Task 9: A Book By or About Someone from an Indigenous Culture (Native Americans, Aboriginals, Etc.)

[Book Riot]

This thread is for dropping ideas, questions, resources, comments, and discussion about Task 9: A Book By or About Someone from an Indigenous Culture (Native Americans, Aboriginals, Etc.).

A few lists to get you started:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

http://bookriot.com/2014/10/15/native...

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

[Malvina]

Kwe by Joseph Boyden. It's an anthology of work from various authors.

http://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/97...

[Jenny]

This one was harder for me to come up with, but I've had The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian on my to read list for a while and this seems like a great reason to move it to the read pile.

[Kathryn]

Rabbit-Proof Fence: The True Story of One of the Greatest Escapes of All Time - I'd heard good things about it.

[Jenny]

Kathryn wrote: "Rabbit-Proof Fence: The True Story of One of the Greatest Escapes of All Time - I'd heard good things about it."

I read that when I visited Australia. It's good.

[Melissa]

Rabbit Proof Fence is one of the only instances where I preferred the film to the book. The book is good, just has some dense sections that can bog you down. Track down the movie if you can, it's a heartbreaker.

[Kathryn]

Melissa wrote: "Rabbit Proof Fence is one of the only instances where I preferred the film to the book. The book is good, just has some dense sections that can bog you down. Track down the movie if you can, it's ..."

Thanks, I will. I see Kenneth Branagh's in it - don't know how I missed it the first time. Love him.

[Sarah]

Love and Hate in Jamestown is the one I'll probably be reading.

[Kelli]

For this category, I plan to read The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures.

[Rainey]

For this one I plan on reading The Orendaby Joseph Boyden. I am currently reading Three Day Road for my book club and I am really enjoying it.

[Kelly]

The Spirit Catches You And Then You Fall Down was so good! So was The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian

[Jenny]

The Blue Tattoo: The life of Olive Oatman by Margot Miffin is a good one. It's about the Oatman family massacre and the two girls life in captivity among the Indians. The captured by Scott Zech is good too. Both of these books are about early white settlers who were kidnapped by the natives and lived their lives among the Indians and how they came to adapt to that life.

[Heidiq]

What about...The Pearl that Broke its Shell? Not sure?

[Ste]

I've been looking around and even considered reading one of the books recommended on the lists, but since I'm Brazilian I figured this task must be about an indigenous people from Brazil.

So, I ended up choosing Nowhere People.

I'm quite happy with this task, it's really taking me out of my literary comfort zone.

[Kim]

I'm going to dip into Louise Erdrich's backlist -- I read The Round House last year and really enjoyed it. I hear some of her other novels are linked to the characters/story in The Round House, too.

[Sam]

I decided on The Back of a Turtle by Thomas King, though if others are struggling to find works by indigenous people there's tons of great stuff by Canadian indigenous authors, including Thomas King and Eden Robinson. I HIGHLY recommend Monkey Beach by Robinson and Green Grass, Running Water by King. :D

[Robin P]

Kim wrote: "I'm going to dip into Louise Erdrich's backlist -- I read The Round House last year and really enjoyed it. I hear some of her other novels are linked to the characters/story in The ..."

I second The Round House. I had trouble getting into her earlier works but this one is very engaging.

[Bobby]

I'm planning to read House Made of Dawn and/or Popol Vuh

[[deleted user]]

Kim wrote: "I'm going to dip into Louise Erdrich's backlist -- I read The Round House last year and really enjoyed it."

Oooh, I have The Antelope Wife, maybe I'll read that! I also have Power or Ceremony to choose from.

[Maureen]

Kim wrote: "I'm going to dip into Louise Erdrich's backlist -- I read The Round House last year and really enjoyed it. I hear some of her other novels are linked to the characters/story in The ..."

I have a few of her books upstairs in mt TBR pile, this one will be easy!

[Jenn]

I picked up Come On Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All: A New Zealand Story a month ago. Thinking it will be my pick.

[Suzanne]

Like others, I am going with Louise Erdrich.

[☕Laura]

I'll probably read The Bone People

[Caro]

I know this challenge started in US, but I wonder... For this point we can also count the tribus in South America? I found one book that is called "Antes el amanecer. Antología de las literaturas indígenas de los Andes y la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta" that are some stories of the tribes living there.

[Melissa]

I really want to read some Louise Erdrich for this task, but have never read anything by her before. Where does one suggest I start?

[Rainey]

I can't see why this cant encompass aboriginals from other countries.

