Well. I finished this book on Wednesday night. I put it down. Caught my breath. And tried to get to sleep. Normally I write my reviews immediately after I read a book. The ideas, views and information is fresh in my mind and I am able to put into words how a book makes me feel. This book, it left me speechless.


This book centres around Indian people in Oakland. It begins taking on small journeys into each characters lives to see who they are. We see perspectives from “urban Indians” as they navigate who they are, where they come from and where they are going. Their lives are all entwined and they are all connected. Brought together by the Big Oakland Pow Wow these characters teach you values about humanity, compassion for human nature, they break your heart and make you think hard about the history you’ve been taught. The symbolism each person talks about in their lives is beautiful, and sad the way they correspond with tragedies or dark parts of their life.


Honestly this book left me on a state of, unsettledness. The first part of the book was slow, the flow was soft and the characters spent time poetically showing us themselves. The third part of the book had short, brief chapters that made the Chaos and brutality make your heart beat faster and faster.


I absolutely recommend everyone read this book. I hope there is more from Tommy Orange in the future!