Lone Dog Road
A tale of compassion and redemption from an award-winning author whose writing Louise Erdrich has praised as "storytelling with a greatness of heart. During the drought-stricken summer of 1950, two Lakota boys, ages eleven and six, huddle in a boxcar hurtling through the prairie night as they run from a government agent sent to take the younger boy to an Indian boarding school. But what begins as a pursuit soon becomes a complex drama of intersecting lives as the boys make their way across the vast Dakota plains to the pipestone quarries of western Minnesota to replace their great-grandfather's channunpa, or sacred pipe, that was broken by the agent.
Fellow Minnesota author William Kent Krueger calls the book "breathtaking in its beauty, and heartwarming in its humanity.
Neither Wolf Nor Dog
Against an unflinching backdrop of 1990s reservation life and the majestic spaces of the western Dakotas, Neither Wolf nor Dog tells the story of two men, one white and one Indian, locked in their own understandings yet struggling to find a common voice. In this award-winning book, acclaimed author Kent Nerburn draws us deep into the world of a Native American elder named Dan, who leads Kent through Indian towns and down forgotten roads that swirl with the memories of the Ghost Dance and Sitting Bull. Along the way we meet a vivid cast of characters.
"I expected to find Black Elk between these covers. What I found instead was more modern, more alive, and every bit as poignant and moving." – NAPRA Review
The Wolf at Twilight
The long awaited follow-up to Neither Wolf nor Dog. A note is left on a car windshield, an old dog dies, and Kent Nerburn finds himself back on the Lakota reservation where he traveled more than a decade before with a tribal elder named Dan. A touching, funny, and haunting journey begins.
"After my prison cell began to cool from the day's heat, I opened Kent Nerburn's creative and compassionate book, which I found humorous, hilarious, and at times very sad. Thank you, Kent, for a good book to read. Doksha." – Leonard Peltier, author, artist, and activist
The Girl Who Sang to the Buffalo
A haunting dream that will not relent pulls author Kent Nerburn back into the hidden world of Native America, where dreams have meaning, animals are teachers, and the old ones" still have powers beyond our understanding. In this moving narrative, we travel through the lands of the Lakota and the Ojibwe, where we encounter a strange little girl with an unnerving connection to the past, a forgotten asylum that history has tried to hideA haunting dream that will not relent pulls author Kent Nerburn back into the hidden world of Native America, where dreams have meaning, animals are teachers, and the old ones" still have powers beyond our understanding. In this moving narrative, we travel through the lands of the Lakota and the Ojibwe, where we encounter a strange little girl with an unnerving connection to the past, a forgotten asylum that history has tried to hide.
"Nerburn's ambitious, satisfying new book — the third in the "Neither Wolf Nor Dog" trilogy — is a nonlinear journey on many levels. It is the story of a search to understand what happened to a young Dakota girl named Yellow Bird who was sent to an insane asylum for Indians many decades ago, and it is also a trip back through centuries of painful American Indian history." – Chuck Leddy, StarTribune
Dancing with the Gods (also available in paperback as The Artist's Journey)
Written as a gift to aspiring artists in all disciplines, Dancing with the Gods takes readers inside the creative process for a glimpse into the hidden joys and unseen challenges of a life in the arts. From struggles with money and the bitterness of rejection, to spiritual questions of inspiration and authenticity, Dancing With the Gods offers insight, solace and courage to help young artists on the winding road to artistic fulfilment. A contemporary companion to Rilke's famous "Letters to a Young Poet."
"With his usual mix of ideas, personal stories, and deep philosophical analysis, Nerburn displays his enthusiasm for the arts, imagination, and creativity in every section of the book. Many times — and we predict you will have this experience too — we felt he was speaking directly to our situation. We have had to make crossroads decisions about what is ours to do; we have suffered the yearly angst over budget deficits and fundraising appeals to make the case for our ministry in the arts and media. And yet, like Nerburn, we have rejoiced in the freedom, the fulfillment, and the joy of a life in the arts." Book Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Native Echoes
From the vast grandeur of the Great Plains to the dark solitude of the northern woods, from the fierce intensity of a summer storm to the quiet redemption of a perfect blanket of snow, Kent Nerburn's new book, Native Echoes, pays homage to the power of the land to shape our hearts and spirits.