[Book Riot]

Caro wrote: "I know this challenge started in US, but I wonder... For this point we can also count the tribus in South America? I found one book that is called "Antes el amanecer. Antología de las literaturas i..."

Sure! As long as the author or MC is from an indigenous culture, the country doesn't matter.

[Book Riot]

Melissa wrote: "I really want to read some Louise Erdrich for this task, but have never read anything by her before. Where does one suggest I start?"

We love THE ROUND HOUSE and PLAGUE OF DOVES

[Janet]

Jenny wrote: "This one was harder for me to come up with, but I've had The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian on my to read list for a while and this seems like a great reason to move it t..."

I love this book! It is also the favorite book ever of one of my sons' friends (now age 21).

[Janet]

Book Riot wrote: "Melissa wrote: "I really want to read some Louise Erdrich for this task, but have never read anything by her before. Where does one suggest I start?"

We love THE ROUND HOUSE and PLAGUE OF DOVES"

I'm thinking "the Round House" or "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind."

[Jenny]

I decided to start the challenge with this category since this is the genre I normally read so this isn't really a challenge for me. I'm reading "My Life On The Plains, Personal Experiences With Indians," by George Armstrong Custer

[Teresa]

For Native American books, I can suggest The Education of Little Tree and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian ~ loved both.

[Teresa]

Janet wrote: "Jenny wrote: "This one was harder for me to come up with, but I've had The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian on my to read list for a while and this seems like a great reaso..." I love this book, too. I saw Sherman Alexie speak at the National Book Festival one year. Fantastic!

[Jenn]

I'm stuck. I would really like to read something about an indigenous people in the Middle East as a first choice or Central/South American as a second choice. I really want something engaging, any suggestions?

Oh, I also saw that The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World and Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies showed up on one of the lists above... both have been in my TBR for...ever I just don't really get how those fit the category.

[Ilsa]

I'm a New Zealander and there are lots if great Maori authors. Whale Rider, the Bone people and Once were Warriors are popular choices
I'm looking forward to using this opportunity to read some of the great talent we have here!

[Laura]

Jenn; both Ghost Map and Guns Germs and Steel would work as microhistory.

[Stacy Lee]

I read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and loved it!

[Ana-Maria]

If anyone still needs suggestions for Native Americans, I read the below for my college thesis and loved them:

Fiction:
The Insufficiency of Maps by Nora Pierce
The Woman Who Owned the Shadows by Paula Gunn Allen

Nonfiction:
Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog
The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions by Paula Gunn Allen

[Luis]

Thank you for the suggestions.

[nomadreader (Carrie D-L)]

I'd recommend Euphoria by Lily King. I read it in 2014, and it was my favorite read that year.

[Heather]

I'm currently reading Carpentaria for this task. It won the Miles Franklin Literary Award (Australia's literary award) in 2007.
I'm not far in but it is certainly interesting and has a unique writing style.

[Laura]

Today only (January 14) Sherman Alexie's book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is $1.99 Kindle edition.

[Sarah]

Laura wrote: "I'll probably read The Bone People"

I hadn't realized that this book fit this task! It's been in my TBR list for years. Thanks so much for the suggestion, it's perfect for me!

[Heather]

I'm currently reading Carpentaria for this task. It is written by Alexis Wright who is an Australian Indigenous author.

If anyone was looking for books by Australian Indigenous authors Anita Heiss has compiled a list she calls the Black Book Challenge - her spin on the BBC Book Challenge.

http://anitaheissblog.blogspot.com.au...

[Robin P]

Kimberly wrote: "Hi guys. I was wondering if the outlander series by Diana Gabaldon would count towards this as it talks about the highlanders and the Jacobite rebellion. Just not sure if it meets the criteria or ..."

Just my opinion but I think you'd have to go farther back to be considered aboriginal as far as Europe. The Scots were Celts who migrated from Europe.

[Sage]

I recently read The People in the Trees but I don't know if it counts since it's about a fictional tribe.
But there aren't really any rules for this, are there?

If it does count, some of you might want to take a look at it.

Still,I think I'll read several books per task. The Bone People looks interesting.

[Stacey]

I'm really glad this challenge gave me the impetus to read The Absolutely True Diary... I just tore through it in a day. It's very fast-paced but with great depth.

[Stijn]

A rather hard challenge if you ask me, but it turns out I had a book on my to-read list that should qualify for this: I'm going with The Dragon in the Land of Snows: A History of Modern Tibet Since 1947.

[Joanne]

Anything by Joseph Boyden

[Teresa]

For anyone still deciding, I can recommend "The Education of Little Tree" The Education of Little Tree