Letters to My Son: A Father's Wisdom on Manhood, Life, and Love
(At once spiritual and practical, Letters to My Son has be...)
At once spiritual and practical, Letters to My Son has been beloved by readers from all walks of life, including single mothers seeking guidance in raising a son, fathers looking to share a voice of clarity about life’s most important issues, and young men wanting an intelligent, sensitive, and streetwise companion on the journey toward a worthy manhood. In this twentieth anniversary edition, Kent Nerburn adds to his classic reflections on love, marriage, travel, money and wealth, tragedy and suffering, spirituality, sex, and the true meaning of strength, with new chapters on sexual identity and the difficulty of moving on (from relationships, homes, and stages of life). Unique in its profound simplicity and timeless insight, Letters to My Son is a book to savor and a gift to give to anyone looking for clear and gentle guidance on the big issues in life.
(Joseph, Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, Black Elk, Ohiyesa, and ...)
Joseph, Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, Black Elk, Ohiyesa, and many others share their insights on Native American ways of living, learning, and dying.
There is something archetypal about the philosophy of the original Americans, especially to the sensibilities of modern European Americans. We recognize it as coming from the earth we walk on, from those who preceded us. As we read the wisdom of these peoples, it is possible to feel a reconnection with our land and ourselves.
Taken from orations, recorded observations of life and social affairs, and other first-person testimonies, this book selects the best of Native American wisdom and distills it to its essence in short, digestible quotes that are meaningful and timeless - perhaps even more timely now than when they were written.
The Soul of an Indian: And Other Writings from Ohiyesa
(Ohiyesa, a Dakota Indian also known as Charles Alexander ...)
Ohiyesa, a Dakota Indian also known as Charles Alexander Eastman, is one of America's most fascinating and overlooked individuals. Born in Minnesota in 1858, he obtained postgraduate degrees and advised U.S. presidents before returning to traditional living in native forests. This reissue contains Ohiyesa's insights on spirit, the human experience, and white culture's impact on Native American culture.
Neither Wolf nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder
(Kent Nerburn draws the reader deep into the world of an I...)
Kent Nerburn draws the reader deep into the world of an Indian elder known only as Dan. It’s a world of Indian towns, white roadside cafes, and abandoned roads that swirl with the memories of the Ghost Dance and Sitting Bull. Readers meet vivid characters like Jumbo, a 400-pound mechanic, and Annie, an 80-year-old Lakota woman living in a log cabin. Threading through the book is the story of two men struggling to find a common voice.
(A new title in the Classic Wisdom Collection by the edito...)
A new title in the Classic Wisdom Collection by the editor of Native American Wisdom. Here are three great speeches revealing the broad panorama of the Indian experience. Includes Red Jacket's 1805 speech, Chief Seattle's 1854 speech, and Chief Joseph's 1879 speech.
(In twenty elegant pieces, writer, sculptor, and theologia...)
In twenty elegant pieces, writer, sculptor, and theologian Kent Nerburn celebrates the daily rituals that reveal our deeper truths. A companion piece to Kent Nerburn?s book Simple Truths, Small Graces is a journey into the sacred moments that illuminate our everyday lives. Through the exploration of simple acts, he reminds us to chart a course each day that nourishes the soul, honors the body, and engages the mind. Small Graces asks us to observe life?s quiet rhythms, the subtle shifts in perception and changes in light, the warm comfort of family voices; to feel the blessing of birdsong, the solitude of a falling leaf, the echo of footfall in snow-covered woods. By inviting us to recognize the hidden power of the ordinary, Small Graces reveals the mystical alchemy of the mundane made profound by the artistry of a well-lived life.
(The teachings of the Native Americans provide a connectio...)
The teachings of the Native Americans provide a connection with the land, the environment, and the simple beauties of life. This collection of writings from revered Native Americans offers timeless, meaningful lessons on living and learning.
(Kent Nerburn's Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace, immer...)
Kent Nerburn's Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace, immerses us in the spirit of one of the most universally inspiring figures in history: St. Francis of Assisi. The Prayer of St. Francis boldly but gently challenges us to resist the forces of evil and negativity with the spirit of goodwill and generosity. And Nerburn shows, in his wonderfully personal and humble way, how we each can live out the prayer's prescription for living in our everyday and less-than-saintly lives.
