Siobhan Senier is Associate Professor of English at the University of New Hampshire.
"In this new edition, Siobhan Senier insightfully reads Ramona in
its many modes: a vehicle to advocate for Indian rights; a
reinscription, however strategic, of the most common stereotypes of
Native peoples; a record of one activist who was wholly consumed
with 'the Indian question'; and a 'sugar-coated' narrative of the
Mission era in Alta California. Senier deftly sets the stage for
readers to grasp the myriad voices echoing in Ramona through her
appendices of contemporary works by tribal and non-tribal authors
of the time, reflecting current trends in Native American literary
studies that seek to engage indigenous perspectives. With these
materials in hand, readers are better poised than ever to
comprehend the complexity and longevity of the legend of
Ramona."--Penelope Kelsey
"Siobhan Senier's edition of Ramona finally gives this important
American novel the critical attention that it deserves. Not only
does Senier's graceful introduction situate Ramona in relation to
Jackson's own activism on behalf of American Indian peoples and to
the contentious historical climate of the late nineteenth-century,
the included appendices provide ample context for multiple
understandings of the novel and its historical moment. I could as
easily teach this edition of Ramona in an American Indian rhetoric
studies course as well as in a literature course. I am particularly
impressed by how this serious scholarly contextualization works in
relation to Senier's equally serious consideration of the 'Ramona
myth' and how that myth plays out in contemporary Californian
culture."--Malea Powell
"Siobhan Senier's invaluable new edition effectively situates
Ramona in its cultural, political, and historical contexts. The
appendices assemble a riveting collection of documents, including
texts on public opinion surrounding allotment and on women's roles
in Indian reform. Particularly valuable, the section on
contemporary Native American voices restores historically silenced
perspectives on the allotment and assimilation debates. The lucid,
thoughtful introduction and the group of images related to the
novel further enhance our ability to appreciate Jackson's classic
novel. Absorbing and challenging, Senier's edition sets the
standard."--Karen L. Kilcup
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