Nonfiction for Native American Heritage Month
Created by Bob Helmbrecht, collection development librarian
Looking for some nonfiction books by Native American authors to read during Native American Heritage Month. We have quite a few in the Library’s collection. Here is a list of some great recent titles to start you off.
- “By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land” by Rebecca Nagle
An award-winning reporter and member of the Cherokee Nation recounts the generations-long fight for tribal sovereignty in Eastern Oklahoma and the 1990s murder case that led the Supreme Court to reaffirm native rights to the land.
- “The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America From 1890 to the Present” by David Treuer
David Treuer melds history with reportage and memoir. Tracing the tribes’ distinctive cultures from first contact, he explores how the depredations of each era spawned new modes of survival.
- “Living Resistance: An Indigenous Vision for Seeking Wholeness Every Day” by Kaitlin B. Curtice
Popular Indigenous author Kaitlin Curtice argues that resistance isn’t just for professional activists but for every human who longs to see their neighbors’ holistic flourishing.
- “Our Way: A Parallel History: An Anthology of Native History, Reflection, and Story” edited by Julie Cajune
A collaboration of Native scholars representing more than 10 Indigenous nations, sharing their histories and their cultures. A comprehensive resource restoring the histories of Indigenous Peoples and their nations to their rightful place in the story of America.
- “The Paranormal Ranger: A Navajo Investigator’s Search for the Unexplained” by Stanley Milford, Jr.
A Navajo Ranger recounts his experiences investigating paranormal and unexplained phenomena within the Navajo Nation, blending his heritage with his law enforcement training to provide a chilling and factual perspective on cases ranging from mysterious livestock mutilations to sightings of cryptids and unidentified aerial phenomena.
- “Poet Warrior: A Memoir” by Joy Harjo
Three-term poet laureate Joy Harjo offers a vivid, lyrical, and inspiring call for love and justice in this contemplation of her trailblazing life.
- “Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America” by Matika Wilbur
A photographic and narrative celebration of contemporary Native American life and cultures, alongside an in-depth examination of issues that Native people face, by celebrated photographer and storyteller Matika Wilbur of the Swinomish and Tulalip Tribes.
- “The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History” by Ned Blackhawk
A sweeping and overdue retelling of U.S. history that recognizes that Native Americans are essential to understanding the evolution of modern America.