Crevice: A Life Between Worlds

Written by: Anna Redsand

First line: We drove across endless white alkaline flats into the Navajo Nation.

Why you should read this book: These thirteen thoughtful, provocative essays detail the relationship between the author, a white woman; and the land and people of Dinetah, the Navajo Reservation where she grew up, which will always remain her "home-not-home." Although this is the land of her childhood and her memories, Redsand's life and experience have always showed her the divide between the rich cultural traditions of her friends and neighbors and the paternalist, colonialist intentions of her missionary parents. Like all "Third Culture Kids," she struggles to locate her own identity, feeling acutely that she does not belong in either world, and it takes the space of thirteen essays to unpack all the knowledge and emotion she has accumulated around the in-between spaces in which she has always existed.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You are a proponent of assimilation. 

In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond: In Search of the Sasquatch

Written by:  John Zada

First line: A froth of dark, roiling clouds churns above the swaying canopy. 

Why you should read this book: Canadian journalist John Zada travels to British Columbia to work on a travelogue for tourists interested in exploring the Great Bear Rainforest, but finds himself more interested in the First Nation peoples who have lived in the area for fourteen thousand years, and then most interested in the stories he hears over and over again—about the locals' real life encounters with Sasquatch. Enamored with the mystique of meeting Bigfoot as he imagined in his youth, Zada treks to the most remote areas and makes friends with every possible source in pursuit of his story, but as evidence piles up for both sides (believable narratives from those who have seen this storied cryptid firsthand versus believable conclusions based on the scientific method) he begins to question what the story actually is, anyway. What does it mean to believe in Sasquatch, to search for Sasquatch, to encounter Sasquatch, and what can we take away from the persistence of legends, on a global scale, of wild men, man apes, and other mysterious beings hiding in the vanishing corners that civilization can't reach?

Why you shouldn't read this book: Look, obviously if a respected journalist found incontrovertible evidence of the existence of Sasquatch, you would have heard about it already. 

Living Ghosts & Mischievous Monsters: Chilling American Indian Stories

Written by: Dan SaSuWeh Jones

First line: Ghost stories were a big part of my life growing up as an American Indian.

Why you should read this book: It sets itself apart from most collections of creepy stories and folktales in two ways: first that, many of the stories were personally collected by the author, and second, that many of the stories really happened. It sets itself apart from most collections of indigenous legends in that the author and illustrator, as well as all their sources, are indigenous themselves. This is a kids' book, but the spooky factor is turned up fairly high on some of them—readers will meet all kind of terrifying spirits, monsters, ghosts, and other fairy tale creatures, none of whom have the best wishes of humanity in mind. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: Probably too scary for very young readers.

Blackflies

Written by: Robert Munsch and Jay Odjick

First line: Helen got up very early one morning, looked out the window, and said, "No snow!"

Why you should read this book: It's a tall tale (but not that tall, from what I've heard) about the insects in Alberta, Canada, and how unpleasant and annoying their presence makes the spring. Helen's family is carried off by said invertebrates, and Helen must arm herself with the most intense pesticides available to small children and rescue them from the woods. The illustrations are fun and will make most American children glad they're not Canadian.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You get itchy just thinking about large numbers of bugs.

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids

Edited by: Cynthia Leitich Smith 

First line: A powwow is/friends and family/gathered together to honor the Creator,/Kinnekasus, Man-Never-Known-on-Earth,/who watches over us. 

Why you should read this book: It's a collection of short stories for young readers, clustered around the experience of children attending the big powwow in Ann Arbor, Michigan, written by a variety of authors from different tribes and traditions (with a glossary at the end, since the book contains snippets of many languages). Although the characters have diverse backgrounds and personalities (including those who don't have powwow or dance in their culture historically), patterns soon emerge: a fear of or reluctance to dance being replaced by joy in dancing, feelings around beautiful regalia, the experience of eating frybread, the experience of working in the family business selling food or crafts, the gulf between young people and their elders made small through love and communication, the embracing of identity in surprising new ways, the absence of missing loved ones and the joys of reunification, and the presence of a dog wearing a funny T-shirt. While these are certainly stories for kids, they also tackle bigger issues like death and mourning, cultural appropriation, and making retribution for mistakes. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: These are mostly what I call "quiet" stories; they tend to be less about plot and action and more about the protagonist's thoughts and feelings. 

