Best Books to Read for Indigenous Peoples Month 2022

This picture book is a powerful and lovely read depicting a modern Native American family. Centered around food, specifically fry bread, this book uses the dish to explore history, family, memory, community and identity. With beautiful illustrations and rich text, this picture book is a must-read for families to pick up together.  

This iconic poem now in picture book form is the perfect book to read together and reflect on family, nature, and heritage. With eloquently simple text and vivid illustrations accompanying the words and bringing them to life, this picture book is the type of book you can read over and over with your family and find something new to appreciate each time.  

In an appropriately forceful and inspirational call to action, Carole Lindstrom’s lyrical picture book about defending Earth’s natural resources is a must-read regardless of age. Inspired by Indigenous-led movements across the United States, and particularly the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, Lindstrom’s powerful words are matched with Michaela Goade’s stunning illustrations to create a reading experience that will resonate for years to come. 

Perfect for fans of Narnia and Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, Barren Grounds brings traditional Indigenous stories into an epic-middle grade fantasy series. Follow Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children together in a foster home, as they discover a portal to another reality where they feel connected to their culture and each other despite their struggle to fit in at school and their new home. A story full of survival, freezing temperatures, and Indigenous culture, Barren Grounds is a must-read. 

Author Rebecca Roanhorse has crafted an enthralling adventure of epic proportions in Race to the Sun. Traditional Navajo mythology is the inspiration for this rich, modern tale of Nizhoni Begay, a seventh grader from New Mexico thrust into danger when her dad’s new boss unleashes an array of ancient monsters – and it’s up to her to defeat them.  Race to the Sun is the perfect read for fans of Rick Riordan. 

Based on the author’s own experiences The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian has been a favorite Indigenous story for over a decade. This story is simultaneously heartbreaking and funny, telling the story of a budding cartoonist who leaves his school on the rez to an all-white high school where the mascot is the only other Indian.  

Monsters, magic, and family are all interwoven in this novel full of Indigenous futurism. Utilizing traditional Lipan Apache storytelling structure, this book follows Nina and Oli and the way their worlds have collided. Immerse yourself in this high-stakes story with a speculative bent that will enthrall readers from start to finish.  

This historical fiction novel tells the story of Navajo code talkers who were essential to the US war efforts during World War II. Using an unbreakable code that utilized their native language, their story, classified for more than twenty years, has been brought to life in this fictional tale. Honoring and gripping, this book is one readers won’t soon forget.  

Debut author Angeline Boulley has crafted an immersive and heart-stopping thriller told through the eyes of 18-year-old Daunis, a biracial, unenrolled member of the Ojibwe tribe. With crystal meth abuse on the rise in her community, Daunis uses her knowledge of science and native medicine to go undercover as a confidential informant with the FBI, but what she uncovers makes her question everything she’s ever known. Boulley’s authentic depictions of the complexities of Native communities and the trauma and strength of Native women, specifically, make this book a complete standout for YA and adult readers alike. 

Perfect for fans of the Rebel Girls series, and The Fierce 44: Black Americans Who Shook Up the World but with more complex language, Notable Native People is the perfect book to pick up and celebrate the lives of Indigenous artist, activists, scientists, athletes, and other changemakers. This is a great read to pick up as a family and read together, discovering the impact of Indigenous individuals and learning about their heritage, histories, and cultures.  

This history of the United States written by historian and activist Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, this is the first account of the nation’s history told from the perspective of Indigenous peoples. Shining a light on how there has been an active resistance of the expansion of the US empire has been for centuries, this book is essential reading to understand the present and recognize past events and injustices that have long been silenced.  

Many people perceive that Indigenous history ends with the 1890 Wounded Knee massacre, but Heartbeat of Wounded Knee seeks to dispel that myth. David Treuer grew up Ojibwe on a reservation in Minnesota, studied as an anthropologist, and has researched Native life past and present for his novels and nonfiction. Through all his research he’s discovered the stories of resourcefulness and reinvention that has gone into preserving language, traditions, families, and their existence, and this book intertwines history, reporting, and memoir making in especially impactful to readers.  

