Summary:
Tommy Orange’s wondrous and shattering novel 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. Among them is Jacquie Red Feather, newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind. Dene Oxendene, pulling his life together after his uncle’s death and working at the powwow to honor his memory. Fourteen-year-old Orvil, coming to perform traditional dance for the very first time. Together, this chorus of voices tells of the plight of the urban Native American–grappling with a complex and painful history, with an inheritance of beauty and spirituality, with communion and sacrifice and heroism.
My take: 4 looks
I stumbled upon this book in a list of books to read for Thanksgiving that wouldn’t give the same old Puritan-Indian-happy-celebration story that we all know is completely untrue. And let’s face it, there aren’t a slew of Native American voices in literature, written by Native American authors. So, when I found this one, I was very intrigued. Also pulling me into the story was the subplot of Native Americans taking over Alcatraz Island in 1969 for 14 months, until they were forcibly removed by the US federal government. Big surprise.
So, to find this voice, telling a contemporary story from the vantage point of 12 Native American characters about an actual event … well, I knew I had to read it.
And I am glad I did. There were things happening here that I never considered. The prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (called “The Drome” in the book), and the way it affects the child as they grow and mature. The fact that there are thugs and gangs everywhere who want easy money. How ritual and tradition can be innate rather than learned, becoming a driving force in younger generations carrying on celebrations they know little about. The reasons and struggles behind the addictions that torment so many Native Americans. And the complicated history and heritage that continues to propel these proud people forward.
And, in the middle of it all, is this chapter called “Interlude”, and that’s exactly what it is. A break. A pause. The author needs to stop the action and explain some things. About powwows, about the Big Oakland Powwow; about blood and last names and death. It’s almost like he is telling a story, realizes that he’s telling it too quickly for it to take hold, so he intentionally slows down to make sure the reader understands exactly where he is about to go.
And then it happens. The 12 characters we have been learning about begin to intersect, merge, meet, and experience together the Big Oakland Powwow. The sea of the story has been flowing here, and we have arrived at the Coliseum for the finale.
Which I will not spoil. This story is true, harsh, sad, uplifting, tragic, hopeful, and that is exactly what Native Americans have been feeling since the Europeans arrived on their soil. Their heritage is a rich, complex, and sometime fragile thing for each of them to carry, and Tommy Orange does a wonderful job of getting that across in his debut novel.
Highly recommended.
