The Foundered Mule is a semi-fictitous story
about a young Native Americans journey from the reservation, to boarding
school, to enlisting in the military and serving in combat operations
in the asian theatre of WWII, back to society, then finally back home to the reservation.
The book was authored by Floyd "Buddy" Lewis, himself a WWII veteran. This is the first book by Floyd and was picked up in a deal with Acacia Publishing in Phoenix Arizona.
Victor "Bright Eyes" experiences are similar to countless Native American
veterans as he struggles to deal with the horrors of
battle and find his way back home to his reservation. It is a story of
tribulation and triumph of the human spirit, and will serve as an inspiration
for anyone who reads it.
Mr. Lewis' own experiences in the war give the book a realism and a perspective which offer the reader a glimpse into the mind of a veteran that is unique and powerful. As a relative of Ira Hayes (one of the Marines who appeared in the most famous photo ever), Mr. Lewis was one of the sources for history in the book
Flags Of Our Fathers.
The Foundered Mule features artwork by Tim Terry Jr., a well known O'odham artist from the
same reservation as "Buddy". Tim and "Buddy" met rez style through a mutual relative
and Tim was honored to be commissioned to do the illustrations for the book. After reading
each chapter Tim would do an illustration, the sum of which were used to complete a calendar
stick which is the tool that the Akimel O'odham used traditionally to keep a record of
their history. One can imagine using the calendar stick to go through each chapter of the book and recounting the highlights.
Tim and "Buddy" were both born and raised on the Gila River Indian Reservation near Phoenix Arizona. Their tribe is commonly referred to as the Pima indians. The actual name of their tribe is the Akimel O'odham which translates to "River People". The Gila River, which dried up due to a dam, was the original source of life and vitality to the residents of the area for thousands of years.