In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, Penguin Random House is highlighting the stories of our authors as well as voices in the community who authentically represent the Indigenous Experience. Using the #StoriesoftheLand, join us in putting a spotlight on the rich and diverse stories showcasing the important contributions and experiences of Native people, this month and every month!
Click for Even More Books That Celebrate Native American Heritage Month.
Click for Must-Read Books by Indigenous Authors.
Native American Creators:
Probably Ruby: A Novel by Lisa Bird-Wilson
An Indigenous woman adopted by white parents goes in search of her identity in this unforgettable debut novel about family, race, and history.
“Engaging . . . Ruby never disappoints with her big heart and outrageous sense of humor—and her resilient search for her own history.”—The New York Times Book Review
“A passionate exploration of identity and belonging and a celebration of our universal desire to love and be loved.”—Imbolo Mbue, author of Behold the Dreamers
*Finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award*
Availbale in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Click for a Discussion Guide.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
Shutter: A Novel by Ramona Emerson
This blood-chilling debut set in New Mexico’s Navajo Nation is equal parts gripping crime thriller, supernatural horror, and poignant portrayal of coming of age on the reservation.
“This paranormal police procedural is unusual and multilayered, but what stands out is the gorgeously expressive and propulsive first-person storytelling, which is split between Rita’s present and her past. A former forensic photographer herself, the pictures Emerson paints with words are as vivid as they are brutal.”—Oprah Daily
“Emerson touches upon subjects that Diné often are reluctant to raise or discuss in intimate circles, and does so in ways that allows for conversation about death, the possibilities of a spirit world, gifts of second sight, and witchery and evil . . . Yet, we must acknowledge and work through because it is reality, it is more so a coming-of-age story.”—Jennifer Dez Dennetdale, Navajo Times
Longlisted for the National Book Award • An ABA IndieNext Pick for August 2022 • An ABA IndieNext Gift Guide Selection • A PLA LibraryReads Pick for August 2022 • A Publishers Weekly Editor’s Top 10 Mystery for Fall • A CrimeReads Most Anticipated Crime Book of Summer • A Scribd Best Book of August
Available in Hardcover and eBook Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Watch Our ‘The Horror’ Author Panel Featuring Ramona Emerson.
There There: A Novel by Tommy Orange
A wondrous and shattering 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.
“Powerful . . . There There has so much jangling energy and brings so much news from a distinct corner of American life that it’s a revelation.”—The New York Times
“With a literary authority rare in a debut novel, it places Native American voices front and center before readers’ eyes.”—NPR/Fresh Air
Pen/Hemingway Award Winner • One of The New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year • One of the Best Books of the Year: The Washington Post • NPR • TIME • O, The Oprah Magazine • The Dallas Morning News • GQ • Entertainment Weekly • BuzzFeed • San Francisco Chronicle • The Boston Globe
Available in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook, Audio, and Large Print Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Click for a Discussion Guide.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present by David Treuer
A sweeping history—and counter-narrative—of Native American life from the Wounded Knee massacre to the present.
“Chapter after chapter, it’s like one shattered myth after another.”—NPR
“An informed, moving and kaleidoscopic portrait . . . Treuer’s powerful book suggests the need for soul-searching about the meanings of American history and the stories we tell ourselves about this nation’s past.”—The New York Times Book Review
Finalist for the 2019 National Book Award • Longlisted for the 2020 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence • A New York Times Bestseller • Named a best book of 2019 by: The New York Times • TIME • The Washington Post • NPR • Hudson Booksellers • The New York Public Library • The Dallas Morning News • Library Journal
Available in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook, and Audio Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
Notable Native People: 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers from Past and Present by Adrienne Keene; Illustrated by Ciara Sana
An accessible and educational illustrated book profiling 50 notable American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian people, from NBA star Kyrie Irving of the Standing Rock Lakota to Wilma Mankiller, the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation.
Call Me Indian: From the Trauma of Residential School to Becoming the NHL’s First Treaty Indigenous Player by Fred Sasakamoose; Foreword by Bryan Trottier
Trailblazer. Residential school Survivor. First Treaty Indigenous player in the NHL. All of these descriptions are true–but none of them tell the whole story.
“Fred Sasakamoose played in the NHL before First Nations people had the right to vote in Canada. This page turner will have you cheering for ‘Fast Freddy’ as he faces off against huge challenges both on and off the ice.”—Wab Kinew, Leader of the Manitoba NDP and author of The Reason You Walk
“An inspiring and enlightening saga that’s a must-read for Indigenous communities, hockey fans, and all Canadians.”—Waubgeshig Rice, author of Moon of the Crusted Snow
Available in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, and eBook Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land by Toni Jensen
A powerful, poetic memoir about what it means to exist as an Indigenous woman in America, told in snapshots of the author’s encounters with gun violence.
