The Wolf at Twilight: An Indian Elder's Journey Through a Land of Ghosts and Shadows

A casual note left on the windshield of a car. The death of an old dog. And author Kent Nerburn unexpectedly finds himself back on the Dakota reservation where more than a decade before he traveled with the elder, Dan, whose thoughts he chronicled in the classic of Native American studies, "Neither Wolf nor Dog". Now almost ninety, Dan wants Nerburn to assist in the unlikely task of burying Fatback, the old Labrador who had been Dan's closest companion during his twilight years. Though the request makes little sense, Nerburn agrees out of respect for the tribal elder. Once on the reservation, he finds that Dan's purpose runs far deeper. Dan wants Kent's assistance in finding out what happened to his little sister, Rose Bear, who disappeared from a reservation boarding school almost eighty years before. Accompanied by Dan's friend, Grover, and an odd little dog named Charles Bronson who Dan is convinced was sent to him by Fatback, the three men embark upon a journey into the hidden corners of Dan's past. Their travels take them through dusty hilltop cemeteries and ghostly abandoned boarding schools, into the dark confines of sweat lodges and the easy laughter of family compounds deep in the folds of the Dakota hills. Over it all hangs the ghost of Dan's sister, Rose Bear, and the dark truths and secrets of life in the Indian boarding schools. As her story unfolds, Dan bares his heart on subjects ranging from Indians' notion of time to the education of children and the spiritual presence of the land. "The Wolf at Twilight" is destined to take its place alongside "Neither Wolf nor Dog" as a book that will change forever the way readers look at America and her history. It will take you to places of the land and heart that few others ever see.

Winner of Minnesota Book Award (Memoir) 2010
Commended for IndieFab awards (Multicultural Fiction) 2009

“Kent Nerburn's creative and compassionate book [is] humorous, hilarious, and at times very sad. Thank you, Kent, for a good book to read." - Leonard Peltier, author, artist, and activist Elegant, yet powerful...Nerburn crosses borders with a single-minded dedication to preserving an oral tradition. The emotional truth that resides in the rich storytelling is a testament to the strength and endurance of Lakota culture and...removes barriers to understanding our common humanity." - Winona LaDuke, founder and executive director of the White Earth Land Recovery Project The best storytellers make you feel that they are speaking directly to you, and the best-told stories resonate in the heart and soul forever. A story about the triumph of love and the spirit of a people..., The Wolf at Twilight will be permanently etched in your consciousness." - Dan Agent, former editor of the Cherokee Phoenix and screenwriter for Our Spirits Don't Speak English: Indian Boarding School 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”

"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 "Kent Nerburn's creative and compassionate book [is] humorous, hilarious, and at times very sad. Thank you, Kent, for a good book to read." -- Leonard Peltier, author, artist, and activist

"Elegant, yet powerful...Nerburn crosses borders with a single-minded dedication to preserving an oral tradition. The emotional truth that resides in the rich storytelling is a testament to the strength and endurance of Lakota culture and...removes barriers to understanding our common humanity." -- Winona LaDuke, founder and executive director of the White Earth Land Recovery Project

"The best storytellers make you feel that they are speaking directly to you, and the best-told stories resonate in the heart and soul forever. A story about the triumph of love and the spirit of a people..., The Wolf at Twilight will be permanently etched in your consciousness." -- Dan Agent, former editor of the Cherokee Phoenix and screenwriter for Our Spirits Don't Speak English: Indian Boarding School

"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

Kent Nerburn has been widely praised as one of the few writers who can respectfully bridge the gap between native and nonnative cultures. His book "Neither Wolf nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder" won the 1995 Minnesota Book Award.

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