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The World Before This One
The author of THE ROUGH FACE GIRL creates a stunning coming-of-age novel built from a glorious Seneca Indian story cycle.
Cast out of the Seneca tribe because they are unable to help make war, Crow and his grandmother struggle to survive alone. Then Crow hears the magnificent voice of the Storytelling Stone -- an ancient rock that tells tales of the Long Ago Time, when the Sky Woman trod the Above World and a child could alter the ways of a people. As he listens to the Stone's stories, Crow comes to realize his own power to effect change and his destiny as a Seneca and a man. THE WORLD BEFORE THIS ONE laces Seneca legends with Crow's narrative to create a story about stories, how they help us live and grow.
Cast out of the Seneca tribe because they are unable to help make war, Crow and his grandmother struggle to survive alone. Then Crow hears the magnificent voice of the Storytelling Stone -- an ancient rock that tells tales of the Long Ago Time, when the Sky Woman trod the Above World and a child could alter the ways of a people. As he listens to the Stone's stories, Crow comes to realize his own power to effect change and his destiny as a Seneca and a man. THE WORLD BEFORE THIS ONE laces Seneca legends with Crow's narrative to create a story about stories, how they help us live and grow.
195 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2002
About the author
Rafe Martin
35 books42 followersRafe Martin is an award-winning author and storyteller, as well as a lay Zen teacher in the Harada-Yasutani koan line. He is founding teacher of Endless Path Zendo, Rochester, NY.
He is the recipient of the prestigious Empire State Award for the body of his work, as well as multiple American Library Association Notable Book Awards and Parent's Choice Gold Awards. He has been featured at such storytelling events as the Joseph Campbell Festival of Myth and Story, The Sierra Storytelling Festival, and the National Storytelling Festival. He is the father of two grown children and lives with his wife, Rose, in Rochester, NY.
He is the recipient of the prestigious Empire State Award for the body of his work, as well as multiple American Library Association Notable Book Awards and Parent's Choice Gold Awards. He has been featured at such storytelling events as the Joseph Campbell Festival of Myth and Story, The Sierra Storytelling Festival, and the National Storytelling Festival. He is the father of two grown children and lives with his wife, Rose, in Rochester, NY.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 25, 2019
I first bought this in 2014, when an artsy student of mine showed me artwork by the artist who illustrated the book. But by the time I got it, I was so busy I put it on a shelf and forgot about it. Recently, I was looking for an illustrated book, as well as one I haven't read yet, and I came across this one and decided to give it a go. It took me awhile to get used to the cadence of the story and to form a connection with the characters, but the illustrations were beautiful and kept me going. And then something shifted when Grandfather Boulder was introduced and suddenly I couldn't put it down. I can just picture and hear a Seneca grandfather telling this story. It really is quite a beautiful story that reminds me of what should be important in life and how we should respect and care for Mother Earth. It reminds us of the power of stories and how they can change the world. I'm sorry it took me so long to read this, but I'm glad I did!
February 9, 2011
This is a story of a Seneca boy, Crow, who lives with his grandmother outside of their village during wartime. The boy spends his time hunting for food. One day he encounters a mysterious, speaking boulder. The stone starts to tell stories from the past. Crow listens to the creation of the world, the legends about the wisdoms of life and the basic rules of existence in harmony with nature and people. This experience changes the boy’s life. The talking boulder passes all his knowledge and memories onto the boy. The young Seneca receives the gift of language. Crow returns to the village and becomes world’s most famous storyteller.
I fully enjoyed reading this book. The author of the book, Rafe Martin, tells the fictional story which incorporates the forgotten art of storytelling. The reader is exposed to ancient Seneca legends and myths. The introduction written by Peter Jamison, a Seneca Elder, prepares the reader for the time travel and explains the storytelling tradition among the Native American tribes. While reading this book I enjoyed the beautiful illustrations of cut-paper sculptures by Calvin Nichols. They ignited my imagination and enhanced my reading experience. The book introduced me to the fascinating Native American legends and myths. As an adult, I find this book very interesting and I believe that middle school readers would enjoy as well.
