In Celebration of Native American/Indigenous Heritage Month

Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month started out as a week-long celebration as of 1986, during former President Reagan's administration. Since 1995, November has been designated as the month to celebrate and honor the cultures, achievements and contributions of Native Americans and Alaska Natives. Below are ten books of varying genres you can read to finish out this month, and all year round.

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer: "An inspired weaving of indigenous knowledge, plant science, and personal narrative from a distinguished professor of science and a Native American whose previous book, Gathering Moss, was awarded the John Burroughs Medal for outstanding nature writing."

Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land by Toni Jensen: Jensen’s memoir captures her life as an Indigenous woman who has experienced and been a witness to racism, sexual assault, gun and gang violence. She also documents what happened at Standing Rock during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. 

IRL by Tommy Pico: IRL is Pico's poetry debut, composed as a long text message. It is about being queer and Indigenous, family, language, religion, and history. Pico was also a winner of our inaugural Brooklyn Public Library Literary Award. 

Living Nations, Living Words: An Anthology of First Peoples Poetry collected by Joy Harjo: With an introduction by our nation's first Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, this collection offers readers an array of poetry written by Natalie Diaz, Ray Young Bear, Craig Santos Perez, Sherwin Bitsui, Layli Long Soldier and more. 

Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction by Joshua Whitehead: If you enjoy short stories, check out this fascinating anthology of queer and two-spirit Indigenous speculative fiction by new and emerging writers. 

New Native Kitchen: Celebrating Modern Recipes of the American Indian by Freddie Bitsoie and James O. Fraioli: "In this essential cookbook, Bitsoie shares his expertise and culinary insights into Native American cooking and suggests new approaches for every home cook. With recipes as varied as the peoples that inspired them, New Native Kitchen celebrates the Indigenous heritage of American cuisine." 

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones: “Follows four Native American men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.”

There There by Tommy Orange: "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. " 

The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson: "Follows a Dakhóta family's struggle to preserve their way of life, and their sacrifices to protect what matters most. "

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich: "Over the course of one year, a small independent bookstore in Minneapolis is haunted by its most annoying customer."