Fast Cars and Frybread: Reports from the Rez Book

Cultural Writing. Essays. Native American Studies. As Gordon Johnson states in his introduction, "There was a time when time wasn't so insistent. It moved slower, held less sway. That was Indian time." He wants his children and grandchildren to know what "rez life" was like before cable TV, cell phones, and laptop computers. Before the advent of casinos. In lyrical, straightforward prose, Johnson's essays illuminate this life: fiestas with frybread and beans, snow cones, dogfights, rock and roll, sweat lodges, funerals and the dangers of "commod bod" (obesity caused by eating government surplus food). From the game of peon to reminiscences about grandparents, Johnson captures the spirit of reservation life with the skill of a modern journalist and the sensitivity of one who has lived on Indian time.