Navajos Wear Nikes: A Reservation Life

The buildup before seven-year-old Jim moves from urban Pittsburgh to the very rural Northern Arizona Navajo reservation helps to lay the foundation for the book; Anglo Americans’ fundamental (mis)beliefs about Indians based on history, legends and contemporary views on alcohol consumption and casinos. The reader is then taken on a path of discovery along with Jim, as he learns how wrong these preconceived notions are. In fact, there isn’t even such a people as “Indians”.When he first arrives, Jim makes friends in his new neighborhood and is lulled into a false sense that Rez kids are just like him, until his first day at school when he feels he’s been ambushed and describes his new classmates as Indians that stowed tomahawks in their backpacks among their three-ring binders.The humor and realistic fears of this young boy endear the readers from the start, but a defining moment is his loyalty to his mom. Knowing all she had to go through back in Pittsburgh to maintain life for him and his brother, Jim assures his mom that his first day at primary school was okay even though it was full of teasing, playground fistfights and a ripped shirt.As Jim comes to understand what it means to be a Navajo and the White Apple trying to fit in, he struggles with a strength of racism he never experienced in the urban jungle. But as he learns the natural beliefs and legends that define the Diné, he finally finds his place, being a Tough Noodle, roughhousing without crying, and teasing like the rest of the Navajo kids.When many years later his mother takes a job off the reservation and he is forced to move to a border town, he realizes just how accustomed he has become to the Navajo ways. In a new school of 40% whites, Jim finds he is no longer in either camp (the new Navajos didn’t consider him one of them, even though he himself did, and he didn’t want to be associated with the whites) and experiences firsthand Anglo racism towards Navajo.Throughout his life, his heart always lay with his friends on the Rez, and it draws him back again and again for visits, camping trips, journalism and teaching.The author’s vivid retelling of events and characters and lyrical blending of English, Rez English and Navajo dialect transports the reader to the Four Corners under the turquoise skies among the sagebrush and coyotes. Kristofic’s depictions of the Navajo people, such as when he says they paint with all the colors of the wind, raises this tale from a simple autobiography to a work of art. You can see the author’s love of wildlife and nature in his descriptions. It leaves the reader both fully satisfied in their experience with the Navajo Reservation as well as wanting more once the book ends.

I am a white guy who moved to Albuquerque 5 years ago. I grew up on Lakota land in South Dakota and identify with the Lakota rather than my land-appropriating white ancestors. I too am a "white apple"! This book helped me feel closer to this land I now live on (even though Albuquerque is considered to be Tiwa land). Thank you, Jim!!

I enjoyed this tender, well-written memoir very much. Mr. Kristofic's coming-of-age tale relates a world so many Anglos know too little about. Amazingly, the author manages to walk the line between being effusive in his appreciation for his adopted life and any potential criticism of the Navajo. Rather, he presents a clear-eyed portrait of a people and an environment he came to love. I was charmed by the episodes Kristofic chose to recount. From the opening pages, I liked the second-grade boy who is transplanted to the desert against his will. The boy, and the man he becomes, is keenly observant, self-effacing, and accepting. While there is nothing unique here (transferring into a new school, enduring the agonies of football as an undersized kid, figuring out who you are and wanting to be accepted at the same time), the author freshly presents these rites of passage. That they are set against a southwestern backdrop and peppered with fascinating historical facts about the Navajo only added to my enjoyment.Mr. Kristofic's prose is crisp and sparse. Not a word is wasted. His ear for dialogue is spot on, whether it is capturing the verbal volley of a bully and his victim or teenagers out on a night of aggressive play or an exchange between Anglos and Navajo.The author effectively represented the beauty of both the place in which he found himself, as well as its people. I was privileged to inhabit his world for the days I spent reading Navajos Wear Nikes. Even after having read so much of his life, I longed to know more, to know this person better. I also wanted to know more about the Navajo. This is an interesting and touching memoir.

Jim Kristofic's childhood may not have been easy, but it was an adventure very few children get to experience. I found myself eager to sit down and read, so I could find out what happened to the young 'bilagaana bilasaana' next. Sometimes, I wanted to give this brave young misfit a hug. At other times, his descriptions of characters he encountered and some of the incredulous situations he faced had me laughing out loud. I felt transported back to being a kid again, only a kid with a childhood far more colorful than the one I knew. I was glad I could be a part of his.Jim Kristofic takes you on a journey of transformation--from the Anglo 2nd grader who doesn't have a clue how to fit in on the Rez to the young man who has adapted so well, he's invited to participate in a friend's "Blessing Way Ceremony" as if he were family. Every misstep along the way brings a new lesson in life on the Rez. And when his awkward piece finally fits the puzzle, you want to cheer for this brave kid who kept on keeping on. When he leaves the Reservation for college, he has to adjust again, but gives us a rare glimpse of how our values look through Navajo eyes.I also enjoyed learning about Navajo culture and customs, it was an educational experience as well as a fun read. I'd definitely recommend this one.

A great insight into reservation life from a different perspective. Reading how the author had to overcome initial problems before falling in love with the Navajo way of life, kept this story real. A well written and enjoyable account of the authors experiences growing up in a completely different environment to the majority of us. I recommend this book to all with even the slightest interest in this subject.

Un excellent livre que je me suis décidée à acheter d'occasion car beaucoup trop cher neuf à mon goût (aux alentours de 30 euros!). À ce prix là, le prix d'occasion est une affaire, certes, mais le livre est arrivé complétement rabougri et corné suite à un dégât d'eau (encre qui a coulé, papier abimé, tâché de moisi), quel dommage pour un livre si intéressant !