“Ghost of Milagro Creek shimmers with the light and landscape of New Mexico, and sparkles with the uniquely bleak, dark humor that has allowed generations of Native Americans to survive the worst kind of well-intentioned ethnocide by the U.S. government. The multifaceted narrative moves forward and backward in time until a picture emerges . . . of a small community whose broken world might finally have a chance at healing, if they can reclaim their once powerful medicine, hidden in plain sight.” —The Atlanta Journal Constitution

“Though the moment on which The Ghost of Milagro Creek turns happens fairly early on, we'd rather not spoil it, mostly because Sumner so immediately brings her characters to life that when it happens, it's devastating . . . [Ghost of Milagro Creek] simmers with metaphysical tension.” —Time Out Chicago

“Melanie Sumner creates a brand-new kind of ugly American: Darren, a spoiled, drunken, horny brat from Tennessee who joins the Peace Corps because she can't think of anything better to do . . . Sumner's brilliant storytelling makes you wish you could reach out and slap Darren on every page. Sumner writes so incisively that you'll be sure Polite Society is autobiographical . . . A [rating.]” —Entertainment Weekly