Review: RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME by Cynthia Leitich Smith

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Smith, Cynthia Leitich. 2001. Rain is not my Indian Name. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0688173977.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
As if being a teenager isn’t hard enough, Cassidy Rain also has to deal with being one of the few people in her small town with a Native American background. Even worse, her young life has been turned upside down by the death of two of the people closest to her - her mother and her best friend. She is faced with the decision of staying true to her heritage by attending her aunt’s Indian camp or following her own will as an aspiring photographer. Maybe she can find a way to do both.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This book takes hold of the reader from the very beginning. The story of a young girl falling in love with her childhood best friend and hoping for that first kiss is interrupted by his sudden death on her birthday. Throughout the rest of the story, Smith does a wonderful job of expressing the emotional turmoil felt by Cassidy as she tries to deal with Galen’s death and the accusatory looks and remarks made by his mother and others in the community. The journal entries at the beginning of each chapter help personalize this journey for the reader.

This book has a universal appeal although the main character does deal with issues directly related to having a Native American background. Dealing with family problems such as death and a rarely-present father and the dilemmas involved with growing up in a small town where privacy is nearly impossible to maintain will attract all readers. Native American readers will also be pulled in by Smith’s portrayal of a young Native American girl dealing with issues directly related to being Native American in a predominately white small town. Smith includes issues specific to the Native American culture. For example, Cassidy notes her dislike for the “Little Indians” song and being asked “How much Indian are you?” She also notes that when she wanted to report on a Native American woman for a class project, the only books she found at the local library were about Sacajewea and Pocahontas so she ended up choosing someone else instead. Cassidy also informed Flash that he should ask permission of those attending the camp before using their stories which also reflects on traditional Native American culture in that a person’s stories are held sacred.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
MULTICULTURAL REVIEW: “This is a young adult novel with heart. The characters are real. Smith deftly tackles such dominant society icons and artifacts as football mascots, fake dreamcatchers, Elvis, Anime, Pez, cigar-store Indians and Barbie, and places them in a contemporary Indian cultural context alongside fried bolgna sandwitches, two-steps, and star quilts. There is Indian Humor that not everyone is going to "get" ...no vision quests and no mixed-blood identity crises..." by Beverly Slapin of Oyate

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review: “There is a surprising amount of humor in this tender novel. It is one of the best portrayals around of kids whose heritage is mixed but still very important in their lives. It's Rain's story and she cannot be reduced to simple labels. A wonderful novel of a present-day teen and her 'patch-work tribe.'"

5. CONNECTIONS
Students could make a decision-making chart to evaluate the pros and cons of Cassidy’s decision whether or not to attend Indian Camp. After completing the chart, each student will decide whether to attend camp or not and justify that decision using support from the chart and the book.

The dream catcher is a very popular item from the Native American culture which has been commercialized extensively. Students should research the significance of the dream catcher to educate themselves on what elements make up an authentic, traditional dream catcher and its purpose and meaning within the culture including the tribal groups with which they are associated.