Contemporary Native American WritersLike this list

15 items

• There There

  Orange, Tommy, 1982-

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  This acclaimed debut novel uses braided narrative to introduce twelve urban Indians preparing for a pow-wow in Oakland, CA.

• Heart Berries

  a Memoir

  Mailhot, Terese Marie,

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  This New Your Times Best Seller brought Native women out of the shadows through the author's gripping and confessional storytelling.

• Whereas

  Long Soldier, Layli,

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  A National Book Award finalist, this collection of poetry takes on the duplicitous treatment of Native Americans by the U.S. government.

• Braiding Sweetgrass

  Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

  Kimmerer, Robin Wall

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  Kimmerer is an indigenous scientists who shares her wealth of knowledge on the gifts and lessons nature has to offer.

• Give Me Some Truth

  Gansworth, Eric L,

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  Set in the 80s, this young adult novels follows two teens on a New York reservation as they struggle to keep a band together.

• Abandon Me

  Memoirs

  Febos, Melissa,

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  A memoir seeking to sort through myth, memory and meaning, as the author tries to reconnect with her long absent Native American father.

• LaRose

  Erdrich, Louise,

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  No list of indigenous authors would be complete without acknowledging Louise Erdich's significant contribution to the American canon. This book is considered her literary masterwork.

• Mapping the Interior

  Jones, Stephen Graham, 1972-

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  If you're looking for something scary, this horror novella provides a chilling tale while also exploring what it means to be Native.

• An American Sunrise

  Poems

  Harjo, Joy,

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  In this powerful book of poems from the first Native American Poet Laureate of the United States, Harjo combines personal stories with tribal history.

• Trail of Lightning

  Roanhorse, Rebecca,

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  This fantasy novel set in a dystopic future brings to life heroes and monsters of Navajo legend.

• The Turquoise Ledge

  a Memoir

  Silko, Leslie, 1948-

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  Silko is a masterful storyteller who takes us on an exploration of the Arizona dessert that is her home.

• #NotYourPrincess

  Voices of Native American Women

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  A collection of many forms of expression—poetry, essays, art and fiction—from young Indigenous women.

• You Don't Have to Say You Love Me

  a Memoir

  Alexie, Sherman, 1966-

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  Alexie is best known for his novel "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," but in this nonfiction work he tackles his complicated and formative relationship with his mother.

• Hearts Unbroken

  Smith, Cynthia Leitich,

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  A young adult novel that details what it's like to be Native in a mostly-white high school.

• Crazy Brave

  a Memoir

  Harjo, Joy

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  Harjo, a member of the Muskoke Nation, uses her skill as a poet to create this moving and lyrical memoir.