Braiding Sweetgrass is a book to focus the eyes, open the heart and stretch the imagination about our appropriate relationships within the natural world. Hundreds of thousands of readers have turned to Kimmerer’s words over the decades since the book’s first publication, finding these tender, poetic, and respectful words, rooted in soil and tradition, intended to teach and celebrate. This is a storyteller’s book; we do well to listen and take the guidance to heart. As Kimmerer tells us, “We have to put our hands in the earth to make ourselves whole again.” 

For the art connoisseurs, we have this survey dedicated to the late Cree artist Kimowan Metchewais. The art he left behind is a body of photographic and mixed-media work that touch on topics such as body, self-portraiture, language, and everyday subjects in a way that will allow readers to ruminate on his connection to home and land while also challenging conventional narratives and representations of Indigeneity. 

Finishing the third title in Marcie Rendon’s Cash Blackbear Mystery series had us quickly scrambling to binge-read books one and two. We fell fast and hard for Rendon’s Renee “Cash” Blackbear. The pool playing, beer drinking, hard-nosed 19-year-old Cash is the perfect anti-hero as she juggles a tough exterior that’s protecting someone whose been through a lot. Cash drives this story, and we will follow her down any trail to solve the crime. 

We can’t stop thinking about Shutter, a most perfect blend of supernatural and mystery. A debut novel that takes us to the limits of imagination and cuts through to the heart of the human condition. Ramona Emerson writes about dedication to family, tradition and the past that always haunts us with such ease and grace we look forward to her next novel. 

After reading the debut novel, Bad Cree, you are guaranteed to add Jessica Johns from Northern Alberta to a formidable list of Indigenous voices in the mystery and horror genre – from authors Stephen Graham Jones and Erika T. White to Ramona Emerson and Marcie R. Rendon – we could go on. The imagery in this novel is visceral, haunting and page turning. 

We were knocked over by Erika T. Wurth’s White Horse. Protagonist Kari James’s world is rocked and shook to its core and instead of running from the trouble (and ghosts!), she dives in headfirst. The same will be said of your leap into this formidable novel and its blend of horror and mystery. 

We could not stop raving about Jones’ prior book, The Only Good Indians. We are delighted to say the praise continues for My Heart is a Chainsaw as well. Jones checks ALL the boxes on your #HorrorTok reading list. Pop culture references, horror movies, “growing up” — it’s all there. And then, we move one step closer to perfection: A story that resonates beyond all the checked boxes. “Heart”, indeed! 

A fast-paced fantasy adventure you will not be able to put down. This one plays out an intense, sexy spin on the enemies-to-lovers trope with a sapphic romantic backstory. There’s fae, elves, magic, sword fighting, morally grey characters, as well as LGBTQIA and Indigenous representation – what’s not to love?! 

Drawing inspiration from the folklore of the Indigenous cultures of North and Central America, this sweeping series starter is a fantasy thriller, weaving celestial prophecies and magic with political intrigue and revenge — it’s perfection! The lush world-building and complex character dynamics will entrance you from the start, and the exploration of power and societal confines in a Pre-Colombian Americas-inspired setting make this epic a refreshing addition to the fantasy space. 

The inimitable and award-winning voice of Louise Erdrich is back, and this time she is taking on a tumultuous year with the help of a lovable, quirky cast of characters. An unexpected ghost story that is both a timely novel with laugh-out-loud moments as well as a beautiful commentary on identity. Erdrich cements herself as one of America’s greatest living authors. 

This multigenerational saga is as unforgettable as it is enthralling, illuminating the fate that spans five generations of an Indigenous Chicano family. Following Luz “Little Light” Lopez in 1930s Denver, she has visions that have her exploring her ancestors’ origins. As she collects these stories, she is put in the position of having to save her family stories from disappearing.  

This book immediately became a favorite of so many readers, its unforgettable story of twelve characters from Native communities leaving readers a little different than they were before. Meet these characters and discover the complexities of being a part of Native communities while living in an increasingly urbanized world.  

Night of the Living Rez is a standout book, so much so that it was one of the finalists for our 2022 Discover Award. This collection of twelve stories by Morgan Talty will capture the hearts of readers as they unearth what it means to be Penobscot and to live, survive, and persevere after tragedy. This portrayal of an Indigenous community in Maine will linger in the minds of readers long after they’ve finished reading the final story.