Son of the Thundercloud

Son of the Thundercloud
Author: Easterine Kire
Publisher:
Total Pages: 152
Release: 2016-12-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9789386338143

After losing all his family in a terrible famine, a man leaves his village with just the clothes on his back, never once looking back. For endless miles he walks through a landscape as desolate as his heart. Until two ancient women who have waited for rain for four hundred years lead him to the Village of Weavers where a prophecy will be fulfilled. A single drop of rain will impregnate the tiger-widow and her son will slay the spirit-tiger. The traveller will help the woman bring up the boy. He will witness miracles and tragedy and come close to finding a home again. And he will learn that love and life are eternal. In her new novel, Easterine Kire, winner of the Hindu Prize, combines lyrical storytelling with the magic and wisdom of Naga legends to produce an unforgettable, life-affirming fable.

A Terrible Matriarchy

A Terrible Matriarchy
Author: Easterine Kire
Publisher: Zubaan
Total Pages: 330
Release: 2007-12-01
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 8194721881

“I was the youngest in a family of five children. I sometimes felt I was an afterthought, and maybe Father and Mother didn’t quite know what to do with me. Also, because I was a girl after four boys they never seemed to be sure whether to buy me girls’ clothing or let me wear leftover boys’ clothing.” Young Dielieno is five years old when she is sent off to live with her disciplinarian grandmother who wants her to grow up to be a good Naga wife and mother. According to Grandmother, girls didn’t need an education, they didn’t need love and affection or time to play or even a good piece of meat with their gravy! Naturally Dielieno hates her with a vengeance. This is the evocative tale of a young girl growing up in a traditional society in India’s Northeast, which is in the midst of tremendous change. Easterine Kire writes about a place and a people that she knows well and is a part of and brings to the storytelling a lyrical beauty which can on occasion chill the reader with its realistic portrayals of the spirits of the dead that inhabit the quiet hills and valleys of Nagaland.

When the River Sleeps

When the River Sleeps
Author: Easterine Kire
Publisher: Zubaan
Total Pages: 197
Release: 2014-11-05
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9384757055

A lone hunter, Vilie, sets out to find the river of his dreams: to wrest from its sleeping waters a stone that will give him untold power. It is a dangerous quest, for not only must he overcome unquiet spirits, vengeful sorceresses and daemons of the forest, there are men – armed with guns – on his trail. Easterine Kire’s novel transports the reader to the remote mountains of Nagaland, a place alive with natural wonder and supernatural enchantment. As Vilie treks through the forest on the trail of his dream, we are also swept along in this powerful narrative and walk alongside him in a world where the spirits are every bit as real as men and women, and where danger – or salvation – lies at every turn. Kire’s powerful narrative invites us into the lives and hearts of the people of Nagaland: the rituals and beliefs, their reverence for the land, their close-knit communities – the rhythms of a life lived in harmony with their natural surroundings. It is against this spellbinding backdrop that Kire tells the story of a solitary man driven by the mysterious pull of a dream, who must overcome weretigers and malignant widow-spirits in the search for his heart’s desire. Published by Zubaan.

Bitter Wormwood

Bitter Wormwood
Author: Easterine Kire
Publisher: Zubaan
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2012-06-25
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9381017468

Kohima, 2007. A young man has been gunned down in cold blood—the latest casualty in the conflict that has scarred the landscape and brutalized the people of Nagaland. Easterine Kire’s novel traces the story of one man’s life, from 1937 to the present day. The small incidents of Mose’s childhood, his family, the routines and rituals of traditional village life paint an evocative picture of a peaceful way of life, now long-vanished. The coming of a radio into Mose’s family’s house marks the beginning of the changes that would connect them to the wider world. They learn of partition, independence, a land called America. Mose and his friends become involved in the Naga struggle for Independence, and are caught in a maelstrom of violence that ends up ripping communities apart. The herb, bitter wormwood, was traditionally believed to keep bad spirits away. For the Nagas, facing violent struggle all around, it becomes a powerful talisman: “We sure could do with some of that old magic now.” Bitter Wormwood gives a poignant insight into the human cost behind the political headlines from one of India’s most beautiful and misunderstood regions. “Once opened [the book is] tough to close, so congenial are the leading characters and so riveting the events in their lives.” —Cairns Media Magazine Published by Zubaan.