"Native Echoes is a rare work, at once stark and poetic, that acknowledges both Native American traditions and the insights of our western way of thinking and believing. NAPRA review calls it a "beautiful book that will touch not only those who find Spirit in Native American paths, but anyone who has felt the presence of something powerful beyond the known."
Voices in the Stones
A sketchbook of reflections and life experiences that reveal the beauty and insight of the Native way of understanding life and the world around us.
"Confronting events at Standing Rock—either through news reports and social media or a personal visit—is a dive into very deep waters of Indian culture. In this new book, Nerburn once again takes on his beloved role as a non-Indian traveler on our behalf—a guide to the expansive shape of this cultural realm." – David Crumm, ReadTheSpirit Editor
Letters to My Son
At once spiritual and practical, Letters to My Son has been beloved by readers from all walks of life, including single mothers seeking guidance in raising a son, fathers looking to share a voice of clarity about life's most important issues, and young men wanting an intelligent, sensitive, and streetwise companion on the journey toward a worthy manhood.
"Nerburn…bequeaths a legacy about marriage, fatherhood, infidelity, wanderlust, war, work, aging, and death." – Publishers Weekly
Chief Joseph and the Flight of the Nez Perce
Hidden in the shadow cast by the great western expeditions of Lewis and Clark lies another journey every bit as poignant, every bit as dramatic, and every bit as essential to an understanding of who we are as a nation -- the 1,800-mile journey made by Chief Joseph and eight hundred Nez Perce men, women, and children from their homelands in what is now eastern Oregon through the most difficult, mountainous country in western America to the high, wintry plains of Montana. There, only forty miles from the Canadian border and freedom, Chief Joseph, convinced that the wounded and elders could go no farther, walked across the snowy battlefield, handed his rifle to the U.S. military commander who had been pursuing them, and spoke his now-famous words, "From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."
"A remarkable job of research…a poignant, touching tale." – Howard Zinn, author ( A People's History of the United States)"
Small Graces
Embark with the author on a personal journey that reveals the sacredness of the small things in life and what they can teach us about living spiritually fulfilling lives.
"Through this poetic and eye-opening collection of brief essays, we are touched by the beauty, the grandeur, and the meaning in ordinary moments and experiences." – Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat (Spirituality and Practice Magazine)
Simple Truths
Clear and Gentle Guidance on the Big Issues
This profound book is deeply informed by the spiritual traditions of the West, the Far East, and the Native Americans with whom the author has worked. It is a small treasure of wisdom about life's deepest issues.
"Seldom does a book come along that speaks to the core issues in life with the clarity and wisdom of Simple Truths." – Bookpage.com
Forgiveness: Reflections on Life's Hardest Road
There is a dilemma that faces us all when we walk the complex and difficult path of life. Everywhere we look, the world seems awash in unspeakable cruelties. The list is endless, and, with every revelation, the caring heart breaks a little more. What are we to do? How do we deal with cruelty and evil in this world when we are taught to turn the other cheek and to forgive not seven times, but seventy times seven? How do we acknowledge the darkness of life without becoming ensnared in it?
This is not a how-to book of spiritual advancement, nor a book of easy answers to hard questions. Forgiveness is the journey of an ordinary man through the ordinary landscape of everyday life, trying to understand how the elusive angels of compassion and understanding can stand strong against the demons of cruelty, anger, and injustice.
"…Kent Nerburn walks me through the ordinary days of a normal life and shows me how to tuck forgiveness into every task, errand, and event… a supremely practical and deeply healing book." – Hugh Prather, author (Notes To Myself and The Little book of Letting Go)
The Wisdom of the Native Americans
Including The Soul of an Indian and Other Writings of Ohiyesa and the Great Speeches of Red Jacket, Chief Joseph, and Chief Seattle
These thought-provoking teachings from respected Native American leaders and thinkers provide a connection with the land, the environment, and the simple beauties of life.
"A beautiful and exciting work." – Louise Erdrich, author (Love Medicine & A Plague of Doves)
Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace
Be immersed in the spirit of one of the most universally inspiring figures in history: St. Francis of Assisi. The Prayer of St. Francis boldly but gently challenges us to resist the forces of evil and negativity with the spirit of goodwill and generosity.
"This book is a pearl of great price, revealing how the most potent, authentic prayer is also tender and very human. Kent Nerburn…has given us a blessing to be cherished again and again." – Wayne Muller, author(Legacy of the Heart and How, Then, Shall We Live?)