The Sign of the Beaver

 Written by: Elizabeth George Speare

First line: Matt stood at the edge of the clearing for some time after his father had gone out of sight among the trees.

Why you should read this book: Matt and his father have spent all spring and summer preparing a new home in Maine in 1769, but when Matt's father leaves him to protect their claim while he retrieves his wife and daughter from Massachusetts, a series of unfortunate events makes it difficult for Matt to feed and protect himself. Befriended by an Indian chief, he finds himself the tutor of the chief's unwilling grandson, Attean whose interest in learning to read is almost nonexistent and who is much less impressed with Matt than his grandfather. In time, the two boys become friends and Matt realizes he has much more to learn from Attean than Attean has to learn from him.

Why you shouldn't read this book: This book has received some criticism for its stereotypical depiction of American Indians.

House Made of Dawn

Written by: N. Scott Momaday

First line: Dypaloh. The was a house made of dawn. It was made of pollen and of rain, and the land was very old and everlasting. 

Why you should read this book: Abel, a young native American man returns to his reservation after serving in World War II, but his experiences as a soldier have scarred him so deeply that it's impossible to reintegrate completely into the society in which his grandfather raised him. However, life off the reservation is even more damaging and difficult, despite the efforts of white social workers and the assimilated Indians who like Abel and are doing their best to help him succeed. While this is often a heartbreaking story, its redemption arc is rewarding and believable, as the protagonist's need for healing and wholeness is addressed in culturally specific ways.

Why you shouldn't read this book: As so much of the story, which was originally conceived as a poem, is told from a perspective of pain and disassociation, there is often an intentional quality of disjointedness, which reflects the protagonist's internal state, but can make reading a little challenging.

Monster Slayer

Retold by: Vee Browne and Baje Whitethorne

First line: In the beginning there was Changing Woman and her sons, the Twins.

Why you should read this book: Focusing on a short portion of the longer Monster Slayer story cycle of the Navajo people, this book tells of the heroic Twins, Child Born of Water and Monster Slayer. Gifted with the affection and weapon of their father, the Sun, the Twins set out to save the villagers from the Walking Giant. Bonus points for a Navajo story written and illustrated by Navajo people.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You always shoot first.

Indian Killer

Written by: Sherman Alexie

First line: The sheets are dirty.

Why you should read this book: A complex murder mystery with a large cast of suspects, this smart, fast-paced novel develops along a perfect timeline, bringing its characters to life, investigating the killings, and exposing the never ending experience of microaggression and unseen racism experienced by Native Americans. Throughout the novel we return again and again to the character of John Smith, a mentally ill Indian man raised by his adoptive white parents, to Marie, the angry Indian activist student, and to the white men who, in their desire to embrace native culture, inadvertently fan the flames of racism even higher. Well written and lovingly constructed, this novel performs both its function--solving the murder and exposing racism--with fluency and grace.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're one sixty-fourth Cherokee on your mother's side, which is why you have such a special connection to the earth.

Rainy's Powwow

Written by: Linda Theresa Raczek

First line: The Thunderbird Powwow was about to begin.

Why you should read this book: This story offers a picture of a beautiful cultural practice while simultaneously telling a universally accessible story about a little girl unsure about how she fits in to her culture at large. Rainy and her brother are watching the dancers, and Rainy is acutely aware that her little brother is so young that he can dance however he wants, and their friend Grandmother White Hair's dancing days are past, but that she, Rainy, is old enough to choose a dance. Lacking relatives who could help her learn her dance and induct her into society, she talks to the other dancers and then seeks solace in the woods before finally figuring out where she belongs.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't know what it's like to have a club want you for a member.