Betty Louise Bell facts for kids
Betty Louise Bell (born November 23, 1949) is an American author and teacher. She is a scholar and writer who has Cherokee family roots. She earned her PhD degree in 1985 from Ohio State University.
Her Books
In 1994, Betty Louise Bell published a novel called Faces in the Moon. This book tells the story of a young "mixed-blood Cherokee" girl named Lucie. Lucie doesn't fit into old ideas about Native Americans in the United States. Instead, she finds her own unique identity. The book explores how Lucie sees modern stereotypes, like ideas about poverty, and how her white friends ask her, "What's it like being Indian?" The story helps readers understand how people find who they are, even when facing different ideas about their background.
Her Teaching Career
Betty Louise Bell used to be the director of the Native American Studies Program at the University of Michigan. She was also a professor there, teaching American culture, English, and Women's Studies.
Her main areas of study include:
- Native American literature
- Women's Studies
- American literature from the 1800s
- Creative writing
Bell has also written many articles about Native American literature. These articles often focus on how Native American identity is shaped by both politics and personal experiences.
Important Publications
Here are some of the important books she has worked on:
- A Red Girl's Reasoning: Native American Women Writers and the Twentieth Century
- Reading Red: Feminism in Native America (She was the editor for this book)
- Norton Anthology of Native America Literatures (She helped edit this large collection)
