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There There
A wondrous and shattering award-winning novel that follows twelve characters from Native communities: all traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow, all connected to one another in ways they may not yet realize. Read and discuss the Pulitzer Prize finalist and national bestseller now ahead of Tommy Orange’s highly anticipated follow-up Wandering Stars hits bookstores in 2024.
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Readers say *There There* by Tommy Orange offers a powerful, multifaceted portrayal of contemporary Native American life through twelve interconnected...
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There There by Tommy Orange
290 pages
What’s it about?
This group of interrelated stories revolves around the Native American community in Oakland, Ca. All twelve characters are traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow for a variety of reasons.
What did it make me think about?
This novel was unique in that it did not take place on the Great Plains in the 1800's, not does it take place on a reservation. This is the story of twelve people that live in an urban setting and how being a Native American affects their life in the city of Oakland.
Should I read it?
So I will say that the hardest part of this book was keeping the characters straight. Don't despair- just read on! Tommy Orange succeeds brilliantly in making all these characters matter. Even if you are unsure who is who- you are still interested in knowing more. Jacquie Red Feather was one of my personal favorites, but so many of the characters were compelling. I would put this book up with any of the great novels that connect many short stories into one larger story. As soon as I closed the book I wanted to re-open it and start over. It's that kind of a book.
Quote-
"I want to bring something new to the Native experience as it's seen on screen. We haven't seen the Urban Indian story. What we've seen is full of the kinds of stereotypes that are the reason no one is interested in the Native story in general, it's too sad, so sad it can't even be entertaining, but more importantly because of the way it's been portrayed, it looks pathetic, and we perpetuate that, but no, fuck that, excuse my language, but it makes me mad, because the whole picture is not pathetic, and the individual people and stories that you come across are not pathetic or weak or in need of pity, and there is real passion there, and rage, and that's part of what I'm bringing to the project, because I feel that way too, ...."
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The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen
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The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra
Transatlantic by Colum McCann
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
There There by Tommy Orange
290 pages
What’s it about?
This group of interrelated stories revolves around the Native American community in Oakland, Ca. All twelve characters are traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow for a variety of reasons.
What did it make me think about?
This novel was unique in that it did not take place on the Great Plains in the 1800's, not does it take place on a reservation. This is the story of twelve people that live in an urban setting and how being a Native American affects their life in the city of Oakland.
Should I read it?
So I will say that the hardest part of this book was keeping the characters straight. Don't despair- just read on! Tommy Orange succeeds brilliantly in making all these characters matter. Even if you are unsure who is who- you are still interested in knowing more. Jacquie Red Feather was one of my personal favorites, but so many of the characters were compelling. I would put this book up with any of the great novels that connect many short stories into one larger story. As soon as I closed the book I wanted to re-open it and start over. It's that kind of a book.
Quote-
"I want to bring something new to the Native experience as it's seen on screen. We haven't seen the Urban Indian story. What we've seen is full of the kinds of stereotypes that are the reason no one is interested in the Native story in general, it's too sad, so sad it can't even be entertaining, but more importantly because of the way it's been portrayed, it looks pathetic, and we perpetuate that, but no, fuck that, excuse my language, but it makes me mad, because the whole picture is not pathetic, and the individual people and stories that you come across are not pathetic or weak or in need of pity, and there is real passion there, and rage, and that's part of what I'm bringing to the project, because I feel that way too, ...."
If you like this try-
The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra
Transatlantic by Colum McCann
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
As someone on their own cultural identity journey, I'm so happy to have read this book at the perfect time. Every story matters and these characters and their interwoven stories are a testament to that. The reminder that silence supports erasure is just a small part of the themes in this book. I hope this finds other readers in their right time.
4.5 stars rounded up! Such an intense and hard-to-read-at-times book, but so very important. It took a little to get into, learning the characters, but once I did, I didn't want to put it down. Orange has done a phenomenal job weaving the varying characters' stories together, and wow, do those characters jump off the page. This one is well-written and unforgettable.
#popsugarreadingchallenge2021 (prompt #16 - A book by an indigenous author)
#popsugarreadingchallenge2021 (prompt #16 - A book by an indigenous author)
Written well but depressing. A perspective into what it means to be an urban Native American in the present day, something I didn’t know anything about.
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