November is Native American Heritage Month and we have several new selections in our Adult Fiction section, written by Native American/First Nations authors. Many of these writers are a part of the "third wave" of Native writers. The first wave occurred in the late 1960s with the publishing of works by N. Scott Momaday (House Made of Dawn is a classic) and the nonfiction works of Vine DeLoria Jr. The second wave of Native writers occurred in the late-1980s/early-1990s with the works of Louise Erdrich, Sherman Alexie, and Joy Harjo. The current wave of contemporary Native writers are crossing the boundaries of fiction genres, delving into fantasy, mystery, and horror genres....all the while writing main characters who are complex in their identities, breaking through cycles of generational trauma, and building something new, something strong, something modern and Indigenous. Some of these selections do delve into the issues surrounding the effects of the Indian Boarding School systems: abuse at the hands of trusted authorities, separation from family and tribal culture, survival tactics of assimilation into dominant culture, and (finally) a reclamation of tribal and individual freedoms and identities.
Top Fiction Selections for Native American Heritage Month 2023
Never Whistle at Night various authors
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