I fully enjoyed reading this book. The author of the book, Rafe Martin, tells the fictional story which incorporates the forgotten art of storytelling. The reader is exposed to ancient Seneca legends and myths. The introduction written by Peter Jamison, a Seneca Elder, prepares the reader for the time travel and explains the storytelling tradition among the Native American tribes. While reading this book I enjoyed the beautiful illustrations of cut-paper sculptures by Calvin Nichols. They ignited my imagination and enhanced my reading experience. The book introduced me to the fascinating Native American legends and myths. As an adult, I find this book very interesting and I believe that middle school readers would enjoy as well.
July 22, 2015
Crow is a young man who lives with his aging Grandmother. Their family, once a tightly-knit, thriving unit, has fallen apart in recent months, and now the two struggle to survive together. Quietly shunned by the other people of their tribe, they retreat to the outskirts of the village, outside the safety and security of the cluster of longhouses. As Crow grows and becomes stronger, his Grandmother tells him that it is now time for him to learn to hunt and to become a man. Crow begins hunting birds in the nearby woods, and quickly develops a sharp eye and quick arm. On one of his hunting forays, Crow discovers a boulder that speaks to him, and begins to share with him stories from the beginning of all knowledge, from the world before the present. As Crow listens, he is enraptured by the tales, and soon discovers that these stories are changing his deepest, inner self. Crow takes the stories back to his people, and they begin to change the life of the tribe as well. Crow and his grandmother quickly become cast out no longer, and find happiness with their people once again.
In this novel formed from ancient Seneca legends, Rafe Martin constructs a touching coming-of-age story filled with beauty and respect for the wisdom of the past. Crow’s troubles, while superficially uncommon in the lives of everyday teens, speak to deeper themes of survival and heartache. Crow and his grandmother are simply trying to find their places among humankind, a concept that resonates in the hearts of most people in the modern world.
This book is recommended.
May 27, 2013
A story about stories. I picked this up for a dollar at half price books and decided to read it right away. It was an enjoyable read and introduction to Seneca folklore and mythology. If you like Native American folklore and mythology, or just folktales in general, you will enjoy this one. Using a story of a boy and his grandmother struggling to survive and find their way back into the good grace of the village as a way to introduce and weave traditional Seneca stories was both creative and well done.
September 9, 2018
Storyteller Rafe Martin has written a book about storytelling and stories derived from the traditional stories of the Seneca people. The central story about the storytelling stone serves as the frame in which to share numerous other stories. As outcast young Crown (Gaqka) becomes his people's first storyteller, the importance of listening and building bridges through stories are emphasized.
Book Pairings:
Grace Lin's three children's novels starting with Where the Mountain Meets the Moon follows a similar format of an over-arching story with original Asian folk tale inspired stories told throughout is a great children's book pairing for lovers of the format and folk tales.
Louis Erdrich's children's book series starting with The Birchbark House includes some storytelling along with daily life of an Ojibwe family in Wisconsin, inspired by her own genealogy.
A Crack in the Sea by H.M. Bouman is a fantasy story that incorporates storytelling and history that will appeal to those you are intrigued by those aspects of the story.
Book Pairings:
Grace Lin's three children's novels starting with Where the Mountain Meets the Moon follows a similar format of an over-arching story with original Asian folk tale inspired stories told throughout is a great children's book pairing for lovers of the format and folk tales.
Louis Erdrich's children's book series starting with The Birchbark House includes some storytelling along with daily life of an Ojibwe family in Wisconsin, inspired by her own genealogy.
A Crack in the Sea by H.M. Bouman is a fantasy story that incorporates storytelling and history that will appeal to those you are intrigued by those aspects of the story.
May 22, 2020
I bought this for the paper sculpture illustrations of the great Calvin Nicholls. They are printed in the same stock as the book, a paperback with pale beige, almost like newspaper pages. They are beautiful, but I knew he had originally done them in pure white, as he does the majority of his work. I bought it when I was teaching, hoping to share the stories with some of my older students. The book was set aside, and now I finally set down to discover the stories, unveiled in novel form that Rafe Martin has designed using legends of the Seneca people. The tales, of creation, of wonders, hopes and dreams are revealed to Crow, a young boy, who with his grandmother are outcasts of the tribe. As he is told these myths, he is given the power, the mystery of the prophet, the storyteller. What is revealed and the plot of the book, like the illustrations, is for you to discover, those voices from long ago, still holy and hopeful today. And yes, the book, after almost 2 decades, is coming out in white stock and hardcover.
