Place plays an important part in the literary scope of the authors represented in this anthology. Contained in this volume is a collection of poetry and prose pieces by contemporary Native American writers of the Pacific Northwest.

Native American literature has been stereotyped as being primitive, naive and exotic. The theme of " The Vanishing American" is the typical literary description given to Native American works. It is the purpose of this volume to deconstruct such myths that have been imposed by outsiders. The pieces challenge the social, political and mores of American society.

The majority of this text contained poetry. I assumed through the title that there was an equitable mix of both but that wan't the case. I found the title misleading and wished there were more prose pieces. For those interested in Native American Poetry for study, particularly of the Northwest, this is an excellent text and I recommend it. For those of us who are more interested in prose, I would say find another anthology specializing in the region with prose writers. In any case this work will open your eyes in looking at Native American writing, in particular poetry, from a contemporary perspective.