Navajos Wear Nikes: A Reservation Life

Jim Kristofic's childhood may not have been easy, but it was an adventure very few children get to experience. I found myself eager to sit down and read, so I could find out what happened to the young 'bilagaana bilasaana' next. Sometimes, I wanted to give this brave young misfit a hug. At other times, his descriptions of characters he encountered and some of the incredulous situations he faced had me laughing out loud. I felt transported back to being a kid again, only a kid with a childhood far more colorful than the one I knew. I was glad I could be a part of his.

Jim Kristofic takes you on a journey of transformation--from the Anglo 2nd grader who doesn't have a clue how to fit in on the Rez to the young man who has adapted so well, he's invited to participate in a friend's "Blessing Way Ceremony" as if he were family. Every misstep along the way brings a new lesson in life on the Rez. And when his awkward piece finally fits the puzzle, you want to cheer for this brave kid who kept on keeping on. When he leaves the Reservation for college, he has to adjust again, but gives us a rare glimpse of how our values look through Navajo eyes.

I also enjoyed learning about Navajo culture and customs, it was an educational experience as well as a fun read. I'd definitely recommend this one.

This is not one of my "Amazon Vine" selections. Rather, it was purchased by my husband Ray a couple of months ago, but since I'm the "reviewer" in the family, I decided to go ahead and share our joint reflections.

We are very familiar with the locale and the context, since we both taught at Navajo Community College (Now Dine College)from 1974 - 1978. Four of our five children went to school in Chinle, Many Farms, or Tsaile, and our eldest and second daughters married Navajo brothers, so five of our grandchildren are members of the Navajo Nation. Our middle daughter and her husband both teach at Chinle Junior High. We typically visit the Rez at least once a year, though we currently reside in Georgia.

We both found Jim Kristofic's story lively and entertaining. Ray considered it an exceptionally fine narrative of a boy's experiences in growing up in the cross-cultural milieu of the present-day Navajo Reservation. I had a few issues with the language, both the Navajo and the English usage. But since neither of my Navajo grandsons were actually brought up on the Rez or attended school there, I really have no way of checking my impressions. In any event, though, I have no reason to doubt the honesty of the author. Certainly his perspective is his own, and he tells his story with verve and vividness. For anyone familiar with the culture, the book rings true, and for anyone who is not, it should prove enlightening.

I just finished NAVAJOS WEAR NIKES and I have the urge to start it again, it was that good. You know a book is something special when you think about getting back to reading the next chapter during most of your busy day, and when you stay up late into the night to read just one more word. Kristofic takes you into a world that feels unvarnished. He's an outsider, a newcomer to the reservation as a young child, as are we who know nothing of this world. With the author, we are initiated into the foreign and the familiar. We wince with the pain of brutality, ache with his sorrows, and always throughout it all there is laughter. As we laugh at the narrator's keen observations and at the original pranks that only kids on the reservation could possibly think of, we feel ourselves starting to fit in and understand.

Kristofic is a wise and witty narrator and I recommend this amazing memoir to anyone who is looking for a great read, for entertainment, and for words that will take them where they have never gone before. Truly an outstanding experience!

I read this book in three days while on vacation,having saved it for that occasion, and it called me back quickly every time I had to put it down. Having had some previous knowledge of Navajo culture from other books I've read, I was really looking forward to Mr. Kristofic's life growing up on the Rez. I felt like I had been invited into the heart of someone very special, and allowed to experience his growing up years in a very intimate way. His love and respect for The People shine through every passage, and he illuminates alot of the Navajo beliefs and customs that I had just touched on before. All the terms and explanations in the back of the book, along with historical references, helped my understanding, also. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and maybe enjoy may not be the right word, because this very touching book will always stay with you - you will not forget the lessons that Jim learned with his many friends and relatives. The hawk, the football teams, the Rez dogs, his new brother and sister, Nolan, the Sacred Mountains, and Jim, himself, will find a place in your heart. I highly recommend this book, and hope that someday Jim might write another book about the Dine' and their proud and resiliant spirit. Thank you, Jim.

This book should be on the reading list of all middle school/high school aged children. It is a very good example of learning how to "fit in" in an unfamiliar culture when you,the reader, is in the minority. It also does an outstanding job of demonstrating how living in a different culture can broaden a person's understanding of others as well of themselves. In the end, we are not all that much different from one another.

This book could be a great discussion generator in classes, a spring board to learning how to stretch oneself and become more tolerant of those who are different. In the end, one can be greatly, pleasantly surprised with the positives of being exposed to/immersed in a different culture.

I currently live on the Navajo reservation and found this book to be a nice personal essay. It's a cute book, but probably best read by junior high students.

Since I have worked helping poor Navajos with home repairs and other things on the Navajo reservation I loved this book. It gave me new insights into the culture. In retirement my husband and I intend to continue with our work on the reservation so it helps to understand more about the people. And I absolutely loved the translation Dictionary at the end! I have shared this with my book club and it is our selection for January 2019.

This is a great book. The Navajo are an amazing people, and outsiders rarely get a glimpse of the reality of life on the Rez. This tells it like it really is. Kudos.

An utterly fantastic read, one which I couldn't put down. Kristofic's skill with verbal imagery makes every minute of reading this book both enjoyable and educational. I literally could not recommend this book highly enough.

We ordered this book for our high school students who will be going to work with teens on the Navajo Reservation this spring. We, teachers and students alike, have been enjoying the way Jim Kristofic has sequenced his stories to show what he faced when he arrived on the Rez and what it took for him to become accepted and assimilated to the Navajo culture. We have learned valuable things that will help us make sense of our coming experiences.