Hello lovely readers! Today is Thanksgiving in the U.S., which is an incredibly complicated holiday. While I love having a holiday that isn’t about presents but is instead dedicated to spending quality time with loved ones, the history behind Thanksgiving is rooted in settler-colonialism and the genocide of native peoples.
I know that one thing I can do center native experiences is to educate myself, listen to Indigenous People, and support them in their work. I know that the number of books by Indigenous authors that I have read is incredibly small, and one of the many things I can change about my habits is to read more books by Indigenous authors. So today I wanted to share four books by Indigenous authors that are currently on my tbr, in case you have similar goals. And I sincerely hope that if you know other Indigenous books, that you will share them with me so I can expand this list!
There There by Tommy Orange
There There has been on my tbr for almost two years now. I read the first two chapters for a class, and I really enjoyed them. This is definitely one of the most well-known Indigenous books out there, having won many accolades when it came out.
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Bouley
I just bought the ebook copy of Firekeeper’s Daughter, so hopefully I will be reading it fairly soon! I always love a good young adult mystery, and I have heard very good things about this one. Plus, I love that it has an older protagonist.
This Place: 150 Years Retold by Multiple Autors
My understanding of the plot to This Place is that it reframes the last 150 years of settler-colonialist history as a dystopian existence for Indigenous Peoples. I am not usually a graphic novel person or an anthology person, but I am totally willing to set my biases aside for this one because it looks so good.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
I would guess that Braiding Sweetgrass is on a lot of peoples’ lists, as it has gotten a lot of attention in the last year or so. I’ve only heard good things, and the writing is supposed to be gorgeous.
If you know a book by an Indigenous author that is not on this list, by all means please share with me!
Reading with Delaney 