Chickasaw author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Linda Hogan has recently released "People of the Whale." The novel centers on the life of Thomas Witka Just of the fictional A'atsika tribe.

Thomeas is a mystical character with a heritage steeped in the history and spirit of his tribe. One night, howeer, he drunkenly joins the Army with a group of friends. This proves to be a decision that will immedately diveide his past from his future.

He is soon shipped to Vietname, leaving Ruth, his childhood love, pregnant and lost. Amidst the chaos of the war, he fathers a child with a Vietnamese woman - a daughter named Lin.

Returnging to the village, Thomas sees himself as a lia with two lives. He is numbed by the atrocities of war, plagued by self-betrayal and is no longer able to hear the voices of his ancestors.

Hogan creates a contrast between worlds in "People of the Whare." The ways of the Earth and Native American tradtion collide with 20th Centurs struggles, creating a mending game for those strong enough to survive.

Particularly strong is the character of Ruth. THe reader seese her gain and lose hope time and time again whil waiting for Thomas' childre Marco Polo and Lin are also survivors, taking Thomas' lost character and giving it depth.

Ms. Hogan's novel is woven out of many character and plot lines, but the fluidity of her word choice carries the reader easily along.

"People of the Whale" is an intriguing look at the duality that has faced Native people for decades. Ms. Hogan creates characters that burrow into the reader's mind, reminding them of the common human tie to the earth and the ways of the old.

Contributed by Carrie Buckley, Chickasaw Nation Tribal Media Relations.