(How can individuals live a life of forgiveness in a world...)
How can individuals live a life of forgiveness in a world so full of injustice and indifference? This haunting question spurred author Kent Nerburn to write Calm Surrender. The book looks at the life of an elderly woman mistreated by the healthcare system, a Native American desperate to keep the memories of the old ways alive, a woman singing softly over the grave of her young son. As the author recounts the experiences of people who have suffered much and asked for little, he takes readers on a moving journey. How can individuals live a life of forgiveness in a world so full of injustice and indifference? This haunting question spurred author Kent Nerburn to write Calm Surrender. The book looks at the life of an elderly woman mistreated by the healthcare system, a Native American desperate to keep the memories of the old ways alive, a woman singing softly over the grave of her young son. As the author recounts the experiences of people who have suffered much and asked for little, he takes readers on a moving journey.
(Hidden in the shadow cast by the great western expedition...)
Hidden in the shadow cast by the great western expeditions of Lewis and Clark lies another journey every bit as poignant, every bit as dramatic, and every bit as essential to an understanding of who we are as a nation - the 1,800-mile journey made by Chief Joseph and eight hundred Nez Perce men, women, and children from their homelands in what is now eastern Oregon through the most difficult, mountainous country in western America to the high, wintry plains of Montana. There, only forty miles from the Canadian border and freedom, Chief Joseph, convinced that the wounded and elders could go no farther, walked across the snowy battlefield, handed his rifle to the U.S. military commander who had been pursuing them, and spoke his now-famous words, "From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."
Simple Truths: Clear and Simple Guidance on the Big Issues in Life
(Seldom does a book come along that speaks to the core iss...)
Seldom does a book come along that speaks to the core issues of life with such clarity and wisdom. This profound book is deeply informed by the spiritual traditions of the West, the Far East, and the Native Americans, with whom the author has worked. It is a small treasure of wisdom about life’s deepest issues.
The Wolf at Twilight: An Indian Elder's Journey through a Land of Ghosts and Shadows
(A note is left on a car windshield, an old dog dies, and ...)
A note is left on a car windshield, an old dog dies, and Kent Nerburn finds himself back on the Lakota reservation where he traveled more than a decade before with a tribal elder named Dan. The touching, funny, and haunting journey that ensues goes deep into reservation boarding-school mysteries, the dark confines of sweat lodges, and isolated Native homesteads far back in the Dakota hills in search of ghosts that have haunted Dan since childhood. In this fictionalized account of actual events, Nerburn brings the land of the northern High Plains alive and reveals the Native American way of teaching and learning with a depth that few outsiders have ever captured.
(A chance encounter with a boy on a bicycle, a young girl'...)
A chance encounter with a boy on a bicycle, a young girl's graduation from eighth grade - these and other small moments are the subjects of this beautifully written collection. In elegant prose, Kent Nerburn uncovers the wonder hidden just beneath the surface of everyday life, offering poignant glimpses into the grace of ordinary days.
Whether he's describing a kite's dance on the winds above the high New Mexico desert, a funeral on an isolated Indian reservation, or a dinnertime conversation among family and friends, Kent Nerburn is among a handful of writers capable of moving so gently over such deep waters. The Hidden Beauty of Everyday Life reveals the sacred moments waiting to be discovered in each and every life.
(A midwestern skeptic embarks on a witty, compelling journ...)
A midwestern skeptic embarks on a witty, compelling journey from the frozen plains of Minnesota to California in search of answers to life's most vexing questions. 25,000 first printing.
Ordinary Sacred: The Simple Beauty of Everyday Life
(There is a hidden meaning, a hidden beauty, in life’s mos...)