“Essential . . . We need more voices like Toni Jensen’s, more books like Carry.”—Tommy Orange, New York Times bestselling author of There There
“The value of Carry lies in its unique structure, its sparse, powerful prose, and in the stinging perspective it provides on events that are numbingly common. Until we see it as clearly as Jensen does, the lens she offers on gun violence in America will be relevant again and again and again.”—Chicago Review of Books
New York Times Editors’ Choice • Finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize • A Goop Book Club Pick
Available in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook, and Audio Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
A Mind Spread Out on the Ground: A Memoir by Alicia Elliot
A bold and profound meditation on trauma, legacy, oppression and racism in North America from an award-winning Haudenosaunee writer.
“In her raw, unflinching memoir . . . she tells the impassioned, wrenching story of the mental health crisis within her own family and community . . . A searing cry.”—The New York Times Book Review
“An instant must-read . . . Elliott’s prose is beautiful, and her insight into the deeply personal and its interconnectedness with the wider world makes this book readable, infuriating, and essential.”—LitHub
Available in Trade Paperback and eBook Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Dog Flowers: A Memoir by Danielle Geller
A daughter returns home to the Navajo reservation to retrace her mother’s life in a memoir that is both a narrative and an archive of one family’s troubled history.
“Trained as a librarian and archivist, Geller has created a type of archive, a living collection of memories and documents that speak to a life that is at once precisely individualistic while also being universally resonant. Read this book.”—Kali Fajardo-Anstine, author of Sabrina & Corina
“ . . . Geller’s mix of archival research and personal memoir allows readers to see a refreshing variety of perspectives and layers, resulting in an eye-opening, moving narrative. A deftly rendered, powerful story of family, grief, and the search for self.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
Winter in the Blood: A Novel by James Welch; Foreword by Joy Harjo; Introduction by Louise Erdrich
A contemporary classic from a major writer of the Native American renaissance.
“Brilliant, brutal and, in my opinion, Welch’s best work.”—Tommy Orange, The Washington Post
During his life, James Welch came to be regarded as a master of American prose, and his first novel, Winter in the Blood, is one of his most enduring works. The narrator of this beautiful, often disquieting novel is a young Native American man living on the Fort Belknap Reservation in Montana. Sensitive and self-destructive, he searches for something that will bind him to the lands of his ancestors but is haunted by personal tragedy, the dissolution of his once proud heritage, and Montana’s vast emptiness. Winter in the Blood is an evocative and unforgettable work of literature that will continue to move and inspire anyone who encounters it.
Available in Hardcover and Audio Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
Ceremony: A Novel by Leslie Marmon Silko; Introduction by Larry McMurtry
The great Native American Novel of a battered veteran returning home to heal his mind and spirit.
“An exceptional novel—a cause for celebration.”—The Washington Post Book World
“The novel is very deliberately a ceremony in itself—demanding but confident and beautifully written.”—The Boston Globe
“Without question Leslie Marmon Silko is the most accomplished Native American writer of her generation.”—The New York Times Book Review
Available in Trade Paperback and eBook Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Click for a Discussion Guide.
Little Big Bully: Poetry by Heid E. Erdrich
In a new collection that is “a force of nature” (Amy Gerstler), renowned Native poet Heid E. Erdrich applies her rich inventive voice and fierce wit to the deforming effects of harassment and oppression.
Little Big Bully begins with a question asked of a collective and troubled we—how did we come to this? In answer, this book offers personal myth, American and Native American contexts, and allegories driven by women’s resistance to narcissists, stalkers, and harassers. These poems are immediate, personal, political, cultural, even futuristic object lessons. What is truth now? Who are we now? How do we find answers through the smoke of human destructiveness? The past for Indigenous people, ecosystem collapse from near-extinction of bison, and the present epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women underlie these poems. Here, survivors shout back at useless cautionary tales with their own courage and visions of future worlds made well.
Available in Trade Paperback, eBook, and Audio Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
Click for More Books by Native American Creators.
Notable Works of Native American History & Culture from Non-Native Voices:
We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power by Caleb Gayle
A landmark work of untold American history that reshapes our understanding of identity, race, and belonging.
“An important part of American history told with a clear-eyed and forceful brilliance.”—National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson
“We Refuse to Forget reminds readers, on damn near every page, that we are collectively experiencing a brilliance we’ve seldom seen or imagined . . . a new standard in book-making.”—Kiese Laymon, author of the bestselling Heavy: An American Memoir
Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States by Kyle T. Mays
The first intersectional history of the Black and Native American struggle for freedom in our country that also reframes our understanding of who was Indigenous in early America.
