in a new way - able to seek and to appreciate silence and to see a beautiful barenness in a busy life and landscape"
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