Apple (Skin to the Core)

Plot Summary: Apple (Skin to the Core) is a memoir by Eric Gansworth about growing up as an Onondaga in a Tuscarora area. Both tribes are part of the Iroquois Confederation. Living on a reservation involved poverty in the town he lived in, the trips for Gathering of Nations, and his older brother's experiences in the Vietnam War. Eric Gansworth discusses how it felt to grow up, not only in another tribe's territory in the 70s and 80s, but also his interactions with popular culture such as Star Wars, comic books, and Ziggy Stardust, the David Bowie album.

Author Background: Eric Gansworth is enrolled as a member in the Onondaga tribe who grew up in New York State. He teaches English and is a Lowery Writer-in-Residence at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. He has written twelve books. he also illustrates them with Indigenous and modern imagery (Gansworth, n.d.).

Critical Evaluation: This book has a lot going for it. The experiences that Eric Gansworth talks about are enthralling, the information about the Onondaga and Tuscarora tribes are interesting, and the writing is good. The memoir is written in verse. Some people didn't appreciate the poetry (Good Reads, n.d.). It doesn't rhyme and doesn't necessarily follow a particular meter. That doesn't make poetry. It may make up a large portion of Anglo-American and Classical European poetry, but this is a book that explores the experience of Eric Gansworth's Onondaga experience.

Speed-Round Book Talk or Short Book Trailer: What is it like to grow up as an Indigenous person in Twentieth Century America? Eric Gansworth writes an informative and entertaining memoir about his experience as an Onondaga on Tuscarora land.

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation: This book is unapologetically Onondaga. It doesn't attempt integrating into White culture. Yes, popular culture is mentioned and explored, but it is through an Indigenous lens. This way of understanding and telling the story is what makes this story so important. Just because many people know who David Bowie is or have watched Star Wars, it doesn't mean their experiences are all the same.

Reason for Inclusion: I'm trying to bring in many different voices into my blog and reading experience. A book about real experiences is a must.

Resources

David Bowie. (2009, February 26). Ziggy Stardust. [YouTube]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8sdsW93ThQ.

Gansworth, E. (n.d.). About. https://www.ericgansworth.com/about1. 

Good Reads. (n.d.). Apple: skin to the core. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46155086-apple. 

NowThis News. (2020, November 26). Author eric Gansworth explores complexities of Native identity in new memoir. [YouTube]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOAfCSawk8E.

NYS Museum. (2014, September 30). Daily life at Onondaga. [YouTube]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9vhmZ4gHrs.

Onongaga Nation. (2023, February 13). We're Still Here. [YouTube]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldp6RQmzVlU.