Books that recognize Native American Heritage

Books that recognize Native American Heritage

Carley Nail, Arts & Entertainment Editor

‘Stone Heart’

Diane Glancy takes readers back

in time with this historical retelling

of Lewis and Clark’s expedition

through Sacajawea’s perspective.

“Stone Heart’’ includes sections

of Lewis and Clark’s journal, but it

also uses the journal to create a realistic

narrative of Sacajawea’s life.

It’s a story of perseverance that addresses

common misconceptions

about the expedition.

‘There There’

“There There” follows 12 different

Native Americans and their adventures

traveling to the Big Oakland

Powwow. Though these characters

come from many walks of life,

they all are connected in ways they

may not even know. In this book,

Tommy Orange writes about the

painful history Native Americans

have endured while also focusing

on communion and heroism.

‘Love Medicine’

“Love Medicine” is the first novel

of a trilogy written by Louise

Erdrich. It follows the lives of five

Ojibwe families living on fictional

reservations in parts of North

Dakota and Minnesota. Each

chapter is told from a different

character’s point of view, smoothly

intertwining each family’s story.

“Love Medicine” tells generational

stories from living on a reservation.

‘Night of the Living Rez’

This book by Morgan Talty includes

12 stories that portray the

bonds within a Native community.

“Night of the Living Rez” starts

with a boy opening a cursed jar.

Afterward, his family begins to

unravel. The characters struggle

with a harmful past and an uncertain

future. Talty adds humor and

compassion to a book about persevering

after tragedy.

‘Crazy Brave’

“Crazy Brave” is a memoir by Joy

Harjo. Harjo served as the 23rd U.S.

Poet Laureate and was the first Native

American to hold this position.

The memoir follows Harjo’s childhood

as she tries to navigate living

in an abusive household. She finds

an escape through writing and

learns how to find her voice. “Crazy

Brave” is grounded in history with

woven-in elements of poetry.