There is a hidden meaning, a hidden beauty, in life’s most ordinary moments. It is the beauty of the human heart revealed, where what we have in common is greater than what keeps us apart. If we can learn to see the beauty in these moments, whether they are in the light or in the shadow, we become witnesses to the spiritual, testimonies to the sacred. We become true artists of the ordinary, and our life becomes a masterpiece, painted in the colors of the heart. A chance encounter with a boy on a bicycle, a young girl’s graduation from eighth grade; these and other small moments are the subjects of this beautifully written collection. In elegant prose, Kent Nerburn uncovers the wonder hidden just beneath the surface of every-day life, offering poignant glimpses into the grace of ordinary days. Whether he’s describing a kite’s dance on the winds above the high New Mexico desert, a funeral on an isolated Indian reservation, or a dinnertime conversation with family and friends, Kent Nerburn is among a handful of writers capable of moving so gently over such deep waters. Ordinary Sacred reveals the hidden beauty waiting to be discovered in each and every life.
(A haunting dream that will not relent pulls author Kent N...)
A haunting dream that will not relent pulls author Kent Nerburn back into the hidden world of Native America, where dreams have meaning, animals are teachers, and the "old ones" still have powers beyond our understanding. In this moving narrative, we travel through the lands of the Lakota and the Ojibwe, where we encounter a strange little girl with an unnerving connection to the past, a forgotten asylum that history has tried to hide, and the complex, unforgettable characters we have come to know from Neither Wolf nor Dog and The Wolf at Twilight. Part history, part mystery, part spiritual journey and teaching story, The Girl Who Sang to the Buffalo is filled with the profound insight into humanity and Native American culture we have come to expect from Nerburn’s journeys. As the American Indian College Fund has stated, once you have encountered Nerburn’s stirring evocations of America’s high plains and incisive insights into the human heart, "you can never look at the world, or at people, the same way again."
Voices in the Stones: Life Lessons from the Native Way
(The genius of the Native Americans has always been their ...)
The genius of the Native Americans has always been their profound spirituality and their deep understanding of the land and its ways.
For three decades, author Kent Nerburn has lived and worked among the Native American people. Voices in the Stones is a unique collection of his encounters, experiences, and reflections during that time.
He takes us inside a traditional Native feast to show us how the children are taught to respect the elders. He brings us to an isolated prairie rock outcropping where a young Native man and his father show us how the power of ceremony connects the present with the ancient voices of the past. At a dusty roadside café he introduces us to an elder who remembers the time when his ancestors could talk to animals.
In these and other deeply touching stories, Nerburn reveals the spiritual awareness that animates all of Native American life and shows us how we have much to learn from one another if only we have the heart to listen.
Native Echoes: Listening to the Spirit of the Land
(From the grandeur of the Great Plains to the solitude of ...)
From the grandeur of the Great Plains to the solitude of the northern woods, from the intensity of a summer storm to the quiet redemption of a fresh blanket of snow, Kent Nerburn's Native Echoes pays homage to the power of the land to shape our hearts and spirits.
Dancing with the Gods: Reflections on Life and Art
(When Kent Nerburn received a letter from Jennifer, a youn...)
When Kent Nerburn received a letter from Jennifer, a young woman questioning her calling to spend her life in the arts, the writer and artist was struck by how closely her questions mirrored the doubts and yearnings of his own youth.
Nerburn resolved that he would write his own letter: a letter of welcome and encouragement to all young artists setting out on the same strange and magical journey, sharing the wisdom of a life spent working in the arts.
From struggles with money and the bitterness of rejection to spiritual questions of inspiration and authenticity, Dancing With the Gods offers insight, solace, and courage to help young artists on the winding road to artistic fulfillment. Tender and joyous, it is a celebration of art's power to transform the darkest of human experience and give voice to the grandest of human hopes.
Kent Nerburn is an American author. His works are focused on Native American and American culture and general spirituality.
Background
Kent Nerburn was born on July 3, 1946, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, to the family of Lloyd Nerburn and Virginia Crofoot.
According to Nerburn's own words, the most formative experience of his childhood was going out with his father, who worked for the Red Cross, when he went to help victims of fires and floods who had lost their homes, their possessions, and, sometimes, their families. They would get the same calls as the fire department, and would often arrive simultaneously, often in the deepest night, and confront the same tragedies the police and firemen confronted, only their responsibility was to provide aid and comfort. These experiences gave Nerburn a profound understanding of human suffering and hope and left him with an indelible belief in a life of service. They also taught him how fragile good fortune is, and how lucky and blessed he is to live the life he lives.
