John Medicinewolf

the long version

Summary:The author blends his life in rural Montana and the ageless visions and wisdom of his Indian ancestry into an unforgettable tale. "Occupation?" demands the questionnaire from the white man's world. "Paperboy," replies John Medicinewolf. Or, depending on his mood and on who is asking, he answers "buffalo hunter" or "writer" or "father" or "abstract fury." John Medicinewolf is the speaking voice and observing mind of this book. He is also most of the things he puts down on the questionnaires. He works at his various occupations, however, in ways that few white men could imagine. He actually is a paperboy, for example, but on an epic scale. His delivery route takes him by truck from western Montana over the Bitterroot Mountains into Idaho at Lost Trail Pass, where Lewis and Clark missed their way, then it meanders back along the Old Road that crosses and recrosses the Salmon River valley, until--twelve hours, six towns, innumerable creeks, and 350 miles later--it brings him again to his house near Missoula