Thunder Cake

Thunder Cake
Author: Patricia Polacco
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 34
Release: 1990-03-15
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0399222316

A loud clap of thunder booms, and rattles the windows of Grandma's old farmhouse. "This is Thunder Cake baking weather," calls Grandma, as she and her granddaughter hurry to gather the ingredients around the farm. A real Thunder Cake must reach the oven before the storm arrives. But the list of ingredients is long and not easy to find . . . and the storm is coming closer all the time! Reaching once again into her rich childhood experience, Patricia Polacco tells the memorable story of how her grandma--her Babushka--helped her overcome her fear of thunder when she was a little girl. Ms. Polacco's vivid memories of her grandmother's endearing answer to a child's fear, accompanied by her bright folk-art illustrations, turn a frightening thunderstorm into an adventure and ultimately . . . a celebration! Whether the first clap of thunder finds you buried under the bedcovers or happily anticipating the coming storm, Thunder Cake is a story that will bring new meaning and possibility to the excitement of a thunderstorm.

Chetan

Chetan
Author: Pamela Faye
Publisher: Mundania Press
Total Pages: 360
Release: 2004
Genre: Indians of North America
ISBN: 1594260761

Chétan is a Native American historic fiction novel, narrated through the spirit voice of a Shawnee Elder. The depth of spirituality Native Americans possess is very real, they live and breathe Mother Earth, Father Sky, and the Great Spirit, creator of all things. They honor the four directions from whence each changing season comes, they honor the spirit fires that burn brightly to carry prayers in rising tendrils of smoke. Their vision sees to the Big Bear constellation and beyond. All living things must be respected, the medicines that grow wild, fish that swim in winding rivers, animals and birds that cry out in the full moon's light. 500 Nations hear eagles cry from mountains high, the sun is the giver of all life. They sit with patience and watch and listen, for it is whispers in the trees they hear clearly, the breath of wind carries the spirit of ancient ones who forever guide the hearts of Native Americans. Mother Earth will shake with rage if she is angered, she must be honored, her beauty must be respected. If you love Native American culture, hear the songbirds voice of the Shawnee language as it floats with the touch of a feather from turning pages. This story lifts from the history pages of time, the characters are fictitious, but Native American culture will forever carry on the beauty of a timeless tale. This is a story not to be missed, it carries the heart and soul of the author.

Sky is My Father

Sky is My Father
Author: Easterine Kire
Publisher:
Total Pages: 175
Release: 2018
Genre: Khonoma (India)
ISBN: 9789388070447

A Respectable Woman

A Respectable Woman
Author: Easterine Kire
Publisher: Zubaan
Total Pages: 147
Release: 2019-02-28
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 9385932764

‘It took my mother, Khonuo, exactly forty-five years before she could bring herself to talk about the war.’ These powerful words introduce the reader to Easterine Kire’s stunning new novel, A Respectable Woman. In Nagaland, the decisive Battle of Kohima has been fought and won by the Allies, and people in and around Kohima are trying hard to come to terms with the devastation, the loss of home and property, and the deaths of their loved ones. Forty years after the event, Khonuo recreates this moment, stitching together her memories, bit by painful bit, for her young daughter. As memory passes from mother to daughter, the narrative glides seamlessly into the present, a moment in which Nagaland, much transformed, confronts different realities and challenges. Using storytelling traditions so typical of her region, Kire leads the reader gently into a world where history and memory meld — where, through this blurring, a young woman comes to understand the legacy of her parents and her land.

A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time
Author: Madeleine L'Engle
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2010-04-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1429915641

NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER • TIME MAGAZINE’S 100 BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF ALL TIME • NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM DISNEY Read the ground-breaking science fiction and fantasy classic that has delighted children for over 60 years! "A Wrinkle in Time is one of my favorite books of all time. I've read it so often, I know it by heart." —Meg Cabot Late one night, three otherworldly creatures appear and sweep Meg Murry, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O'Keefe away on a mission to save Mr. Murray, who has gone missing while doing top-secret work for the government. They travel via tesseract--a wrinkle that transports one across space and time--to the planet Camazotz, where Mr. Murray is being held captive. There they discover a dark force that threatens not only Mr. Murray but the safety of the whole universe. A Wrinkle in Time is the first book in Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quintet.

Life Without Water

Life Without Water
Author: Nancy Peacock
Publisher: Bantam
Total Pages: 228
Release: 1998
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780553379297

Set in a ramshackle farmhouse in North Carolina, Life Without Water tells the story of a young Cedar and her mother, Sara, and as the girl's tries to repair the emotional damage done by the death of her beloved brother in Vietnam.