“The Turquoise Ledge encompasses many different narratives, including a loosely-structured account of a few years in Silko’s life spent walking in the desert, observing nature, and fuming over a neighbor she calls “machine man,” who uses heavy equipment to remove boulders from public land for use on his property. Silko also weaves in an account of her family heritage and early years in New Mexico, discussing her Laguna Pueblo, Cherokee, Mexican, and European relatives. The book is also a naturalist’s diary, as Silko describes and explains the many natural phenomena she witnesses, especially cataloging the turquoise rocks she finds that originate from a “turquoise ledge” in the ground on which her house stands.”—from a review on New West. Read the full review here.
The Turquoise Ledge is included in the 2010 Holiday Books Guide to the best of the independent Northwest.