“Required reading to comprehend the deep historical relationship between the Indigenous peoples who were transported from Africa into chattel slavery and the Indigenous peoples who were displaced by European settler colonialism to profit from the land and resources, two parallel realities in search of self-determination and justice.”—Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, author of An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States
“This book reveals uncomfortable truths about the dehumanizing legacies of both capitalism and colonialism while forging a path of reconciliation between the Black and Native communities. Mays offers a solid entry point for further study. An enlightening reexamination of American history.”—Kirkus Reviews
Available in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, and eBook Editions.
Click for More Information.
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
A twisting, haunting true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history, from the author of The Lost City of Z.
“Disturbing and riveting . . . Grann has proved himself a master of spinning delicious, many-layered mysteries that also happen to be true . . . It will sear your soul.”—The New York Times Book Review
“A shocking whodunit . . . What more could fans of true-crime thrillers ask?”—USA Today
“A master of the detective form . . . Killers is something rather deep and not easily forgotten.”—The Wall Street Journal
A National Book Award Finalist • A New York Times Notable Book • Named a Best Book of the Year by: Amazon • Wall Street Journal • The Boston Globe • San Francisco Chronicle • GQ • TIME • Newsday • Entertainment Weekly • Time Magazine • NPR • Vogue • Smithsonian • Cosmopolitan • Seattle Times • Bloomberg • LitHub • Slate
Available in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook, Audio, and Large Print Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Click for a Discussion Guide.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
The first history of the United States told from the perspective of indigenous peoples.
“Meticulously documented, this thought-provoking treatise is sure to generate discussion.”—Booklist
“[An] impassioned history . . . Belongs on the shelf next to Dee Brown’s classic, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.”—San Francisco Chronicle
2015 Recipient of the American Book Award
Available in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, and eBook Editions.
Also Available for Young Readers: An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Canyon Dreams: A Basketball Season on the Navajo Nation by Michael Powell
The moving story of a Navajo high school basketball team, its members struggling with the everyday challenges of high school, adolescence, and family, and the great and unique obstacles facing Native Americans living on reservations.
“Unmistakably beautiful. Powell is a gifted and giving writer, and his book is at once a reflection on youth and ambition and a fascinating chronicle of a town’s struggle to survive in a world that’s often cruel and hostile.”—NPR
“(An) engrossing, more expansive book . . . [Canyon Dreams] becomes a gripping, propulsive story about a playoff run.”—The Washington Post
“Delivering a deeply felt portrait of life . . . As exciting as a full-court press and a thoughtful study of young athletes in a world little known to outsiders.”—Kirkus Reviews
Available in Trade Paperback, eBook, and Audio Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
Tecumseh and the Prophet: The Heroic Struggle for America’s Heartland by Peter Cozzens
The first biography of the great Shawnee leader to make clear that his misunderstood younger brother, Tenskwatawa, was an equal partner in the last great pan-Indian alliance against the United States.
“An insightful, unflinching portrayal of the remarkable siblings who came closer to altering the course of American history than any other Indian leaders.” —H.W. Brands, author of The Zealot and the Emancipator
“Author Peter Cozzens sculpts his narrative deftly and compellingly . . . Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa are fascinating figures, capable of greatness and leadership, yet destined for tragedy. A+ work.”—San Francisco Book Review
Winner of the Western Writers of America Spur Award for Best Biography • A Washington Independent Review Favorite Book • A Cowboys and Indians Editor’s Pick
Available in Hardcover, Trade Paperback, eBook, Audio, and Large Print Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
Click for More Notable Works of Native American History & Culture.
A Middle Grade Read:
Rez Dogs by Joseph Bruchac
From the U.S.’s foremost Indigenous children’s author comes a middle grade verse novel set during the COVID-19 pandemic, about a Wabanaki girl’s quarantine on her grandparents’ reservation and the local dog that becomes her best friend.
“Hidden throughout this moving novel in verse, old stories are discovered like buried treasures.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Bruchac intricately interweaves past and present stories . . . in this rewarding intergenerational narrative.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
Available in Hardcover, eBook, and Audio Editions.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Click for a Teacher’s Guide.
Listen to a Clip from the Audiobook.
7 Must-Listen Audiobooks by Indigenous Authors:
We’re queuing up can’t-miss audiobooks written by Indigenous authors in the United States for Native American Heritage Month. From full-cast productions to author-reads, for fans of literary fiction, memoir, poetry, and stories for little listeners—here are our picks for seven audiobooks to hear now.
Click for Must-Listen Audiobooks by Indigenous Authors.
