Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Indigenous Identity, Coming of Age, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Family, Safety & Danger
Tags Children`s Literature, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality
Indigenous People's Literature
Every November, we honor the talent, wisdom, and histories of the Indigenous peoples of the United States. Featuring poetry, memoirs, fiction, and more, the selections in this Collection highlight the range of voices, experiences, and literary contributions of Indigenous writers.
Skeleton Man
Solar Storms
Son of a Trickster
Split Tooth
Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
The Back of the Turtle
The Barren Grounds
The Beet Queen
The Berry Pickers
The Birchbark House
The Bone People
The Break
The Broken Spears
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter
The End of Drum-Time
The Facebook Sonnet
The Game of Silence
The Grass Dancer
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Indigenous Identity, Coming of Age, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Family, Safety & Danger
Tags Children`s Literature, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality
Publication year 1994
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Realistic Fiction, Education, Education, World History, Historical Fiction
First published in 1995, Solar Storms, a novel by Linda Hogan, tells the story of 17-year-old Angel Iron’s coming-of-age as a Native American woman in the early 1970s. During this time, the Native American way of life is increasingly coming under threat. Angel’s narrative is continually interspersed with those of her grandmothers, as a means of giving a fuller rendition of the Native American female experience during the 20th century.The dominant narrative begins when 17-year-old... Read Solar Storms Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Fantasy, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism
Son of a Trickster is a 2017 young adult realistic fantasy novel by Eden Robinson. The first book in Robinson’s Trickster trilogy, it was shortlisted for various Canadian awards and was a Canadian bestseller. Set in Robinson’s hometown of Kitimat, British Columbia, the story is informed by the author’s Haisla and Heiltsuk heritage. The novel contains mature themes including addiction, abuse, and self-harm.Plot SummaryThe protagonist is 16-year-old Jared, a Native boy who lives with his... Read Son of a Trickster Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Perseverance, Religion & Spirituality, Good & Evil
Tags Magical Realism, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Canadian Literature
Publication year 1984
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Tags US History, Education, Education, World History, Biography
Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership by R. David Edmunds is both a biography of the titular Shawnee war chief Tecumseh and an overview of the political movement he started in the early 19th century.From roughly 1805 until his death in October 1813, Tecumseh played a pivotal role in establishing relations between the United States and Native Americans in the Old Northwest Territory (now part of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota). Along... Read Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership Summary
Publication year 2007
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Race, Masculinity, Friendship
Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Race & Racism, Poverty, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Grief & Death, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Humor
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a young adult novel by Sherman Alexie, published in 2007 with art by Ellen Forney. Alexie, a Spokane/Cour d’Alene Indian (a term he prefers to “Native American”), began the book as a memoir inspired by experiences he had growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington, and attending the predominantly white Reardan High School in Reardan, Washington. The book received much praise and many... Read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Summary
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Environment, Fate, Community, Power & Greed, Climate
Tags Fantasy, Modern Classic Fiction, Canadian Literature
The Back of the Turtle (2014) is a bestselling novel by Canadian American author Thomas King. King is of Cherokee Greek descent and has garnered acclaim for his novels about Indigenous Canadian experiences, including The Inconvenient Indian and Green Grass Running Water. The Back of the Turtle won King the Governor General’s literary award.The narrative follows Gabriel Quinn, a member of the First Nations community of Lethbridge, Alberta, as he returns to his family’s home... Read The Back of the Turtle Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Colonialism, Environment, Self Discovery
Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Animals
Publication year 1986
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Conflict, Indigenous Identity, Family, Religion & Spirituality, Community
Tags Historical Fiction, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Relationships, Depression & Suicide, LGBTQ+, Race & Racism, Religion & Spirituality
Louise Erdrich’s The Beet Queen, published in 1986, is a sequel to her award-winning debut novel, Love Medicine. The Beet Queen was followed by two other novels in the series, Tracks and The Bingo Palace. Though most of The Beet Queen’s characters are non-Indigenous, the series as a whole is concerned with issues facing Indigenous Americans, particularly those living on tribal lands in Minnesota and North Dakota. Characters and storylines are woven throughout the four... Read The Beet Queen Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Indigenous Identity, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Death, The Past, Mothers, Siblings, Globalization, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Canadian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History
Publication year 1999
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, World History
The Birchbark House is a 1999 juvenile novel by Louise Erdrich. The book is the first in a five-book series. It takes place in 1847 on Madeline Island, or Moningwanaykaning, meaning “Island of the Golden-Breasted Woodpecker,” located on Lake Superior. The book follows the story of Omakayas, a young Anishinabe (Indigenous Ojibwa) girl and her family over the course of one year. While the book is presented episodically, with four different segments highlighting various cultural... Read The Birchbark House Summary
Publication year 1984
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Love, Gender Identity, Colonialism
Tags Magical Realism, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
The Bone People (1984) by Keri Hulme was the first New Zealand novel to receive the Booker Prize. It also earned a number of other awards, including the 1984 New Zealand Book Award and the Pegasus Award for Maori Literature. A native of Christchurch, Hulme grew up on the South Island. She comes from a large, diverse, multicultural family of English, Scottish, and Maori descent. After finishing high school, the writer began working as a... Read The Bone People Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Indigenous Identity, Community, Colonialism, Self Discovery
Tags Gender & Feminism, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction, Canadian Literature
Publication year 1959
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes War, Colonialism, Power & Greed
Tags World History, Anthropology, Grief & Death, Military & War, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Latin American Literature, Education, Education, Anthropology
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Memory, Indigenous Identity, Colonialism, Nation, Justice
Tags Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Indigenous Identity, Place, Colonialism, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Scandinavian Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance
Publication year 2011
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Community
Tags Technology
Publication year 2005
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Hope, Indigenous Identity, Coming of Age, Future, Animals, Self Discovery, Colonialism
Tags Historical Fiction, American Literature, Children`s Literature, World History
The Game of Silence is work of middle-grade historical fiction by contemporary American author Louise Erdrich. Published in 2005, it is the second novel in Erdrich’s Birchbark House series. The first novel in this series, The Birchbark House (1999), is set in 1847 and introduces Omakayas and her family. The Birchbark House was a finalist for the prestigious National Book Award. With The Game of Silence, Erdrich continues the saga of Omakayas’s family, and this... Read The Game of Silence Summary
Publication year 1994
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Colonialism, Family, Coming of Age, Community, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Relationships, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Fantasy
The Grass Dancer (1994) is the debut novel by Susan Power, an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. This young adult novel is part of the magical realism genre. Using a nonlinear structure and overlapping narratives, Power slowly pieces together a story that links generations of Sioux families together in a complex and powerful way. The following material was gathered using a first edition copy of the text.Plot SummaryThe Prologue begins with Harley... Read The Grass Dancer Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Colonialism, Race, Nation
Tags US History, Gilded Age, Race & Racism, World History, Social Justice, Politics & Government
Anthropologist David Treuer’s The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present (2019) revives Indigenous history and centers Indigenous people as subjects, not as mere victims of American avarice. It was a finalist for the National Book Award in Nonfiction. Treuer is a member of the Ojibwe tribe from the Leech Lake Reservation in north-central Minnesota. He has a doctorate in anthropology, teaches at the University of Southern California, and is the... Read The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee Summary