Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Edward Curtis's Photography Techniques and the Preservation of a Way of Life and our BookBrowse Review of Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Edward Curtis used a painstaking process to create his photographs, bringing heavy glassnegatives to even the roughest terrain and hand coloring many of his prints. What do histechniques say about his approach to humanity and to art? What would he think of our digitalcameras and desire to instantly share snapshots with the world?
2. How did Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher change your understanding of Native American history? Did you have a particularly compelling moment, as J. P. Morgan did upon seeing Mosa— Mohave, in which you saw America's past in a different way?
3. Curtis made a fortune from his studio, but his commitment to the North American Indian project made him destitute. What intangible rewards was he gaining from the project? Is there a cause that you would be willing to support full-time without a salary?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Mariner Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.