What happens when you read 30 books by indigenous/native authors? You want more.
That was my goal for this year, and although I just completed the challenge, my Goodreads queue is still going so I’m going to keep bulk requesting books from the library.
I read many genres by native writers: memoirs, poetry, history, fiction, fantasy. The authors ranged in ages and genders and no two books were quite alike.
This challenge made me revaluate my owner attitude. I’m not entitled to anything. Including the delusion that reading these books might have made me any type of expert.
A pattern I picked up on is that these books embraced a spirit of collective responsibility. They inspired me to be a better contributor to my community.
Reading 30 books by native authors also reinforced that words like powwow, chief, and tribe are not mine to use.
In this reading challenge I was exposed to American history that wasn’t covered in public schools, such as the very recent termination policy dismantling tribal sovereignty, and Alcatraz being occupied by Native Americans for 19 months from 1969-71. I also learned that the American Indian Movement (AIM) should be studied alongside the Civil Rights Movement.
It’s a travesty that indigenous fantasy isn’t more prominent amongst fantasy audiences because native folk tales go hand-in-hand with epic and magical world-building. Indigenous authors need to be winning more Hugo and Nebula Awards.
Here is the list of works that I read by native authors this year. I’ll be adding to this list for the rest of 2023.
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Firekeeper’s Daughter – Angeline Boulley
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Apple: Skin to the Core – Eric Gansworth
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Winter Counts – David Heska Wanbli Weiden
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian – Sherman Alexie
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Indian Horse: A Novel – Richard Wagamese
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A History of My Brief Body – Billy-Ray Belcourt
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Hunting by Stars – Cherie Dimaline
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A Snake Falls to Earth – Darcie Little Badger
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Feed – Tommy Pico
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The Marrow Thieves – Cherie Dimaline
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Noopiming – Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
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Girl Gone Missing – Marcie R. Rendon
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A Girl Called Echo Vol. 2 – Katherena Vermette
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A Girl Called Echo Vol. 1 – Katherena Vermette
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Sinister Graves – Marcie R. Rendon
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Where The Dead Sit Talking – Brandon Hobson
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The Road Back to Sweetgrass – Linda LeGarde Grover
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Winter in the Blood – James Welch
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Bad Cree – Jessica Johns
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Son of a Trickster – Eden Robinson
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Almanac of the Dead – Leslie Marmon Silko
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Once Were Warriors – Alan Duff
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Murder on the Red River – Marcie R. Rendon
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White Horse – Erika T. Wurth
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The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee – David Treuer
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Too Much Lip – Melissa Lucashenko
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Trail of Lightning – Rebecca Roanhorse
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The Things She’s Seen – Ambelin Kwaymullina
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The Only Good Indians – Stephen Graham Jones
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Elatsoe – Darcie Little Badger (this was my favorite!!!)
Day Learning Design 