Native American Literature

The 57th Annual Native American Day at the West Steps of the Capitol is on September 27, 2024.  Click here for more information.

Image Credit: Aspen Card Catalog; Image Link

Wandering Stars | Tommy Orange

Check it out in our online card catalog!

Summary: Native Americans are still here! This novel is about epigenetic and generational trauma that has forced Native Americans to reconcile the past with the present. This book follows up Tommy Orange’s first book There There. I recommend both books for teachers and adults attempting to understand the Native American journey.

Recommendation: Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, Illinois Public Act 103-422 requires that every public school social studies course about American history or government include a unit of instruction on the events of the Native American experience and Native American history within Illinois. I believe Tommy Orange’s books, although geared toward an adult audience, can help teachers understand the struggles of modern day Native Americans. This knowledge will assist teaching students to better understand the curriculum. Native Americans are still here!

---

Image Credit: Aspen Card Catalog; Image Link

There There | Tommy Orange

Check it out in our online card catalog!

Summary: There There is a relentlessly paced multigenerational story about beauty and despair woven into the history of a nation and its people. Tommy Orange writes of the plight of the urban Native American grappling with a complex and painful history. This unforgettable debut book is destined to become required reading in universities across the country.

Recommendation: Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, Illinois Public Act 103-422 requires that every public school social studies course about American history or government include a unit of instruction on the events of the Native American experience and Native American history within Illinois. I believe Tommy Orange’s books, although geared toward an adult audience, can help teachers understand the struggles of modern day Native Americans. This knowledge will assist teaching students to better understand the curriculum. Native Americans are still here!

---

Image Credit: Aspen Card Catalog; Image Link

Where Wolves Don’t Die | Anton Treuer

Check it out in our online card catalog!

Summary: This is a Juvenile Fiction novel focusing on the life and unfortunate events of Ezra Cloud. Ezra is a Native American student struggling to piece together a life worthy of his ancestry in this coming of age Native American novel. This book would make a great addition to the development of a Native American curriculum studies course at the middle school level. Although geared for younger readers, I found this book compelling and full of suspense.

Recommendation: Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, Illinois Public Act 103-422 requires that every public school social studies course about American history or government include a unit of instruction on the events of the Native American experience and Native American history within Illinois. I believe Tommy Orange’s books, although geared toward an adult audience, can help teachers understand the struggles of modern day Native Americans. This knowledge will assist teaching students to better understand the curriculum. Native Americans are still here!

---