These are just some of the books by Native American authors. Type in the author's name in the One Search box to find more.
There There by Tommy Orange"Not since Sherman Alexie's The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and Louise Erdrich's Love Medicine has such a powerful and urgent Native American voice exploded onto the landscape of contemporary fiction. Tommy Orange's There There introduces a brilliant new author at the start of a major career. "We all came to the powwow for different reasons. The messy, dangling threads of our lives got pulled into a braid--tied to the back of everything we'd been doing all along to get us here. There will be death and playing dead, there will be screams and unbearable silences, forever-silences, and a kind of time-travel, at the moment the gunshots start, when we look around and see ourselves as we are, in our regalia, and something in our blood will recoil then boil hot enough to burn through time and place and memory. We'll go back to where we came from, when we were people running from bullets at the end of that old world. The tragedy of it all will be unspeakable, that we've been fighting for decades to be recognized as a present-tense people, modern and relevant, only to die in the grass wearing feathers." Jacquie Red Feather is newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind in shame in Oakland. Dene Oxedrene is pulling his life together after his uncle's death and has come to work the powwow and to honor his uncle's memory. Edwin Frank has come to find his true father. Bobby Big Medicine has come to drum the Grand Entry. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield has come to watch her nephew Orvil Red Feather; Orvil has taught himself Indian dance through YouTube videos, and he has come to the Big Oakland Powwow to dance in public for the very first time. Tony Loneman is a young Native American boy whose future seems destined to be as bleak as his past, and he has come to the Powwow with darker intentions--intentions that will destroy the lives of everyone in his path. Fierce, angry, funny, groundbreaking--Tommy Orange's first novel is a wondrous and shattering portrait of an America few of us have ever seen. There There is a multi-generational, relentlessly paced story about violence and recovery, hope and loss, identity and power, dislocation and communion, and the beauty and despair woven into the history of a nation and its people. A glorious, unforgettable debut"
Publication Date: 2018
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman AlexieWhen his mother passed away at the age of 78, Sherman Alexie responded the only way he knew how: he wrote. The result is this memoir. Featuring 78 poems, 78 essays, and intimate family photographs, Alexie shares raw, angry, funny, profane, tender memories of a childhood few can imagine -- growing up dirt-poor on an Indian reservation, one of four children raised by alcoholic parents. Throughout, a portrait emerges of his mother as a beautiful, mercurial, abusive, intelligent, complicated woman. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me is an account of a complicated relationship, an unflinching and unforgettable remembrance.
Publication Date: 2017
The Road Back to Sweetgrass: a novel by Linda LeGarde GroverSet in northern Minnesota, The Road Back to Sweetgrass follows Dale Ann, Theresa, and Margie, a trio of American Indian women, from the 1970s to the present, observing their coming of age and the intersection of their lives as they navigate love, economic hardship, loss, and changing family dynamics on the fictional Mozhay Point reservation. As young women, all three leave their homes. Margie and Theresa go to Duluth for college and work; there Theresa gets to know a handsome Indian boy, Michael Washington, who invites her home to the Sweetgrass land allotment to meet his father, Zho Wash, who lives in the original allotment cabin. When Margie accompanies her, complicated relationships are set into motion, and tensions over "real Indian-ness" emerge. Dale Ann, Margie, and Theresa find themselves pulled back again and again to the Sweetgrass allotment, a silent but ever-present entity in the book; sweetgrass itself is a plant used in the Ojibwe ceremonial odissimaa bag, containing a newborn baby's umbilical cord. In a powerful final chapter, Zho Wash tells the story of the first days of the allotment, when the Wazhushkag, or Muskrat, family became transformed into the Washingtons by the pen of a federal Indian agent. This sense of place and home is both tangible and spiritual, and Linda LeGarde Grover skillfully connects it with the experience of Native women who came of age during the days of the federal termination policy and the struggle for tribal self-determination. The Road Back to Sweetgrass is a novel that that moves between past and present, the Native and the non-Native, history and myth, and tradition and survival, as the people of Mozhay Point navigate traumatic historical events and federal Indian policies while looking ahead to future generations and the continuation of the Anishinaabe people.
