Books for Native American Heritage Month!
It’s Native American Heritage Month! There are more Indigenous books hitting shelves than ever before, and nonfiction titles are no exception. So, this week I’ve collected some backlist must-read Native books for your TBR.
Why Indigenous Literatures Matter by Daniel Heath Justice
Let’s start with Why Indigenous Literatures Matter by Daniel Heath Justice, an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation and a faculty member in First Nations and Indigenous Studies and English at the University of British Columbia. Why Indigenous Literatures Matter discusses the unique qualities of Indigenous Literatures and the importance of decolonizing your approach to engaging with Indigenous writers’ work. Justice’s writing is incredibly accessible, and he clearly defines his terms and walks readers through his thought process. This book is a great one to read before jumping into your Indigenous Lit TBR pile. Plus, it includes a host of more books by Native authors.
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present by David Treuer
Many of us remember the incredibly popular Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, in which Dee Henderson argued that Indigenous culture functionally ended at the massacre at Wounded Knee. But in The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee, Ojibwe writer David Truer writes about how Indigenous cultures across Turtle Island are very much alive. Following Indigenous history from 1890 to the present, Truer features interviews and research about Indigenous peoples preserving and celebrating their cultures. The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee presents an Indigenous history that is very much alive and ongoing.
Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City by Tanya Talaga
Investigative journalist Tanya Talaga writes about the long-lasting impact of residential schools on Indigenous youth today. In the 1960s, a twelve-year-old Indigenous boy froze to death while trying to escape a residential school. Talaga follows how this boy’s death is connected to the deaths of seven Indigenous high school students from 2000 to 2011. Talaga combs through archives and interviews Indigenous elders, students, and school administrators, illustrating how this one northern, small-town school is emblematic of Canada’s history of settler colonial violence against Indigenous peoples across the continent.
Dog Flowers by Danielle Geller
Danielle Geller starts off the memoir with her mother’s death from alcohol withdrawal. As Geller sorts belongings, she begins to piece together her mother’s life. She learns how the decisions her mother made stemmed from numerous challenges she faced throughout her life. Eventually, Geller heads to her mother’s homeland, the Navajo Nation, to reconnect with the community and culture. Full of discussions around mothers and daughters and the inheritance our parents leave behind, Dog Flowers is a beautiful testament to her mother’s life.
You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, on TikTok @kendrawinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
