For Native American heritage month, I want to read some books that really get into their culture so I can educate myself more. Specifically I’m looking for a book that’s about growing up on a reservation and what life is like there in more recent and modern times. Any suggestions? They can be non-fiction or fiction. Thanks!
by ElectricalTrip7430
14 Comments
The Wind is My Mother is a great one. Not completely modern, but I always have to recommend it.
Id recommend the tv series Reservation Dogs, it’s on Hulu in the United States. Or the movie Smoke Signals.
I’ve never read any of her books personally, but Louise Erdrich has written many well liked novels taking place on reservations.
This is outside of your request, because it does not take place on a reservation, but Tommy Orange’s There There follow the lives of 12 Native Americans in contemporary Oakland. It focuses on Native Americans who live in urban settings, rather than reservations. But it is a brilliant and heartfelt exploration of many questions about Native American identity in the 21st century, and he’s a very good writer, so I think that is an equally worthwhile project if you are looking for books that get into the culture. I’m in the middle of his follow up novel, Wandering Stars.
Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty!
“How do the living come back to life? Set in a Native community in Maine, Night of the Living Rez is a riveting debut collection about what it means to be Penobscot in the twenty-first century and what it means to live, to survive, and to persevere after tragedy. In twelve striking, luminescent stories, author Morgan Talty-with searing humor, abiding compassion, and deep insight-breathes life into tales of family and community bonds as they struggle with a painful past and an uncertain future. A boy unearths a jar that holds an old curse, which sets into motion his family’s unraveling; a man, while trying to swindle some pot from a dealer, discovers a friend passed out in the woods, his hair frozen into the snow; a grandmother suffering from Alzheimer’s projects the past onto her grandson, and thinks he is her dead brother come back to life; and two friends, inspired by Antiques Roadshow, attempt to rob the tribal museum for valuable root clubs. In a collection that examines the consequences and merits of inheritance, Night of the Living Rez is an unforgettable portrayal of a Native community and marks the arrival of a standout talent in contemporary fiction.”
Tommy Orange’s books are super approachable and discuss modern stories and history.
I also highly recommend Thomas King’s Green Grass, Running Water or Indians on Vacation.
LaRose by Louise Erdich is set post 9/11
Another vote for Tommy Orange and Louise Erdrich. *Heart Berries* is an incredible memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot, a First Nations Canadian writer.
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie? It’s young adult but about growing up on a reservation.
We Survived the Night, Julian Brave Noisecat. This memoir just came out. It explores being raised by a non-native mom, connecting with his Native relatives on 2 reserves in Canada, his relationship with his Native dad (he uses Salish coyote stories in a brilliant way to explore this relatioship), being part of the urban Indian scene in Oakland (most Natives do not live on reservaions). He also examines how several tribes fought for Federal recognition and their struggles, so you’ll learn about why that’s important. Highly recommend this book.
Also, try Sherman Alexi’s books for more of a reseration-based experience.
I also love Linda Hogan’s writing. She’s a poet and her fiction is fantastic.
Perma Red or The Lost Journals of Sacajewea, Debra Magpie Earling.
Ceremony is a novel by Leslie Marmon Silko, not about growing up on a reservation but deals with issues of having native ancestry in the modern world. one of my favorite books.
The Round House
A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott. It’s a memoir by a Haudenosaunee writer and her childhood.