House of Grace, House of Blood
Justice is out of the purview of poetry, unfortunately. Otherwise, the ancestors of the ninety-six Lenapes killed by rogue Pennsylvania militia men in 1782 might read this collection and find some much deserved peace. That Denise Low admits to blood ties to victims and killers alike presents a confliction she handles with finesse. The author of many books of poems and essays and other works, Low is a past Kansas Poet Laureate and founder of the creative writing program at Haskell Indian Nations University.
BLOOD DOCUMENTATION
I read the list of Gnadenhutten victims with dread.
I read the list of Pennsylvania militia with dread.Is Big Miller, my several-great grandfather, one of them?
Is he the officer commissioned for the massacre?
Are my relatives Wallace and Ross with him?Is the Gnadenhutten crime within my bloodline
as well as the fate of nameless ones who were killed,
their names lost even to the Delaware nations?
Reviewed by
Matt Sutherland
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
