"Hogan’s created empathy. She carves a vast tragedy down to a size and shape that will fit into a human heart." —Barbara Kingsolver, Los Angeles Times

“A twisty exploration of not only the darkest parts of the human heart, but also the havoc wreaked by corrupt men and a corrupt nation. Tackling the issue of displacement with precision and insight, Hogan’s storytelling is remarkable, powerful, and essentially human.” —Cady Lang, Time

“The strong, vibrant heart of a people betrayed beats throughout Linda Hogan's magical, brooding and richly textured novel. Mean Spirit is about the cultural disintegration of the Osage Indian tribe as the white world intrudes… Powerful.” —Chris Patsilelis, The Washington Post

"Mean Spirit is a story rooted both in truth and mystery, and Linda Hogan has written it beautifully.” —Louise Erdrich, author of The Night Watchman

"This is a powerful, beautiful book. Linda Hogan gives us a true and vivid look at part of a great American tragedy. I wish everyone would read Mean Spirit and begin to understand." —Tony Hillerman, author of the Leaphorn and Chee series

"Linda Hogan's Mean Spirit is a marvel. It is interesting to see how gracefully she, like a number of Native American poets—Momaday, Erdrich, Welch, Silko—has made a very natural move from poetry to the novel. The prose in Mean Spirit is exquisite, the narrative fine, if enraging. This is certainly an auspicious debut." —Jim Harrison, author of The Big Seven

"Mean Spirit is a beautiful and elegiac story, a true American Tragedy, a paradise lost. I loved it, even while it broke my heart." —William Kittredge, author of The Willow Field