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New Books to Read This Native American Heritage Month
November is Native American Heritage Month in the United States, providing a good opportunity for all of us to dig into the rich literary tradition of Indigenous writers.
Collected below are a selection of books released in 2021 by Native American authors. You’ll find a wide variety of genres represented—drama, memoir, young adult—all of which are in some way informed by the tradition and folklore of the original Americans.
Many of these authors are prolific and well-established, so be sure to click around and discover their earlier books. The comments section below each book can also be helpful for finding good recommendations for further reading.
And don’t forget that you can always add titles to your Want to Read shelf to maintain a customized and perpetual reading to-do list.
Collected below are a selection of books released in 2021 by Native American authors. You’ll find a wide variety of genres represented—drama, memoir, young adult—all of which are in some way informed by the tradition and folklore of the original Americans.
Many of these authors are prolific and well-established, so be sure to click around and discover their earlier books. The comments section below each book can also be helpful for finding good recommendations for further reading.
And don’t forget that you can always add titles to your Want to Read shelf to maintain a customized and perpetual reading to-do list.
Author Louise Erdrich, winner of a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award, presents a story of magical realism crossed with old-fashioned grim realism. As Minneapolis deals with a year of tragedy and reckoning, ex-con Tookie tries to solve the mysterious haunting of her small independent bookstore. Sometimes ghosts aren’t just metaphors. This book arrives U.S. bookstores on November 9.
This powerful memoir from Danielle Geller takes an interesting approach to the format, mixing traditional narrative with primary archival documents. When her mom dies from alcoholism, Geller returns to the Navajo reservation, where she uses her training as a librarian and archivist to sort through a suitcase full of documents, diaries, and photographs.
Another engaging memoir with an innovative approach to the form, Poet Warrior is the second memoir from current U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo, the first Native American to hold the honor. Harjo’s strategy is to mix prose, poetry, and song in extended remembrances that reflect on her trailblazing life and career.
Author Angeline Boulley’s debut novel is a fast-paced YA thriller set in and around a troubled Ojibwe reservation. College student Daunis Fontaine returns home to care for her mother, when she witnesses a shocking murder. Reluctantly agreeing to go undercover, she uses her knowledge of chemistry and traditional medicine to track down the killer.
Inspired by Cherokee folklore, The Removed is a stirring family drama with sustained echoes of the supernatural. The Echota family, reuniting for their annual bonfire, finds that the membrane between the real world and the spirit world is growing thin. Brandon Hobson’s acclaimed novel is a meditation on family, trauma, and the enduring power of stories.
Spanning several generations of women in one Dakota clan, The Seed Keeper explores themes of family and ecology—and the immortal strength of spring’s renewal. Author Diane Wilson charts the lives of four powerful women as they navigate the damaged legacy of their ancestors and their land.
Teenage outcast Jade Daniels’ love of horror movies comes in real handy when violent events overtake her small town. Author Stephen Graham Jones is known for haunting the literary end of the horror spectrum, and his latest book explores themes of colonialism and gentrification all while subtly subverting the usual rules of horror fiction.
Darcie Little Badger (Elatsoe) specializes in a kind of traditional Lipan Apache storytelling structure, stitching in threads of magical realism and fantasy. Her YA novel A Snake Falls to Earth tells of the relationship between a lonesome Lipan girl and a “cottonmouth kid” from the land of spirits and monsters.
If you like your mysteries deeply spooky, heads up: When a museum security guard is mysteriously killed, Detective Monique Blue Hawk discovers that a deformed skeleton is also missing from the museum. She soon learns of a Crow legend concerning a matriarch witch and a group of shapeshifting Choctaw entities bent on returning to our world.
Notable Native People: 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers from Past and Present
by Adrienne Keene
by Adrienne Keene
This beautifully illustrated collection gathers the stories of 50 Indigenous scientists, athletes, artists, activists, and leaders in a new kind of American history book. The collection also includes some basic primers on important Indigenous issues, including the history of colonialism and current debates around land and water rights.
It’s a cliché because it’s true: Children are our most valuable natural resource, and we need to nurture them in every way. This generous collection of Native American stories and folklore is ostensibly aimed at middle-school kids, but it’s good, nutritious stuff for interested readers of any age.
Do you have reading recommendations for Native American History Month? Share them with your fellow readers in the comments below!
Check out more recent articles:
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Certified Hits: Readers' Top 4-Star Reads of 2021
Check out more recent articles:
48 Reader Recommendations for Perfect Autumn Books
21 Fall Debut Novels to Read Now
Certified Hits: Readers' Top 4-Star Reads of 2021
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Dana Al-Basha |
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Nov 01, 2021 02:33AM
Beautiful collection... love from Palestine!
