Winona's Web: A Novel of Discovery

Excellent Reading!!! I laughed, I cried , - I read the book in 48 hours. I couldn't put it down. This book opened my mind to ideas I already knew existed but had never felt in my heart. The emotion was to real - and very fulfiling.

This is a very well written and insightful book. I found myself learning from Winona right along with Dr. Meggie O''Connor. Winona has something to teach all of us if we open our minds and listen.

I was given this book with the apologies that it opened with a bang but lacked alot in between. What I found though was quite the opposite. I drank in Winona's teachings, recognizing immediately how Priscilla Cogan has taken from her own practice and given to readers a glimpse into those special relationships that exist between therapist and client. All too often, persons in the helping profession believe that they have the ultimate knowledge. It is their loss when they fail to recognize the wisdom that their clients bring with them. What a mutual journey these settings provide and Pricilla Cogan has revealed that she is open to this exchange. Eloquently written with sensitive and appropriate quotations, this novel remains vivid in my mind, much like a good piece of chocolate. I have passed this title on to other helping individuals.

I heard about Winona's Web from my neighbor Gail Korhonen whose book club thoroughly enjoyed it and so I thank Gail for lending me her copy. Suttons Bay,Michigan is a beautiful & familiar place, so I felt right at home with the characters. The story is about a psychologist who has an elderly patient by the name of Winona Pathfinder who is Lakota. Winona is not very interested in being psychoanalyzed and she becomes the therapist & no matter how much the psychologist tries to be scientific & business-like, Winona always has the patience to be both teacher & guide. The story is about death & life. The plot thoughtfully & successfully pits American Indian spirituality & tradition against science. Everything about this story is respectful to the American Indian people & our culture. It is the first book of fiction I have ever read by an Anglo that did not romanticize or dramatize or trivialize Indian people & our heritage and traditions. I was pleasantly surprised by the clever ways that Phyllis Cogan addressed important social & political issues that American Indian people deal with & frequently found myself rereading specific passages with appreciation for the sensitivity and knowledge. I like the people in this book & recognize them among my own friends. These characters are well developed. When I reached the last sentence in the book I was both satisfied & sad because I wanted to continue to travel with them on their journeys. All I could think about was a sequal.

Having just finished this book, I feel compelled to urge others to pick it up. Through a psychotherapist's sessions with Winona, an aging Lakota woman, the author shares the rebirth of Meggie O'Connor, the therapist, and gives us hope that there can be a better life for those who want it. The writing is funny and light-hearted at times, never forcing ideas, just placing them gently for the taking. The author presents ideas of the Lakota, through Winona, then by allowing Meggie to stuggle with their meaning and interpretation, allows the reader to make these ideas her own. I've already recommended this to many people, and plan to reread it myself as the need arises - anytime the rush of the modern world overtakes the beauty and awe of the Grandmother