September 11, 2023
I genuinely loved this book and wished it kept going. I love the idea of telling a story within a story and the author did an absolutely fantastic job! It’s very rare for me to come across a book where every time I picked it up, I was excited to see what the next chapter would hold and, honestly, I wish I could read this new a thousand times over! It’s just the right kind of book that bring you into a warm hug and each chapter makes you feel fulfilled. You’re never left at a cliffhanger, but you’re still left wanting more!
I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who’s interested in Native American stories, legends, lore, folklore, and anything related to it! I honestly think I would read this to my kids when I’m older!
I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who’s interested in Native American stories, legends, lore, folklore, and anything related to it! I honestly think I would read this to my kids when I’m older!
April 5, 2021
This one was kind of a slog. I’ve really enjoyed Rafe Martin’s other (albeit, shorter) books so I bought this so I could see what else he has written. I think I would have preferred to have read the stories individually rather than have them linked together like they were here. I think hearing them told would been even better too.
July 30, 2016
Thrift store find; wouldn't have read it otherwise as not interested in mythology and burnt out on historical fiction. But I do like Martin's The Rough-Face Girl.
Well. Glad I read this. The boy listening to the old stories comes alive. He laughs, fibs, asks questions when the stories told by the rock don't make sense, forgets to ask his grandmother for her stories... he's not a young warrior, noble savage type. In fact, none of the characters are. And the stories are interesting.
Personally, 3.5 stars, but rounded up because I think other people would like this more, and the cut-paper pictures are impressive, too. Introduction and note are persuasive that this is True to Seneca history.
Well. Glad I read this. The boy listening to the old stories comes alive. He laughs, fibs, asks questions when the stories told by the rock don't make sense, forgets to ask his grandmother for her stories... he's not a young warrior, noble savage type. In fact, none of the characters are. And the stories are interesting.
Personally, 3.5 stars, but rounded up because I think other people would like this more, and the cut-paper pictures are impressive, too. Introduction and note are persuasive that this is True to Seneca history.
October 5, 2016
I have met Rafe on two occasions. The first time he told the story of The Rough Face Girl; he is a wonderful storyteller both live and in books. The second time I met him I got this book. This is his first novel, which combines the story of a Seneca boy, Crow, with Long Ago Time tales told by the Storytelling Stone to the boy. The boy learns the stories and is given the task of repeating the tales to his people. The novel is told beautifully and has gorgeous cut paper sculpture illustrations intertwined with the story.
August 27, 2009
Oh just brilliant. I loved the framework of the Gaqka and the Talking Stone story for all the better-known Seneca stories, and how the context gave new meaning to the old stories. Mad props to Rafe Martin for making a Stone such an awesome character...and to the illustrator for the raddest paper sculptures ever to grace a juvenile lit book.
November 18, 2011
A very interesting book- it gives a lot of philosophical views of life and is a bit like a native american tale- but it still has problems in it as all books do. When I finished it, I looked at the world in an entirely different way. This book is a need-to-read for everybody.
August 10, 2015
What a fun book. So many good reminders, in particular... to treat others the way you yourself would want to be treated. I plan on getting this as a harbound book for the shelf. This one is worthy of reading again and again over time.
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March 18, 2008JF Mar
October 8, 2008
i've always enjoyed native american stories... they believe in the world around us...
October 13, 2008
It was great...... about trust and faith and all, but one part was left unanswered.
June 29, 2010
I love this book. My favorite part was when the rock told the stories. It taught me to see things differently. To imagine the creation of things in a different ways.
November 26, 2010
stories of the Seneca people, beautifully written, in the storytelling style. intro written by a Seneca elder. coming of age story while telling the legends of the people
July 23, 2017
This YA novel was a pleasure both for the mythology and the beautiful paper sculpture illustrations. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Native cultures.
September 15, 2012
I enjoyed this book. I'm not even sure where I got it from, but the story was fun to read and the imagery was very vivid to me.
June 6, 2014
I reccomend this book because it well make you change the the way you see the world from before and after you read the book I guarantee.
February 2, 2019
I consider this my introduction to the Senecas. Unfortunately, I don't remember much about the book, except that I decided my niece wouldn't enjoy it. I need to read it again.
January 2, 2016
A coming of age story that weaves together several Seneca stories.
Want to read
December 19, 2009The World Before This One by Rafe Martin (2002)
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews