Bold and impassioned, sharp and defiant, Leslie Marmon Silko's essays evoke the spirit and voice

of Native Americans. Whether she is exploring the vital importance literature and language play

in Native American heritage, illuminating the inseparability of the land and the Native American

people, enlivening the ways and wisdom of the old-time people, or exploding in outrage over the

government's long-standing, racist treatment of Native Americans, Silko does so with eloquence

and power, born from her profound devotion to all that is Native American.

Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit is written with the fire of necessity. Silko's

call to be heard is unmistakable; there are stories to remember, injustices to redress, ways of

life to preserve. It is a work of major importance, filled with indispensable truths--a work by

an author with an original voice and a unique access to both worlds.