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Laughing Boy · Chapter

Dedication explained

The author dedicates the book to a beautiful Native American woman whose name he has forgotten.

What happens

The author dedicates the book to a beautiful Native American woman whose name he has forgotten.

Key passages

  • Dedicated to The only beautiful squaw I have ever seen in all my life, whose name I have forgotten

    This book is dedicated to the one Native American woman I found truly beautiful, though I no longer recall her name.

    The dedication reflects a colonial gaze and the erasure of Indigenous identity.

Laughing Boy — Dedication Explained