Vision Quest

Vision Quest is the story of Jared Spotted-Horse: a young man caught between two competing worlds, lost in a haze of drugs and alcohol, deprived of a heritage, and facing a bleak — and likely short — future. He is confronted by a crucial decision: will he go on feeding the evil wolf, or will he find the strength and courage to feed the good wolf? His life hangs in the balance. He must seek his answer on the rugged Tolhut Tahilee: the Rogue River, the homeland of his ancestors.

Vision Quest is a powerful novel of life and death, despair and hope. The author, a Siletz Tribal Elder, introduces us to the harsh realities of the lives of today’s Oregon Coast Native Americans. He relates the story of a man who personifies the history of his people, from the past—they were masters of their own land in those days—to the present, in a world stripped of its traditions and laws. The book begins as Jared sits in a talking circle: compelled by court order to be there, he holds the eagle feather that confers the right to speak but he believes he has nothing to say. It ends as he struggles to rebuild his life as a man and as a member of his tribe.

Vision Quest is the story of the redemptive power of going to the source.