Short Stories, Native American, Contemporary, Literary, Native American Studies 

Told from the points of view of Johnny Severe, a twenty-year-old Pomo Indian, his grandmother, Elba, and his mother, Iris, "Watermelon Nights" uncovers the secrets behind each of these characters' extraordinary powers of perception. Johnny is trying to organize the remaining members of his displaced tribe; at the same time he contemplates leaving his grandmother's home for the big city. As the novel shifts his perspective, tracing the controversial history of the tribe, we learn how the tragic events of Elba's childhood, as well as Iris's attempts to separate herself from her cultural roots, make Johnny's dilemma all the more difficult - and his choices more crucial. Gritty yet rich in detail and emotion, this novel of identity and history, family ties and cultural isolation, is one that "readers will want to read... over and over" (San Francisco Chronicle).