51 New Books to Read for Native American Heritage Month

Our History is the Future by Nick Estes

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice!!!

This is such a great list! My wishlist has almost doubled in size!!

You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, Sherman Alexie

Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice is coming this fall.

The Scout of Wounded Knee by Michael McLellan is absolutely fantastic. Definitely one of my books of the year.

I second The Scout of Wounded Knee by Michael McLellan!

I had Black Sun and The Only Good Indians on my to-read list, I need to add a few more of these.

Could anyone please tell me WHY this book is on this list??

This isn't a 'new' book by any means but I'd definitely add 'The Almanac of The Dead' by Leslie Marmon Silko to the list. I actually have yet to get around to reading it, but it's very good from what I've heard.

I would like to make a few recommendations that are older, non-fiction books. They are deep reads I'd say - a lot of heavy stuff in these books.... but in my opinion, they are essential reading.

"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" by Dee Brown
"God is Red" by Vine Deloria, Jr.
"Custer Died for Your Sins" by Vine Deloria, Jr.
"All Our Relations (Native Struggles for Land and Life" by Winona LaDuke
"The Soul of an Indian: And Other Writings from Ohiyesa" by Charles Alexander Eastman

The Trickster series by Eden Robinson.

Chief Joseph by KENT NERBURN and his Trilogy: Neither Wolf nor Dog, the Wolf at Twilight, and the Girl Who Sang to the Buffalo...these four books are amazing...he is an amazing writer who knows how to tell the story....

Melanie J. Murphy wrote: "Two Old Women by Velma Wallis."I loved this book....had to read it twice...gonna read it again....so good and admirable.

Jodi wrote: "Could anyone please tell me WHY this book is on this list??
"

Just looked it up. Yeah... why is it on here?

I enjoyed The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

Yes, I just added all of these to my TBR list. Thank you for acknowledging Native American Heritage Month!

Anything by Sherman Alexie

Peacemaker by Joseph Bruchac

Thank you very much for this! Just last months I tried to ask for suggestions about books regarding Native American cultures and I could get only a few. This is very much appreciated.

The Tale of Tiger Lily by Jill Featherstone is a book that everyone needs to read. Its so good. Jill's writing is some of the best I've read The Tale of Tiger Lily

Great book! I have it on my shelf along with her book Bird Girl.
They are both great!

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
Daughters of the Deer by Danielle Daniel

Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga. Five Little Indians by Michelle Good. I've read many but those 2 are the best of the best

Johnny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead

Anything by Tony Hillerman or his daughter Anne Hillerman. They are about the Navajo.

We Had a Little Real Estate Problem by Kliph Nesteroff

This List definitely needs some Joshua Whitehead and Billy-Ray Belcourt - both are phenomenal writers.

Winona Laduke, in general, but I always recommend All Our Relations.

Red Earth, White Lies by Vine Deloria Jr. (Anything by him as well, really)

Native Resistance by Dr. LaNada War Jack

As Long As Grass Grows by Dina Gilio-Whitaker

Our History is the Future by Nick Estes

Jeremy wrote: "I would like to make a few recommendations that are older, non-fiction books. They are deep reads I'd say - a lot of heavy stuff in these books.... but in my opinion, they are essential reading.

"..."

These are some of the reads I came here to comment as well. Definitely required reading in my opinion.

Jasmine wrote: "Jodi wrote: "Could anyone please tell me WHY this book is on this list??
"

Just looked it up. Yeah... why is it on here?"

Febos is mixed- Native; her birth father was Indigenous. As someone who is also mixed-Native (Native mother, white father), I actually appreciate the representation in a society that still relies on racist constructs of blood quantum to "other" me from my own cultures and experiences at every opportunity.

Ronnie wrote: "The Grass Dancer by Susan Power"

Yes! +1 to The Grass Dancer, even though it's an oldie, no harm in recommending old favorites.

locvcat wrote: "Febos is mixed- Native; her birth father was Indigenous. "

Thanks. I thought that may be the case but wasn't sure.

Also, I agree -- the blood quantum BS is racist as hell. As well as denying Indigenous women their heritage because they marry a white man.

Only issue I have here is with Rebecca Roanhorse being on this list...i don't know them personally, but it came to my attention earlier this year when an acquaintance shared with me articles about Rebecca. Apparently they claimed to be part of a New Mexico tribe that didn't claim them and had no record or had heard or their family members. That's just one red flag. That's not to say they aren't indigenous, however.

