Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Beauty Way and My World Cat Addiction

Every Sunday I check it, that wonderful World Catalog of books, to see if any libraries have acquired "Beauty Way: A Novel." Yes, that is the proper name for "Beauty Way" so I've learned! It distinguishes it from other books of similar name that talk about the Dineh Nizhoni Way, which takes in so much spiritual history of this beautiful tribe. A return to Nizhoni Way is the way to live one's life in balance, the way it was lived before, following the old ways, the true ways of tradition. A library acceptance, for me, is a literary acceptance by scholars. It is a road to longevity for a book, the same way my magazine articles that appear in an author's bibliography or in a reference section in a library or on fiche, give it lasting life. How wonderful to think that a fiction story receives acceptance in a university library, for its portrayal of characters that tell the story of a time of change, of upheaval for the Navajo. How fulfilling that the experience of rockhounding also gets a platform, and that the story is deemed accurate by the librarians in charge, by tribal members who have permitted me to write this with kind nodding acceptance and by those who have purchased the books and offered such wonderful feedback. So, with great joy, I report that "Beauty Way: A Novel" has been acquired thus far by the following libraries: The University of New Mexico's Zimmerman Library at the main campus in Albuquerque. The New Mexico State University Library at Las Cruces. The Central Library of Zurich, the main library of both the city of Zurich and the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Since the new listings appear to be posted on Sundays, it becomes my newest addiction, and I check the listings even before doing the Sunday Times crossword!