Sorry not a female author but I absolutely loved Grand Avenue by Greg Sarris which has some women povs in it. Also, Whereas by Layli Long Soldier is a great book of poetry by a woman.
PresidentBirb on
Stephen Graham Jones is a Native American writer and his books, the ones I’ve read, always include Native American characters and other elements. My favorite is Buffalo Hunter Hunter, which was the best horror book I read last year, and probably the best book I read that was released in 2025. The Only Good Indians is another good one.
samirawifey on
Heavy themes, but one of my fave books- My Body is a Book of Rules by Elissa Washuta. It’s a memoir that explores native identity (and identity in general) as well as mental illness. TW for discussions of sexual assault.
pbtribadisms on
A Grandmother Begins the Story by Michelle Porter
_itssamna on
There There by Tommy Orange, not a female though
RealisticDrama2106 on
Louise Erdrich is a prolific and beautiful writer
grun0258 on
Robin Wall Kimmerer is a fantastic author – not a novelist but The Serviceberry and Braiding Sweetgrass are incredible reads and/or listens
CAUnionMaid on
Louise Erdrich.
IntelligentSea2861 on
Anything by Louise Erdrich! My favorites are: The Sentence, The Mighty Red, and Future Home of the Living God
Natalie Diaz, Postcolonial Love Poem, is excellent if you like poetry
14kanthropologist on
Never Whistle at Night is an anthology of stories written by Native authors
anb77 on
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
It’s marked as YA but I finished it recently and it was excellent!
MakesBakes on
Louis Erdrich: Tracks
“Tracks is a novel by Louise Erdrich, published in 1988. It is the third in a tetralogy of novels beginning with Love Medicine that explores the interrelated lives of four Anishinaabe families living on an Indian reservation near the fictional town of Argus, North Dakota. Within the saga, Tracks is earliest chronologically, providing the back-story of several characters such as Lulu Lamartine and Marie Kashpaw who become prominent in the other novels. As in many of her other novels, Erdrich employs the use of multiple first-person narratives to relate the events of the plot, alternating between Nanapush, a tribal patriarch, and Pauline, a young girl of mixed heritage.”
Summary from Wikipedia
Anything Louis Erdrich slaps.
peppurrjackjungle on
Not exactly contemporary but Louise Erdich has written quite a few novels. The round house and Larose stand out to me in particular
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters is a great exploration in identity. It follows a family who migrates to Maine for the berry season each year, and one year the daughter is stolen by a white couple and raised as white. She later finds out the truth.l and reconnect with her siblings.
Nani65 on
I loved all of Marcie Rendon’s books.
whycantianswer on
Louise Erdrich, Joy Harjo, Mary Crowdog, and LeAnne Howe are a few that come to mind!
Sufficient_Finish203 on
Louise Erdrich is a member of the Turtle Band of Chippewa Indians. She has written several books, but my favorite is The Sentence. It is about a Native American woman in Minneapolis.
josiecat87 on
Kukum by Michel Jean
Mangolandia on
A bit of a throwback but Leslie Marmon Silko.
oboefish520 on
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. One of the best books I’ve ever read, hands-down. Seems like it’ll check all your boxes.
UseforNoName71 on
Leslie Marmon Silko – Ceremony (Recommend)
Sherman Alexie- Thé Lone Ranger and Tonto fistfight in Heaven
Both are Prolific writers
IntrovertedMermaid on
Darcie Little Badger, Angeline Boulley, and of course Louise Erdrich
adjective_animal_ on
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice! There’s a sequel as well that I just recently picked up, hoping it’s as good as the first book!
purposeful-hubris on
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters.
lab_R_inth on
Anything by Leslie Marmon Silko, although not necessarily contemporary settings. Also seconding Louise Erdrich.
24 Comments
Sorry not a female author but I absolutely loved Grand Avenue by Greg Sarris which has some women povs in it. Also, Whereas by Layli Long Soldier is a great book of poetry by a woman.
Stephen Graham Jones is a Native American writer and his books, the ones I’ve read, always include Native American characters and other elements. My favorite is Buffalo Hunter Hunter, which was the best horror book I read last year, and probably the best book I read that was released in 2025. The Only Good Indians is another good one.
Heavy themes, but one of my fave books- My Body is a Book of Rules by Elissa Washuta. It’s a memoir that explores native identity (and identity in general) as well as mental illness. TW for discussions of sexual assault.
A Grandmother Begins the Story by Michelle Porter
There There by Tommy Orange, not a female though
Louise Erdrich is a prolific and beautiful writer
Robin Wall Kimmerer is a fantastic author – not a novelist but The Serviceberry and Braiding Sweetgrass are incredible reads and/or listens
Louise Erdrich.
Anything by Louise Erdrich! My favorites are: The Sentence, The Mighty Red, and Future Home of the Living God
Natalie Diaz, Postcolonial Love Poem, is excellent if you like poetry
Never Whistle at Night is an anthology of stories written by Native authors
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
It’s marked as YA but I finished it recently and it was excellent!
Louis Erdrich: Tracks
“Tracks is a novel by Louise Erdrich, published in 1988. It is the third in a tetralogy of novels beginning with Love Medicine that explores the interrelated lives of four Anishinaabe families living on an Indian reservation near the fictional town of Argus, North Dakota. Within the saga, Tracks is earliest chronologically, providing the back-story of several characters such as Lulu Lamartine and Marie Kashpaw who become prominent in the other novels. As in many of her other novels, Erdrich employs the use of multiple first-person narratives to relate the events of the plot, alternating between Nanapush, a tribal patriarch, and Pauline, a young girl of mixed heritage.”
Summary from Wikipedia
Anything Louis Erdrich slaps.
Not exactly contemporary but Louise Erdich has written quite a few novels. The round house and Larose stand out to me in particular
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters is a great exploration in identity. It follows a family who migrates to Maine for the berry season each year, and one year the daughter is stolen by a white couple and raised as white. She later finds out the truth.l and reconnect with her siblings.
I loved all of Marcie Rendon’s books.
Louise Erdrich, Joy Harjo, Mary Crowdog, and LeAnne Howe are a few that come to mind!
Louise Erdrich is a member of the Turtle Band of Chippewa Indians. She has written several books, but my favorite is The Sentence. It is about a Native American woman in Minneapolis.
Kukum by Michel Jean
A bit of a throwback but Leslie Marmon Silko.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. One of the best books I’ve ever read, hands-down. Seems like it’ll check all your boxes.
Leslie Marmon Silko – Ceremony (Recommend)
Sherman Alexie- Thé Lone Ranger and Tonto fistfight in Heaven
Both are Prolific writers
Darcie Little Badger, Angeline Boulley, and of course Louise Erdrich
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice! There’s a sequel as well that I just recently picked up, hoping it’s as good as the first book!
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters.
Anything by Leslie Marmon Silko, although not necessarily contemporary settings. Also seconding Louise Erdrich.