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A review by motherhorror
There There by Tommy Orange
5.0
Dozens of Native American characters, navigating their unique struggles and identities set in modern-day Oakland, California. As we get to know them, we realize that their lives are on a trajectory to collide.
An emotional deep dive into what it means to be urban Native in America. It seems so relatable because the characters are struggling to feel connected to their communities, heritage, and culture. My grandpa came to the US with his family from Monterrey, Mexico into Corpus Christi, TX. Eventually, he left his family and moved to California. He married my grandma (who is not Mexican, her family is from Bohemia/Czech Republic). They moved from the Bay Area to rural North California to raise their family. They had three kids, their daughter is my mother.
I was raised on my great grandmother's homemade tortillas, pumpkin empanadas, and pan dulce. I worked in my grandparent's Mexican restaurant for 15 years. But when they retired and eventually passed away, that connection to heritage and identity did too. I should have asked for the recipes, watched him make them--had him teach me. I just didn't know my time with him would be so short. This book spoke to that part of my heart that feels like I missed out.
"There on the screen, in full regalia, the dancer moved like gravity meant something different for him. It was like break dancing in a way, Orvil thought, but both new — even cool — and ancient-seeming. There was so much he'd missed, hadn't been given. Hadn't been told. In that moment, in front of the TV, he knew. He was a part of something. Something you could dance to."
Tommy Orange doesn’t shy away from the painful truths—colonialism, generational trauma, and systemic inequality (I loved the intro and learned that Teddy Roosevelt said, The Only good Indian, is a dead Indian." and realized that's why Stephen Graham Jones titled his book, "The Only Good Indians." --but he also celebrates resilience, culture, and the power of storytelling. I cried. I laughed. I was shocked...I feel like I am saying goodbye to friends I made along the way. I can't believe this is a debut!
An emotional deep dive into what it means to be urban Native in America. It seems so relatable because the characters are struggling to feel connected to their communities, heritage, and culture. My grandpa came to the US with his family from Monterrey, Mexico into Corpus Christi, TX. Eventually, he left his family and moved to California. He married my grandma (who is not Mexican, her family is from Bohemia/Czech Republic). They moved from the Bay Area to rural North California to raise their family. They had three kids, their daughter is my mother.
I was raised on my great grandmother's homemade tortillas, pumpkin empanadas, and pan dulce. I worked in my grandparent's Mexican restaurant for 15 years. But when they retired and eventually passed away, that connection to heritage and identity did too. I should have asked for the recipes, watched him make them--had him teach me. I just didn't know my time with him would be so short. This book spoke to that part of my heart that feels like I missed out.
"There on the screen, in full regalia, the dancer moved like gravity meant something different for him. It was like break dancing in a way, Orvil thought, but both new — even cool — and ancient-seeming. There was so much he'd missed, hadn't been given. Hadn't been told. In that moment, in front of the TV, he knew. He was a part of something. Something you could dance to."
Tommy Orange doesn’t shy away from the painful truths—colonialism, generational trauma, and systemic inequality (I loved the intro and learned that Teddy Roosevelt said, The Only good Indian, is a dead Indian." and realized that's why Stephen Graham Jones titled his book, "The Only Good Indians." --but he also celebrates resilience, culture, and the power of storytelling. I cried. I laughed. I was shocked...I feel like I am saying goodbye to friends I made along the way. I can't believe this is a debut!