Publication Date: 2014
The Round House by Louise ErdrichThe Round House won the National Book Award for fiction. One of the most revered novelists of our time;a brilliant chronicler of Native-American life;Louise Erdrich returns to the territory of her bestselling, Pulitzer Prize finalist The Plague of Doves with The Round House, transporting readers to the Ojibwe reservation in North Dakota. It is an exquisitely told story of a boy on the cusp of manhood who seeks justice and understanding in the wake of a terrible crime that upends and forever transforms his family. Riveting and suspenseful, arguably the most accessible novel to date from the creator of Love Medicine, The Beet Queen, and The Bingo Palace, Erdrich's The Round House is a page-turning masterpiece of literary fiction—at once a powerful coming-of-age story, a mystery, and a tender, moving novel of family, history, and culture.
Publication Date: 2012
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman AlexieIn this darkly comic short story collection, Sherman Alexie, a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian, brilliantly weaves memory, fantasy, and stark realizxsm to paint a complex, grimly ironic portrait of life in and around the Spoke Indian Reservation. These 22 interlinked tales are narrated by characters raised on humiliation and government-issue cheese, and yet are filled with passion and affection, myth and dream. There is Victor, who as a nine-year-old crawled between his uncoscious parents hoping that the alcohol seeping through their skins might help him sleep. Thomas Builds-the-Fire, who tells his stories long after people stop listening, and Jimmy Many Horses, dying of cancer, who writes letters on stationary that reads "From the Death Bed of James Many Horses III," even though he actually writes them on his kitchen table. Against a backdrop of alcohol, car accidents, laughter, and basketball, Alexie depicts the distances between Indians and whites, reservation Indians and urban Indians, men and women,a dn most poetically, between modern Indians and the traditions of the past.
Publication Date: 2005
Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich"The beauty of Love Medicine saves us from being completely devastated by its power." -- Toni Morrison Set on a North Dakota Ojibwe reservation, Love Medicine--the first novel from master storyteller and National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich--is an epic story about the intertwined fates of two families: the Kashpaws and the Lamartines. With astonishing virtuosity, each chapter of this stunning novel draws on a range of voices to limn its tales. Black humor mingles with magic, injustice bleeds into betrayal, and through it all, bonds of love and family marry the elements into a tightly woven whole that pulses with the drama of life. Erdrich has written a multigenerational portrait of strong men and women caught in an unforgettable whirlwind of anger, desire, and the healing power that is love medicine.
Publication Date: 2009
Scalping Columbus and other damn Indian stories : truths, half-truths, and outright lies by Adam Fortunate EagleAdam Fortunate Eagle has been called many things: social activist, serious joke medicine, contrary warrior, national treasure, enemy of the state, living history. Characterizing his style as "Fortunate Eagle meets Mark Twain, Indian style," the author relates the traditions, joys, and frustrations of his own Native American experience in tones ranging from "gut-busting laughter to pissed-off anger." Leading the reader through time and space, Fortunate Eagle uses his own history--as a child in an Ojibwe community and later as a civil rights leader who, among other achievements, helped organize the takeovers of Alcatraz in 1964 and 1969--to recount the experience of modern Native peoples. The tradition of oral storytelling shines through his language and in his thoughtful and humorous juxtapositions. In the story for which the book is named, Fortunate Eagle journeys to Italy to "discover" the land and claim it in protest of Columbus Day. Wearing a traditional beaded buckskin outfit, complete with scalps hanging from his belt, he meets with the pope. Afterward, suffering from what he calls "the Pope's Revenge," he is forced to spend two days in or near a bathroom. Beginning with a foreword "written" by Sitting Bull, and traveling from moose encounters in Minnesota to the Spanish Steps in Rome, this book reminds readers of the wisdom of elders, the cross-cultural confusion of Native-white encounters, and some of the most difficult issues faced by contemporary Native peoples. Falling somewhere between fact and fiction, the tales in Scalping Columbus and Other Stories combine outrageous comedy with clever social commentary, managing both to entertain and to enlighten.
Publication Date: 2014
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie; Ellen Forney (Illustrator)Bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by Ellen Forney that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live. With a forward by Markus Zusak, interviews with Sherman Alexie and Ellen Forney, and four-color interior art throughout, this edition is perfect for fans and collectors alike.