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I like the look of all these books especially Louise Erdrichs The Sentence.
I really want read them all! And I will probably start with My Heart Is a Chainsaw.
Turn Coat by Jim Butcher: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...Although written by a white man, the main villain in this book is a feared entity from Southwestern US Indigenous folklores, a skinwalker. You can learn more about skinwalkers by going to YouTube and typing in "skinwalkers" and/or "mythology and folklore explained" and take your pick, though I specifically recommend the video that is from the Mythology and Folklore Explained channel about the Navaho Naagloshii.
I took a semester of Diné Bizaad, what the Navaho call their own language, my Freshman year at Northern Arizona University. I got a "D," the lowest grade you can get and still pass.
My own! Treaties with Myself is a poetry collection available in print and kindle ebook. Look for an interview with me and several other Chickasaw writers on Chickasaw.tv this month!
Forgot to include Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee apparently! 🤭 Part of the last four books I’m going to read in 2021 for my reading challenge.
will definitely be checking these out (i'm reading There There by Tommy Orange right now and When Two Feathers Fell from the Skyby Margaret Verble is on my TBR list!)
The Four Sacred Gifts:Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Times, by Nahua (Aztec) messenger, Anita Sanchez, Ph.D.
Mitakuye Oyasin “We are all related” by Dr. A.C. Ross
I just started reading An Indigenous People's History of the United States. Incredible research into pre Columbian civilizations
What if instead of reading a book written by a white man about a creature he stole from Indigenous stories, people read books written by actual Native people?And what if people who wanted to study further about the creature from Native stories looked for information created by Native people, rather than going to youtube and plugging in a search term guaranteed to bring back a metric ton of dubiously sourced creepypasta?
I'm not trying to tell you how to celebrate Native American Heritage Month. I'm just brainstorming...
Amber wrote: "Turn Coat by Jim Butcher: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Although written by a white man, the main villain in this book ..."
Monty wrote: "Forgot to include Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee apparently! 🤭 Part of the last four books I’m going to read in 2021 for my reading challenge."While I like the other title contributions, I just wanted to point out that this list was for New titles. Older titles weren't forgotten-they just weren't meant to be part of the list.
Eddie wrote: "I just started reading An Indigenous People's History of the United States. Incredible research into pre Columbian civilizations"Thanks for the recommendation!
A couple more great Minnesota authors along with Louise Erdrich that I highly recommend; Kent Nerburn "Neither Wolf Nor Dog" and "The Wolf At Twilight" are incredible . Also anything written by Winona LaDuke.
There, There is one of the best books I've read, and I've read a lot. Thanks for thinking of it. It's a must read that will tear your heart.
The Seed Keeper, by Diane Wilson is absolutely extraordinary. She manages to elegantly tell a tale that weaves her family's life and the hardships experienced by the native people without making this a sad story to read. And if you read the book, you can listen to her reading the amazing poem The Seeds Speak which provides a trunk, roots, and trees for this book on her own website.
Joy Harjo is my absolute fav<3! Thank you for this thread.
Sherman Alexie(Spokane-Coeur d'Alene) is a wonderful writer. I love "The Toughest Indian in the World" (short stories) and am working my way through his other books.
Janet Meenehan wrote: "The Seed Keeper, by Diane Wilson is absolutely extraordinary. She manages to elegantly tell a tale that weaves her family's life and the hardships experienced by the native people without making th..."I very much agree, one of my favorite books of this year.
Jasmine wrote: "Eddie wrote: "I just started reading An Indigenous People's History of the United States. Incredible research into pre Columbian civilizations"Thanks for the recommendation!"
On my list as well
Gearing up to read:Highway of Tears: A True Story of Racism, Indifference, and the Pursuit of Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls by Jessica McDiarmid
I learned of the issue from a Red Dress display from another library.
I love Stephen Graham Jones! His books are scary, but they also have tremendous heart. My Heart is a Chainsaw has a very slow build. It was extremely worth it for me, but if a reader needs steady thrills, The Only Good Indians might be better. Sherman Alexie, while I think he's a terrific writer, has been accused of sexual misconduct. In his response, he said the women are telling the truth, and that he's hurt people. He also, back when Kindles were new, said he wanted to punch people in the face for using them. He's not for me. I don't judge if he's for anyone else.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer is a must-read for lovers of nature! 💚
This looks like a great list. Lots of interesting stuff here.
I can't recommend highly enough The Firekeeper's Daughter. It's a great gift for any smart reader 12 and older.
