Utah library staff select seven books for Native American Heritage Month
A curated list features works by Indigenous authors and allies, including a memoir by former Cabinet Secretary Deb Haaland and a thriller by Daniel Wilson.
By Chiara Saeed ·
The University of Utah has published a reading list for November to mark Native American Heritage Month. Tashina Barber, program manager at the Center for Native Excellence and Tribal Engagement, and librarian Allyson Mower developed the collection. The list aims to honor the cultures, traditions, and history of the Native American community through seven specific titles.
The selection spans multiple genres, including science fiction, photography, poetry, memoir, and short fiction. Each entry was chosen to reflect diverse perspectives on Indigenous identity and history. The authors include both Native American writers and those with deep connections to tribal nations.
Daniel Wilson's "Hole in the Sky" serves as a sci-fi thriller. Wilson, a Cherokee Nation citizen and former threat forecaster for the U.S. Air Force, writes about characters noticing extraterrestrial disturbances. The novel blends his professional background with his cultural identity to create a fast-paced narrative.
Maya Tihtiyas Attean offers "Does The Land Remember?", a photographic exploration of the Wabanaki landscape. The images examine the relationship between land, history, and identity. Jake Skeets' poetry collection "Horses" focuses on the Navajo Nation. The poems explore the reclamation of Indigenous language and the changes on land inhabited for over a millennium.
Nephi Craig details his adolescence and the role of cooking in healing in "Our Knives Will Save Us". The memoir combines personal history with Indigenous recipes. Deb Haaland, the first Native American woman to serve in numerous U.S. Government roles, shares her upbringing in "A Voice Like Mine". Her memoir provides a personal look at her political career.
Louise Erdrich presents "Python's Kiss", a collection of short stories illustrated by her daughter, Asa Erdrich Abbe. The tales feature interconnected characters, including spirit animals and ghosts. Stephen Graham Jones concludes the list with "Off The Reservation". This fiction story follows activists attempting to return the bones of a Blackfeet boy taken to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.
Source: University of Utah @theU