Custer Died for Your Sins: an Indian Manifesto by Vine DeloriaIn his new preface to this paperback edition, the author observes, "The Indian world has changed so substantially since the first publication of this book that some things contained in it seem new again." Indeed, it seems that each generation of whites and Indians will have to read and reread Vine Deloria's Manifesto for some time to come, before we absorb his special, ironic Indian point of view and what he tells us, with a great deal of humor, about U.S. race relations, federal bureaucracies, Christian churches, and social scientists. This book continues to be required reading for all Americans, whatever their special interest.
Publication Date: 1988
House Made of Dawn by N. Scott MomadayHouse Made of Dawn, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1969, tells the story of a young American Indian named Abel, home from a foreign war and caught between two worlds: one his father's, wedding him to the rhythm of the seasons and the harsh beauty of the land; the other of industrial America, a goading him into a compulsive cycle of dissipation and disgust.
Publication Date: 1999
Fools Crow by James WelchThe year is 1870, and Fool's Crow, so called after he killed the chief of the Crows during a raid, has a vision at the annual Sun Dance ceremony. The young warrior sees the end of the Indian way of life and the choice that must be made: resistance or humiliating accommodation. "A major contibution to Native American literature." --Wallace Stegner.
Publication Date: 1987
Featured Databases
Literature (Gale)This link opens in a new windowGale Literary Sources integrates full-text literary content with metadata and subject indexing and provides workflow tools to analyze information. You can research authors and their works, literary movements and genres. Search across your library's Literature databases to find full text of literary works, journal articles, literature criticism, reviews, biographical information and overviews.
This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Literary Reference Source Plus (Badgerlink)This link opens in a new windowA collection of literary criticism and works with a broad spectrum of information on thousands of authors and their works across literary disciplines and time-frames. For students and adult researchers
This link opens in a new window
Literature Resource Center (Gale)This link opens in a new windowProvides access to biographies, bibliographies, and critical analysis of authors and their works from every age and literary discipline.
This link opens in a new window
Biography (Gale In Context)This link opens in a new windowAn engaging online experience for those seeking contextual information on the world's most influential people.
Keywords: biography, autobiography, memoir, history
This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
History Reference Source (BadgerLink)This link opens in a new windowFeatures full text for more than 2,400 reference books, encyclopedias and non-fiction books from leading history publishers. It also includes full text for more than 130 leading history periodicals. The database contains more than 61,100 historical documents; more than 66,000 biographies of historical figures; more than 110,200 historical photos and maps; and more than 80 hours of historical video.
Offers fast access to more than 15,000 years of culture and history, covering more than 600 Native American Groups.
U.S. History (Gale In Context)This link opens in a new windowProvides access to more than 1,000 historical (primary) documents, more than 30,000 reference articles, and over 65 full-text journals covering themes, events, individuals and periods in U.S. history from pre-Colonial times to the present.
This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Featured Films on Demand Videos
Ancestral VoicesThis program features poets who turn to the past and to their own cultural heritage to understand the present. They eloquently reflect their own personal journeys through poetry. Garrett Kaoru Hongo’s work reflects his Japanese-American heritage. Hongo began to write poetry because he wanted "more than anything to belong to the history of Asians in America." Joy Harjo’s poetry is influenced by her Native American heritage. Her poetry emphasizes the oral tradition and sacred imagery of her Native American ancestors. Mary TallMountain’s work draws on her Native American and Anglo background. Her poetry recalls her childhood memories of life in an Alaskan village and the life she left behind when she was adopted by an Anglo family. (60 minutes)
Native Voices—American Passages: A Literary Surveyative Americans had established a rich and highly developed tradition of oral literature long before the writings of the European colonists. This program explores that richness by introducing Native American oral traditions through the work of three contemporary authors: Leslie Marmon Silko (Laguna Pueblo), Simon Ortiz (Acoma Pueblo), and Luci Tapahonso (Navajo).
Native American Novelists SeriesIn 1969, N. Scott Momaday, a Kiowa Indian writer, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel House Made of Dawn. This catalyzed the flowering of Native American literature in the United States. In this series of intimate portraits of four outstanding Native American novelists, N. Scott Momaday, James Welch, Leslie M. Silko, and Gerald Vizenor seek to define themselves and their culture and to explain both the past and the present of their people. Each has experienced the tragedies of the Native American people—forced resettlement, loss of identity, loneliness, alcoholism, and despair—and has written about them with courage, understanding, and great literary sensitivity. 4 part series, 45–50 minutes each.
