Book Discussion: There, There by Tommy Orange

The story of twelve characters, each of whom have private reasons for traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow. Jacquie Red Feather is newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind in shame. Dene Oxendene is pulling his life back together after his uncle's death and has come to work at the powwow to honor his uncle's memory. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield has come to watch her nephew Orvil, who has taught himself traditional Indian dance through YouTube videos and has come to the powwow to dance in public for the very first time. There, There, is a multigenerational story about violence and recovery, memory and identity, and the beauty and despair woven into the history of a nation and its people. For his first novel, Tommy Orange writes of the plight of the urban Native American, in a stunning novel that grapples with a complex and painful history, with an inheritance of beauty and profound spirituality, and with a plague of addiction, abuse, and suicide. An unforgettable debut, destined to become required reading in schools and universities across the country.

Reserve your copy soon (in book, ebook or e-audiobook options), or contact me directly for more options (ebobilin@bklynlibrary.org).

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