Emphasizing Stories by Indigenous Writers: Background information when reading There There

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reading Guide |  Reviews |  Beyond the Book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

There There

by Tommy Orange

There There by Tommy Orange X
There There by Tommy Orange
  • Critics' Opinion:

    Readers' Opinion:

  • First Published:
    Jun 2018, 304 pages

    Paperback:
    May 2019, 304 pages

    Genres

  • Rate this book


Book Reviewed by:
Meara Conner
Buy This Book

About this Book

Emphasizing Stories by Indigenous Writers

This article relates to There There

Print Review

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, 5.2 million Native Americans currently live within the United States. But their stories are largely ignored by mainstream literature. In a world where literature is dominated by white male-driven narratives, it is even more important that we popularize and appreciate indigenous stories. I'd like to take this opportunity to highlight two of my favorite Native American authors.

Louise ErdrichLouise Erdrich's debut novel, Love Medicine was published in 1984. She quickly made a place for herself as one of America's great contemporary authors, but is most notable for her detailed and thoughtful portrayals of Native American communities throughout the United States. Part of the Chippewa tribe, Erdrich recognized that a void needed to be filled when it came to shining a spotlight on indigenous stories, and is now one of the most widely-read Native American authors writing today, with over twenty published novels. I suggest beginning your tour of Erdrich's bibliography with her 2012 release and National Book Award winner, The Round House. This novel follows Geraldine Coutts, her husband, Bazil, and their son, Joe, in the aftermath of Geraldine's assault, and subsequent depression. Angered by the slow-moving court system, Joe and his friends decide to take matters into their own hands, and get answers on their own terms.

Leslie Marmon SilkoLeslie Marmon Silko is a Laguna Pueblo writer and one of the most important figures in the "Native American Renaissance," a period of time in the late 1960s in which there was a heavily increased production of works by Native American authors. Silko first came onto the literary scene with her 1969 short story, "The Man to Send Rain Clouds," which was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Discovery Grant. Silko's work primarily revolves around her tribe, the Laguna Pueblo people, and is largely set in New Mexico, the area to which that tribe is indigenous. Silko broke down boundaries in the literary world, providing a look into a perspective that had been disregarded for centuries. I recommend reading Silko's first published novel, Ceremony (1977.) This story follows Tayo, a World War II veteran returning to his home on the Laguna reservation. Haunted by memories of the war, Tayo must find a way past the trauma and learn to cope in his world.

Included below are a few other Native-American authors I highly recommend checking out, as well as where you can find them online.

Joy Harjo, a member of the Mvskoke Nation, is the author of seven books of poetry and the memoir Crazy Brave; she has also released five music CDs.

Linda Hogan, a member of the Chickasaw Nation through her father's line, is an internationally recognized public reader; speaker; and writer of poetry, fiction and essays. She is perhaps best known as the author of People of the Whale.

Under the name William Least Heat-Moon (reflecting his Osage ancestry), historian and travel writer William Trogdon is the author of many works including River Horse, Columbus in the Americas, Road to Quoz; and two best-selling classics, Blue Highways and PrairyErth.

Terese Marie Mailhot is from the Seabird Island Band (a First Nations band located in British Columbia); she is a writer, speaker and the author of the memoir Heart Berries.

David Treur is Ojibwe from the Leech Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota. He is the author of four novels and two books of nonfiction including The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present.

Louise Erdrich courtesy of kcrw.com
Leslie Marmon Silko courtesy of lannon.org

Filed under Books and Authors

Article by Meara Conner

This "beyond the book article" relates to There There. It originally ran in June 2018 and has been updated for the May 2019 paperback edition. Go to magazine.

This review is available to non-members for a limited time. For full access become a member today.
Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Join BookBrowse

For a year of great reading
about exceptional books!

Find out more


Top Picks

  • Book Jacket
    Loved and Missed
    by Susie Boyt
    London-based author and theater director Susie Boyt has written seven novels and the PEN Ackerley ...
  • Book Jacket: Beyond the Door of No Return
    Beyond the Door of No Return
    by David Diop
    In early 19th-century France, Aglaé's father Michel Adanson dies of old age. Sitting at ...
  • Book Jacket: Crossings
    Crossings
    by Ben Goldfarb
    We've all seen it—a dead animal carcass on the side of the road, clearly mowed down by a car. ...
  • Book Jacket: Wifedom
    Wifedom
    by Anna Funder
    When life became overwhelming for writer, wife, and mother Anna Funder in the summer of 2017, she ...

Book Club Discussion

Book Jacket
Fair Rosaline
by Natasha Solomons
A subversive, powerful untelling of Romeo and Juliet by New York Times bestselling author Natasha Solomons.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    The Wren, the Wren
    by Anne Enright

    An incandescent novel about the inheritance of trauma, wonder, and love across three generations of women.

  • Book Jacket

    Digging Stars
    by Novuyo Rosa Tshuma

    Blending drama and satire, Digging Stars probes the emotional universes of love, friendship, family, and nationhood.

Win This Book
Win Moscow X

25 Copies to Give Away!

A daring CIA operation threatens chaos in the Kremlin. But can Langley trust the Russian at its center?

Enter

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

A M I A Terrible T T W

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.