Moyers & Company: Living Outside Tribal Linesn this edition of Moyers & Company, Bill is joined by writer Sherman Alexie. Born on a Native American reservation, Alexie has been navigating the boundaries of American culture in lauded poetry, novels, short stories, screenplays, and even stand-up comedy for more than two decades. Alexie discusses the challenges of living in different cultures at the same time—“I know a lot more about being white than you know about being Indian,” he tells Bill—and shares his irreverent perspective on contemporary American life. Broadcast dates: April 12, 2013, and May 31, 2013. (43 minutes)
Featured Books About Native American Authors
Native American literature : a very short introduction by Sean TeutonNorth American indigenous literature began over thirty thousand years ago when indigenous people began telling stories of emergence and creation, journey and quest, and heroism and trickery. By setting indigenous literature in historical moments, Sean Teuton skillfully traces its evolution from the ancient role of bringing rain and healing the body, to its later purpose in resisting European invasion and colonization, into its current place as a world literature that confronts dominance while celebrating the imagination and resilience of indigenous lives. By the time Europeans arrived in North America indigenous people already understood the power of written language and the need to transmit philosophy, history, and literature across generations and peoples. Seeking out multiple literary forms such as sermon, poetry, and novel to serve differing worldviews Indigenous authors have shaped their writing into North American indigenous literature as we recognize it today. In this lucid narrative, Sean Teuton leads readers into indigenous worlds. He describes the invention of a written indigenous language, the first indigenous language newspaper, and the literary occupation of Alcatraz Island.
Leslie Marmon Silko : a literary companion by Mary Ellen SnodgrassThis companion, appropriate for the lay reader and researcher alike, provides analysis of characters, plots, humor, symbols, philosophies, and classic themes from the writings and tellings of Leslie Marmon Silko, the celebrated novelist, poet, memoirist and Native American wisewoman. The text opens with an annotated chronology of Silko's multiracial heritage, life and works, followed by a family tree of the Leslie-Marmon families that clarifies relationships of the people who ?ll her autobiographical musings. In the main text, 87 A-to-Z entries combine literary and cultural commentary with generous citations from primary and secondary sources and comparisons to classic and popular literature. Back matter includes a glossary of Pueblo terms and a list of 43 questions for research, writing projects, and discussion. This much-needed text will aid both scholars and casual readers interested in the work and career of the first internationally-acclaimed native woman author in the United States.
Publication Date: 2011
Native American Writers by Harold Bloom (Introduction by)Native Americans have produced some of the most powerful and lyrical literature ever written in North America. This volume examines some of the finest Native American writers, including Joy Harjo, Louise Erdrich, James Welch, Sherman Alexie, N. Scott Momaday, Samsom Occom, Zitkala-Sa, and Leslie Marmon Silko. Yale literature professor Harold Bloom introduces this new edition, which also features a bibliography, a chronology, and an index for easy reference. This title in the ""Bloom's Modern Critical Views"" series presents a well-rounded critical portrait of an influential group of writers by examining their body of work through eight to 12 full-length essays.
Publication Date: 2010
Native American Women Writers by Harold Bloom (Editor)This collective biography contains biographical material & literary criticism on such Native American poets & novelists as Paula Gunn Allen, Louise Erdrich, Joy Harjo, E. Pauline Johnson, & Mourning Dove.
Publication Date: 1998
Sherman Alexie by Leon Lewis; Salem Press StaffNoticed initially as a Native American author, Sherman Alexie has since achieved a reputation as a significant figure in the American literary landscape. The essays in this set discuss many different aspects of Alexie's works. Original essays include a co
Publication Date: 2011
Native American Literatures by Suzanne LundquistThis book offers students, writers, and serious fans a window into some of the most popular topics, styles and periods in this subject. Authors studied include N. Scott Momaday, Leslie Marmon Silko, Louise Erdrich, James Welch, Linda Hogan, Gerald Vizenor and Sherman Alexie.
Publication Date: 2004
Native American literatures : an encyclopedia of works, characters, authors, and themes by Kathy J. WhitsonThe earliest Native American writers wrote tribal histories or autobiographical accounts. Today, Native American writing is steeped in the oral traditions of many peoples and reflects a facility with language that is equally at home in prose or poetry. "Native American Literatures" is a sourcebook that can enhance any reader's appreciation of both the writers and their works. Cross referencing allows readers to move easily among the listings, guiding them to other examples of an author's works and from character to character within a given novel.