Reading Across Indian Country

Every March 2 the National Education Association celebrates "Read Across American Day" with millions of educators and students across the country.  Since we have several avid readers on our team we asked for their best recommendations for our followers that want to read across Indian Country this spring!  We think they came up with some great reads, check them out!

There There:  A Novel
By Tommy Orange

"Orange's critically acclaimed novel grapples with the question of "what does it mean to be American Indian in urban communities in the United States?"  It traces the stories of a host of overlapping characters like "Love Actually" if Christmas was a powwow at the Oakland Coliseum and London was the Native community in Oakland, California.  In addition to struggling with identity, Orange places his tale in the context of other contemporary issues in Indian Country like substance abuse, activism, and adoption.  This is a great read regardless of your familiarity with American Indian peoples and contemporary issues in their communities."

- Ryan Goeckner, Social Media Coordinator                              & Research Associate (CAICH)

"Tommy Orange is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, he was born and raised in Oakland, California.  His debut novel is definitely worth reading.  This book is a multi-generational story that follows the story of twelve characters and their travel to the Big Oakland Powwow. Orange takes the reader through how the history of a nation impacts many different emotions ranging from violence to beauty."

-Joseph Pacheco, Predoctoral Fellow in Health Policy and Management (CAICH)

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For Indigenous Eyes Only: A Decolonization Handbook
Edited by Waziyatawin, Angela Wilson, & Michael Yellow Bird

"I liked this book because it is written to be easily understood, for those who may or may not be familiar with some of the concepts of colonization and decolonization in regards to American Indian peoples. The book includes several topics such as government, education, language, and stereotypes. The chapters provide a critical perspective on these topics with hand on suggestions and activities that inform and empower Indigenous folks to recognize how colonization currently impacts our lives through the social, environmental, legal, and political systems and how to take action to decolonize."

- Jason Hale, Research Instructor, Assistant Director for Community Engagement & Education (CAICH)

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A Pipe for February
By Charles H. Red Corn

"A Pipe for February is a fictional story, based on events that occurred during the "Reign of Terror" on the Osage reservation in the early 1920’s. Possibly hundreds of Osage people died mysteriously deaths as a result of  large deposits of oil being discovered on the Osage reservation making them the “richest ethnic group in the world” during World War I.  In February, John Greyeagle, an Osage, has just lost the grandparents who raised him. While visiting with tribal elders he learns of their suspicions that his grandparents' mysterious deaths weren’t accidents. John fears his friend Molly may also be in danger. With his friend Tom, he sets out to find the killers. Red Corn explores various themes throughout the book such as cultural change and the effects of newfound wealth on communities. Red Corn’s love for his people and culture are apparent throughout. Also, a screenplay is currently being produced by Red Corn's son and the former Principal Chief of the Osage Nation, Jim Gray."

- Ed Smith, Research Project Coordinator (CAIS)

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Sovereign Nations or Reservations? Indian Economies: An Economic History of American Indians
By Terry L. Anderson

"Sovereign Nations or Reservations? deals with the complex economic structures on American Indian reservations.  Anderson details the long and complicated timeline of federal policies that continue to effect reservations and their abilities to exercise their sovereignty in the United States.  This focus of the book was particularly of interest to me and would be for anyone interested in the intricate nature of federal economic policy's effects on American Indian peoples."

- Jordyn Gunville, Predoctoral Fellow in Health Policy and Management (CAICH)

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The Scalpel and the Silver Bear: The First Navajo Surgeon Combines Western Medicine and Traditional Healing
By Lori Alvord and Elizabeth Cohen Van Pelt

"As Native young women, we have fewer female role models in the fields of medicine and higher education than other groups in the United States. The Scalpel and the Silver Bear follows Dr. Lori Alvord's story of origins on the Navajo Nation to her time at Dartmouth College and Stanford University.  She shares the ups and downs of being an indigenous person in higher education and how she balanced her cultural beliefs with the demands of her new career field. Dr. Alvord's story of becoming the first female Navajo surgeon encouraged me to pursue my passion for working in healthcare as a Navajo woman. Although I'm studying Public Health instead of surgery, I continue to be inspired of Dr. Alvord’s work on ensuring her hospitals have traditional Navajo hogans and medicine men on staff to help her patients."


- Christina Haswood, MPH student (CAICH)

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The Round House
By Louise Erdrich

"In The Round House, Louise Erdrich tells the story of a traumatic assault and the consequences the assault has on the novel's thirteen year old narrator, Joe, and his entire family and community. The Round House speaks of the complexity of trying criminal cases in Native communities and sheds light on important matters of Tribal sovereignty. The first time I started to read this book I could not put it down.  I was drawn to the suspense and the mystery behind the story and the way Erdrich described the characters and the setting so vividly.  So far, I have read this novel three times and I will definitely return to it in the future."

-Dasy Resendiz, Research Assistant (CAIS)

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Los Sin Dios: A Native American War Manual
By Ricardo Ignacio

 "Los Sin Dios is the story of a indigenous young man who grows up battling the impacts of colonialism, forced assimilation, and racism. After growing up being ashamed of his indigenous culture, his grandfather asks him why he hates himself so much and gives him an antique scroll from the 1500s. Since the scroll is written in Nahuatl, he is forced to return to Oaxaca, Mexico to learn his indigenous language and understand the scroll. This book very well illustrates the history of colonialization and its lasting negative impacts on indigenous peoples. "

-Charley Lewis, Research Instructor,
Assistant Director for Data Management (CAICH)

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Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto
By Vine Deloria, Jr.

"Regarded by many as the first book in the field of American Indian Studies, Custer Died for Your Sins has become a classic in the discipline and one of the many groundbreaking books written by Vine Delora, Jr. during his life.  Deloria (1933-2005) was a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and a historian, theologian, author, and activist.  He was a professor at the University of Arizona and the University of Colorado.  He was also the executive director of the National Congress of American Indians.  First published in 1969, the same year as the Occupation at Alcatraz, Deloria critiques Indian-White relations, US federal bureaucracies, Christian missionaries and churches, as well as White academics and their “studies” of Native peoples in this book.  He does it with a wit, sarcasm, and irony that still resonates 50 years later."

- Sean M. Daley, Center Director (CAIS)

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