Play Book Tag discussion

There There by Tommy Orange - 4 stars - My Review

This book contains a series of interlocking stories of twelve urban American Indian characters. Their stories converge at a powwow in Oakland, California. Several characters are involved in a scheme to commit a crime at the powwow. Others share family connections.

The stories are told in first and third person. They portray the present-day state of a marginalized population whose people have been persecuted over generations. Many of the current issues are portrayed, such as addiction, unemployment, racism, depression, fractured families, and violence. Major themes include identity and storytelling. I particularly enjoyed one character’s video project depicting the diverse aspects of urban life for Native Americans.

I felt the author did a good job of interweaving the stories. He also includes basic historical facts that every American should know, but many probably do not. I appreciated how Orange portrays the different ways the characters connect to their native identities and how they resist the ongoing pressure to assimilate into the mainstream.