Education
Kent Nerburn attended the University of Minnesota and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies in 1968. He attended graduate school at Stanford University from 1969 to 1970.
After Stanford, Kent Nerburn went to Europe, where he studied wood sculpture technique in Marburg, Germany in 1971, life drawing with Helmut Schmitt (1974-1976), stone sculpture technique in Pietrasanta, Italy in 1976, and anatomy with Herbert Shrebnik in 1976.
Nerburn received a Doctor of Philosophy with distinction in religion and art from Graduate Theological Union in 1980.
Kent Nerburn started his career as a sculptor, focusing on over-life-size works carved from single tree trunks. His work has been frequently exhibited in his native Minnesota. He is also a widely published art critic and longtime educator. However, Nerburn’s books are not, or at least not primarily, about art. Rather, they reflect (as does much of his sculpture) his intense interest in the life of the spirit. He switched to writing from sculpture in the late 80s - early 90s when he realized that he could reach more people as a writer and that he had skills in that area.
Nerburn’s first book, Native American Wisdom, compiled with Louise Mengelkoch, quotes Native American leaders of the past and present on such topics as "The Ways of the Land" and "The Ways of the White Man." Biographical and historical notes enhance the book’s instructional value. A second collection, The Soul of an Indian, presents the thought of Santee leader Ohiyesa (Charles Alexander Eastman). Nerburn calls the book a "reconfiguration" of Ohiyesa’s writings," chosen from a variety of sources, woven together in a way that gives voice to the spiritual vision that animated all his writing and speaking."
Becoming a father prompted Nerburn to write Letters to My Son: Reflections on Becoming a Man, a series of essays in which the author explores the meanings and problems of masculinity. Topics include concrete issues like drug abuse to more philosophical concerns, such as the spiritual journey to manhood. Though presented as a guide to life for the young male, chapters titled "Fatherhood" and "Staying Faithful" clearly address men in a position like Nerburn's own.
In Neither Wolf nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder, Nerburn tells the story of his journey with Dan, a Lakota elder who for seven decades has filled notebooks with his "diatribes, and political and social commentaries," according to Kevin Roddy in Booklist. Nerburn worries in his introduction that the book will be interpreted by some as cynical exploitation of Indian chic, or another shallow purging of white guilt, but Neither Wolf nor Dog was well received by critics, who have praised its harsh honesty and emotional power.
With Simple Truths: Clear and Gentle Guidance on the Big Issues of Life, Nerburn returns to the blend of practical and spiritual advice-giving that proved popular in Letters to My Son, but without a specifically male focus. Drawing on the author's theological training and life experiences, Simple Truths offers guidance on major life issues, from love to money to death.
Respect for nature, a recurring theme in Nerburn's earlier work, is the basis of A Haunting Reverence: Meditations on a Northern Land, a book inspired by the grandeur of the North American plains where Nerburn has spent most of his life. Both a critique of a shallow, distracted society and an invitation to a deeper understanding of the land and one's place in it, A Haunting Reverence pays further tribute to the Native American philosophies that were so influential in forming Nerburn's own spiritual outlook.
Nerburn's Road Angels: Searching for Home on America's Coast of Dreams follows the author as he travels down the Pacific Coast Highway through Washington, Oregon, and California. The trip affords Nerburn an opportunity to reflect on his mid-life concerns, on the lure of the West Coast, and on how the nation has changed since the end of the 1960s.
In Chief Joseph & the Flight of the Nez Perce: The Untold Story of an American Tragedy, Nerburn offers "an intriguing twist to a legendary saga," according to Booklist critic Deborah Donovan. Exiled from their homeland in 1877, the Nez Perce tribe avoided capture by Unites States troops for months, until they were surrounded near the Canadian border.
Kent Nerburn and his wife currently live just outside of Portland, Oregon, where they moved after her retirement from Bemidji State University.
