There There by Tommy Orange
Orange’s debut novel garnered national attention through a Pulitzer nomination and by earning a spot on both The New York Times book review’s 10 Best Books of 2018 list and on former President Barack Obama’s favorite books lists. Through the stories of 12 characters, the novel explores the struggles of Native Americans living in Oakland, California.
Orange is a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and graduated with an MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts. During an interview with talk show host Seth Meyers, Orange said he found the lack of representation of Native American people in cities like Oakland throughout literature and media absurd. “There’s long histories and many families and stories that just haven’t been told. So this is a part of that,” Orange said.
Where the Dead Sit Talking by Brandon Hobson
This fiction novel follows 15-year-old Sequoyah, who becomes a foster child in 1980s Oklahoma. The coming-of-age tale shows the dark side of adolescence by providing a glimpse into midwestern life for a mixed-tribe Native American family.
Hobson is a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and serves as assistant professor of creative writing at New Mexico State University and as a writing mentor at the Institute of American Indian Arts.
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
An urban fantasy, this book immerses readers in a fast-paced adventure led by a strong female protagonist, Maggie, who is a Native American woman and monster slayer. The alternate dystopian reality puts Indigenous characters at the forefront, creating a science fiction and fantasy novel that shakes up a genre dominated all too often by White authors and heroes.
The fantasy novel is the first in a series and received high praise as the 2019 Locus Award for Best First Novel. It also landed on Bustle’s 20 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books from the 2010s That You Definitely Shouldn’t Miss. In addition, the book was a Hugo Award Finalist for Best Novel and 2019 Nebula Award Finalist for Best Novel.
Roanhorse is of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo and African American heritage. She earned a JD from the University of New Mexico School of Law.
Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Hearts Unbroken is a young adult story that tackles diversity and inclusion through the lens of senior high schooler Louise Wolfe, who breaks up with her boyfriend over his insensitivity toward her Native heritage.
The novel was featured on the 2019 Amelia Bloomer List for young adult fiction and was the silver winner for young adult fiction in the 2018 Foreword INDIES Book Awards.
Smith is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She serves as a faculty member at the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults.
An American Sunrise: Poems by Joy Harjo
The anthology of poems delves into the displacement of Native Americans, tying the past to the present through defiant verses.
Harjo is a member of the Muscogee Nation and made history in 2019 as the first Native American to be appointed the poet laureate of the United States. In a recent interview with the Academy of American Poets, Harjo said her compilation is about the history of American poetry and how the voices of the past have grown more diverse in Native American writing today. “It’s how we see the American story, and that involves all of the voices. … It’s really constructing a poetry ancestor tree,” Harjo said.
Native Values: Living in Harmony by Rosita Kaaháni Worl, PhD
This book from Worl, an Alaska Native, is a part of an award-winning Sealaska Heritage program that promotes learning for Alaska Native families with children up to age 5. It teaches cultural values of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian tribes of Southeast Alaska and is among the most recently published books from Alaska Native authors, according to the Alaska State Library website.
Worl is a Tlingit elder from Southeast Alaska and president of the Sealaska Heritage Institute. Worl earned a PhD in cultural anthropology from Harvard University.
Mariah Stewart is a staff writer for INSIGHT Into Diversity. This article ran in the November 2019 issue.
