"Eagle Drums by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson is part cultural folklore, part origin myth about the Messenger’s Feast – which is still celebrated in times of bounty among the Iñupiaq. It’s the story of how Iñupiaq people were given the gift of music, song, dance, community, and everlasting tradition." That is the description offered on Amazon and it is a good elevator pitch for this book.
I would add that Eagle Drums tells the story of a boy who has watched his parents suffer due to the disappearance of his older brothers. He says of his father, "His silence became something you could almost see, a depth and heaviness in the air." So when he is confronted by an eagle who can transform into a human, he chooses to be wise and not run or fight. His mother has advised him about animals like these, "Respect them as you would any strong spirit, and never challenge them."
What follows is an adventure that tries his patience, his endurance, and his determination to someday return home. He is taught many skills and commanded to share them wtih others. He is also instructed in the way to teach other humans these skills and share what he has learned. If he can cling to his memories of home and master these new skills, he may just survive and bring something new back to his people.
Readers will be amazed at the incredible details of the environment, the homes, the foods, and the new instruments that he must master - both to play and to construct. The folklore figures of the animals who can "take off their parkas. And then they are human for a while" are also intriguing. And the portrait of a family grieving for loved ones who are gone - with no closure to that grief - rings true.
Recommended for those who enjoy retellings of legends and mythology, as well as those who appreciate a good survival story. I read an advance copy provided by the publisher for review purposes.
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