THERE, THERE BY TOMMY ORANGE 

WHENEVER YOU GET THERE, THERE IS NO THERE THERE.

 – GERTRUDE STEIN

The title of the book is from this quote by Gertrude Stein. Additionally, the book mentions Radiohead’s song ‘There There’.

Do the newer generations know their history well? How much of their culture and customs do they follow?

It is an account of a group of Native Americans discussing the discrimination and oppression of their forefathers, their current lives, and their convergence at a powwow.

The setting is rather modern, yet it addresses customs, family, beliefs, violence, 'the barbarous years', torture, discrimination, and the ongoing struggle.

A diverse array of characters narrates their stories. Every chapter is narrated by a different character, talking about their own family or problems they face in life. It takes some time to adjust to the different people narrating their stories. All the characters are connected by the dance powwow. Some parts were surreal; like:  Are there aliens called tall whites, or how do you pull spider legs from your skin? It’s probably just symbolic!


Male writers usually give prime importance to only males, talking about their relevance historically, but it was nice to note that the author included some female characters and spoke about the hardships they faced. I particularly liked the characters Jacquie and Blue. I also enjoyed reading about the character Tony Loneman, who was born with foetal alcohol syndrome.

The book also mentions that Tommy Orange was born and raised in Oakland, California. He is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes in Oklahoma. 

It’s a poignant yet powerful tale.

This is an important read that I recommend to one and all.

This book’s follow-up is the book Wandering Stars. So now you know my next read!