This week, we’re featuring Native American fiction for all ages! These books celebrate Native American tribes’ cultures and traditions, as well as sharing stories about past and current challenges Native Americans face(d).
Picture Books
Hiawatha and the Peacemaker by Robbie Robertson
ACPL has this book in electronic format for a reason! The book was written by Robbie Robertson, a musician of Mohawk and Cayuga descent, and includes a song written and performed by him.
Hiawatha was chosen by the Peacemaker to share his message of unity with the five warring Iroquois nations during the 14th century. He (and the Iroquois nations) were so successful in finding peace and setting up a way to govern that centuries later, the authors of the U.S. Constitution would use their example in setting up our democracy. This book was illustrated by David Shannon, using oil paintings, and is absolutely beautiful.
Heart Berry Bling by Jenny Kay Dupuis
We all love it when we visit family and get to experience new things. Maggie is going to begin her first-ever beading project with her grandmother. She’s going to make strawberry earrings. But she learns much more than just how to bead, as her grandmother tells her about how beading kept her connected to her Anishinaabe culture when she lost her status as an Indian because of an unfair law. Kids will learn about the cultural importance of beading, as well as information about some of the laws that affected Native Americans in the past.
Bowow Powwow: Bagosenjige-niimi-idim by Brenda J. Child
Windy Girl, her dog Itchy Boy, and her uncle attend a powwow. Windy’s imagination takes off that night, when she dreams about a bowwow powwow, with dogs dancing and eating and drumming and sharing stories. This is a playful way to teach kids about Native American powwows, and their importance to the culture of Native American tribes.
Juvenile Fiction
Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis
Regina’s tribe, the Umpqua, are legally disbanded, and her family has to move, from Utah to Los Angeles. Going from living on tribal land to living in a large city is culture shock for the entire family. Jobs are hard to find, racism is everywhere, and they don’t have the same community they had back home, where everyone helped each other. Regina has to figure out if she is Indian or American, or can she be both? Kids who have moved or changed schools will empathize with Regina, as well as those who have faced discrimination.
The Sea in Winter by Christine Day
Maisie has had a really tough year. She is a dancer who hasn’t been able to perform due to an injury. She thinks no one can understand her and her feelings of hopelessness. She’s not really excited about an upcoming road trip near the Makah community, where her mother was raised, and her anxiety and dark mood affect her more and more as the trip comes closer. Can she find her way past her physical and mental pain? This story deals with anxiety and depression through the lens of a Native American girl who needs her family and community more than ever.
Malian loves visiting her grandparents, who live on a Wakanaki reservation. But when COVID hits, and travel is suspended, Malian has to stay on the reservation indefinitely. She keeps her family safe by staying indoors, and showing her grandparents how to use video chat to keep up with others. The reservation dogs keep them safe as well, especially Malsum. This book is written in verse and is inspired by oral storytelling traditions of Native Americans.
Young Adult
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Daunis Fontaine feels like she doesn’t fit in anywhere. She puts her dreams of college on hold to care for her mother. The only bright spot is Jamie, a hockey player on her brother’s team. But she can tell that Jamie is hiding something. She witnesses a murder, and becomes an undercover agent for the FBI, which is investigating a new lethal drug. She is a reluctant agent, especially as she realizes that they don’t seem to care nearly enough about the victims of the crimes being committed. This thriller will appeal to any young adult that feels that the adult world doesn’t care about them.
Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Louise Wolfe just broke up with her first real boyfriend because he mocked Native people in front of her. It’s her senior year, and she’d rather focus on family and school (especially the school newspaper) anyway. But school becomes a very contentious space, as she and a photojournalist named Joey investigate the outrage when the school musical director casts non-white actors in The Wizard of Oz. The newly-formed Parents Against Revisionist Theater lead protests, and anonymous people send threats to cast members, including Louise’s little brother, who was cast as Tin Man. Can Lou trust her heart to someone else, or will she break Joey’s heart by not being willing to take a chance? Teens will love the romance as well as the topical discussion of casting traditional plays and musicals with actors that don’t look like their predecessors.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
This is the book people think of most often when mentioning young adult Native American literature. Junior wants to be a cartoonist, and knows he’ll have a better chance of going to college and getting a good job if he goes to the all-white town high school, rather than the school on the rez. But at the town school, he’s the only Indian, other than the mascot. This book is based on Alexie’s own life, and includes cartoons his character draws. It deals with some dark subjects, including violence, death, and poverty, but ends with hope for his main character and his friends and family.
Adult
Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty
This collection of twelve stories illuminate Talty’s take on being a Penobscot in present times, and how we find ways to survive after tragedy. Stories include a boy who finds a cursed jar that dooms his family, a woman with Alzheimer’s projecting the past on her grandson and two friends who decide to rob the tribal museum to make some money off of antiques.
Verble writes about a Cherokee child who lives with her widowed father, until she is removed from the home and sent to a Christian boarding school. Kit loves reading, gardening and fishing, but she’s lonely. She meets a mysterious woman who has just moved down the road, and befriends her. But when tragedy strikes, she is made a ward of the court and sent to a religious boarding school, where she is abused and told to forget her Native heritage. But Kit keeps a journal and plots to escape the school and find her family again.
Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
Luz is a Seer. She has visions of her ancestors, and is chosen by them to pass on the stories and the lessons from the past. She is living in 1930s Denver, by herself, after her older brother is run out of town by an angry white mob. Luz’s strength and ability to survive will resonate with a lot of readers as she makes sure her family’s stories aren’t lost. Those who enjoy multigenerational sagas with entertaining characters will love Woman of Light.
Mary Beth Adams is the Community Engagement Librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries. She can be reached at 336-570-6981 or madams@alamancelibraries.org.