Kent Nerburn managed to become an acclaimed and honored author. Warmly received by critics and readers, he also has commercial success. His book Simple Truths, Small Graces, and Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace, which included a story about Nerburn’s time driving a cab in Minneapolis in the late 80s, received over 4 million internet hits and was purchased by New Line Cinema for adaptation into a motion picture. His work, Letters to My Son, was quoted by British Prime Minister David Cameron during his father’s day address to the nation in 2011.
Kent Nerburn's work has been a constant search, from various perspectives, for authentic American spirituality, integrating western Judeo-Christian tradition with the other traditions of the world, and especially the indigenous spirituality of the people who first inhabited this continent. Someone once called him a "guerilla theologian," and Kent thinks that is fairly accurate.
Politics
Kent Nerburn tends to stay out of politics, though the views he expresses are close to the democratic wing.
Views
Although not himself a Native American, Kent Nerburn was strongly influenced by North American tribal customs and beliefs on such topics as the environment and personal property. He went on to study the wisdom of many cultures, earning a doctorate from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, but retained a special sympathy for Native American traditions.
Quotations:
"We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware - beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one."
"Love has its own time, its own season, and its own reasons from coming and going. You cannot bribe it or coerce it or reason it into staying. You can only embrace it when it arrives and give it away when it comes to you."
"Our actions in this world, and our ability to rise above the limits of our own self-interest, live on far beyond us and play their humble part in shaping a world of spirituality and peace."
"In some corner of your life, you know more about something than anyone else on earth. The true measure of your education is not what you know, but how you share what you know with others."
"Something precious is lost if we rush headlong into the details of life without pausing for a moment to pay homage to the mystery of life and the gift of another day."
"No amount of security is worth the suffering of a life lived chained to a routine that has killed your dreams."
"The plain fact is that, distasteful though it may be, there are grounds for political discussion within Trump’s horrible reign. But there should be no grounds for moral discussion. When you have a monster leading your country who imprisons children and with whom you would not leave your 16-year-old daughter alone, you do not have a political problem, you have a morality problem."
Personality
Kent Nerburn has a sensitive caring personality. He is very much concerned about his family.
Quotes from others about the person
"In Kent Nerburn’s new book, an unlikely friendship brings into light a dark period in American history and bridges understanding between two worlds. The story of this unique and captivating journey is a remarkable gift that we are honored to receive and obligated to pass on." - Steven R. Heape, Cherokee Nation citizen and producer of the award-winning documentary The Trail of Tears: Cherokee Legacy
"The author’s ironic self-awareness as he serves as a foil to the various native people he encounters deepens the very Indian humor that permeates a story that another, lesser writer might have seen as either tragic or inconsequential. It is also a poignant portrait of what it means to be a Native elder and a survivor of the often bitter experience of the Indian boarding schools of the 20th century." - Joseph Bruchac, Abenaki, award-winning poet and author of Code Talker and Skeleton Man
"Kent Nerburn offers a sensitive, insightful glimpse into a Lakota soul, a feat unattainable by most non-Native writers." - Joseph M. Marshall III, Sicangu Lakota, author of The Lakota Way and The Journey of Crazy Horse
Interests
Philosophers & Thinkers
Lao Tzu, Black Elk
Politicians
Nelson Mandela
Writers
Rainer Maria Rilke, Graham Greene, Jim Harrison, Annie Dillard, Barry Lopez
Artists
Donatello
Music & Bands
Johann Sebastian Bach, Gustav Mahler, Led Zeppelin
Connections
Kent Nerburn married a journalism professor Louise Mengelkoch in 1989. They have a son, Nicholas Kent Nerburn, and three children from Mengelkoch's previous union: Stephanie, Alexandra, and Creighton Penn.
Nerburn’s friendship with the singer Robert Plant resulted in Neither Wolf nor Dog being picked up for European publication by prestigious United Kingdom publisher, Canongate. He and Plant spoke together about the book at the Hay Literary Festival in Wales in 2017. Neither Wolf nor Dog was also adapted into a highly successful independent film of the same name, starring 97-year-old Lakota elder, Dave Bald Eagle, in the last performance of his career.
References
Contemporary Authors, Vol. 166
This volume of Contemporary Authors contains biographical information on approximately 300 modern writers.