Braiding Sweetgrass should be added!

Rem wrote: "Only issue I have here is with Rebecca Roanhorse being on this list...i don't know them personally, but it came to my attention earlier this year when an acquaintance shared with me articles about ..."


That's complicated, and I believe she belongs on this list. Her birth father was Black, her birth mother was Indigenous, and she was adopted by a white family. Like many adoptions, her birth mother did not stay in contact with her, and that is why she is not an enlisted member of her mother's tribe.

House Made of Dawn

Jasmine wrote: "locvcat wrote: "Febos is mixed- Native; her birth father was Indigenous. "

Thanks. I thought that may be the case but wasn't sure.

Also, I agree -- the blood quantum BS is racist as hell. As well..."

Yes! Thank you. I also apologize if I came across as aggressive in my first comment. It's just really important to me. I appreciate your response.

I'm also glad I could help with information about Febos, and hopefully others who are unfamiliar with her work can find my comment helpful.

locvcat wrote: "Jasmine wrote: "locvcat wrote: "Febos is mixed- Native; her birth father was Indigenous. "

Thanks. I thought that may be the case but wasn't sure.

Also, I agree -- the blood quantum BS is racist ..."

It was a very helpful comment (about her background). I was trying to read up on her, and maybe I missed it, but I couldn't find anything.

Highly recommend anything by Joseph Boyden - The Orenda, Through Black Spruce, Three Day Road....

Unstoppable Native American Women by April Riverwood

So many good recommendations. I've read only two in the list.

I'm currently reading "Sacajawea" by Anna Lee Waldo! It's huge, 1400 pages, with lots of notes. The author had done a lot of research. It's really good so far.

Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie

Anything by Christine Day, especially I Can Make This Promise

Five Little Indians by Michelle Good. Heartbreaking novel about the institutions native American children were forced to stay in.

Trail of Lightning and Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse,

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

graphic novels/illustrated stories/comics:

Howl: An Indigenous Anthology of Wolves, Werewolves and Rougarou ed Elizabeth laPensee

Deer Woman: An Anthology eds. Elizabeth LaPensee and Weshoyot Alvitre

Arno wrote: "Five Little Indians by Michelle Good. Heartbreaking novel about the institutions native American children were forced to stay in."

So good. And what was interesting was it wasn't about their time spent in residential schools, but about their lives after.

Making Love with the Land by Joshua Whitehead.

Beautiful prose, well worth reading.

My personal recommendations, all from 2022:

Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal & Sovereignty in Native America by Gregory D. Smithers
- A truly wonder and remarkable history (more deep history than some may expect on the title/cover) covering the immense variety of perspectives on gender and sexuality that existed in the Indigenous world prior to European colonization as well as the attempts at erasure by Europeans and the struggle to reclaim this identity.

We Are the Middle of Forever: Indigenous Voices from Turtle Island on the Changing Earth by Dahr Jamail and Stan Rushworth
- A collection of intimate conversations with Indigenous Americans relaying indigenous knowledge and perspectives relating to human impact on the planet and how to coexist with nature.

Restoring the Kinship Worldview: Indigenous Voices Introduce 28 Precepts for Rebalancing Life on Planet Earth by Darcia Narváez and Wahinkpe Topa (Four Arrows)
- A back and forth dialogue between a distinguished professor of psychology and an indigenous scholar and activist covering 28 aspects of indigenous wisdom and worldviews that vitally differ from that of traditional western knowledge, discussing how their important lessons and ideas can be incorporated into our lives and world.

Indigenous Continent: The Epic Contest for North America by Pekka Hämäläinen
- An extremely deep and rich history on the North American continent prior to and throughout European colonization, largely focusing on ways indigenous American's resisted (with more success than we largely consider) colonization. Does a wonderful job at utilizing enlightening primary source works and accounting for a vast range of indigenous groups perspectives and experiences.

Honorable mention: The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow
- An amazing mass of research arguing how much of the explosion of ideas and thought we see in what we refer to as "The Enlightenment" in the western world was actually the result of European contact with Indigenous Americans and indigenous ideas and knowledge making its way back to Europe. Honorable mention because this book is one mega-dense tome and it veers beyond solely an indigenous focus.