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Title details for Tony Hillerman by James McGrath Morris - Available

Tony Hillerman

A Life

by James McGrath Morris
George Guidall
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

2022 Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award Finalist

The author of eighteen spellbinding detective novels set on the Navajo Nation, Tony Hillerman simultaneously transformed a traditional genre and unlocked the mysteries of the Navajo culture to an audience of millions. His best-selling novels added Navajo Tribal Police detectives Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee to the pantheon of American fictional detectives.

Morris offers a balanced portrait of Hillerman's personal and professional life and provides a timely appreciation of his work. In intimate detail, Morris captures the author's early years in Depression-era Oklahoma; his near-death experience in World War II; his sixty-year marriage to Marie; his family life, including six children, five of them adopted; his work in the trenches of journalism; his affliction with PTSD and its connection to his enchantment with Navajo spirituality; and his ascension as one of America's best-known writers of mysteries. Further, Morris uncovers the almost accidental invention of Hillerman's iconic detective Joe Leaphorn and the circumstances that led to the addition of Jim Chee as his partner.

Hillerman's novels were not without controversy. Morris examines the charges of cultural appropriation leveled at the author toward the end of his life. Yet, for many readers, including many Native Americans, Hillerman deserves critical acclaim for his knowledgeable and sensitive portrayal of Diné (Navajo) history, culture, and identity.

At the time of Hillerman's death, more than 20 million copies of his books were in print, and his novels inspired Robert Redford to adapt several of them to film. In weaving together all the elements of Hillerman's life, Morris drew on the untapped collection of the author's papers, extensive archival research, interviews with friends, colleagues, and family, as well as travel in the Navajo Nation. Filled with never-before-told anecdotes and fresh insights, Tony Hillerman will thrill the author's fans and awaken new interest in his life and literary legacy.

"Skillfully written, Hillerman's fans will want to give this a look."—Publishers Weekly

Short-listed for the Mystery Readers International Macavity Awards • Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award • Winner of Multiple State Awards

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 14, 2021

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781705037423
      • File size: 312335 KB
      • Duration: 10:50:41

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      August 23, 2021
      Journalist Morris (The Ambulance Drivers) takes a look at the life and art of writer Tony Hillerman (1925–2008) in this comprehensive portrait. Hillerman, who grew up in Oklahoma, wrote 18 mysteries featuring Native American leads, beginning with 1970’s The Blessing Way; the books were commercial and critical successes, yielding an Edgar Award and a designation as a Grand Master of Crime Fiction by the Mystery Writers of America. Morris offers just the right amount of detail in tracing Hillerman’s life, including his childhood, during which he and his brother were permitted to attend a Catholic School for Potawatomi girls, and his service during WWII, which resulted in his earning the Silver Star. After the war, Hillerman worked as a journalist in New Mexico, eventually trying his hand at fiction. He abandoned attempting an “American War and Peace,” and hit on a winning formula that integrated Navajo culture into his plots. Morris describes the sometimes rocky path to success; at a signing one reader told him that she couldn’t tell his leads, Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, apart. Morris also notes Hillerman’s response to criticism that his novels were marked by cultural appropriation; Hillerman accepted the complaints as “part of a larger shift regarding issues of racial and cultural identity.” Skillfully written, Hillerman’s fans will want to give this a look.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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