There There

THERE THERE
by Tommy Orange

Award: National Book Critics Circle Winner 2018, PEN/Hemingway Winner 2019

Nominations: Carnegie Finalist 2019, LA Times Finalist 2018, National Book Longlist 2018, Pulitzer Finalist 2019

Date Read: June 27, 2020

While I've read some Native American history and have always been appalled, Orange's opening history, while only a snapshot, puts into stark relief how egregious the treatment of Native American's has been. And it's not as if all that is in the past. We are still trying to rape the land that we sequestered them to, thinking it worthless, only to discover it rich in oil. History continues to repeat itself.

There There follows a wide cast of Native American characters living in Oakland. Their stories, their experiences, are all interconnected and lead them to a single fateful day at a pow-wow in Oakland. Their struggles are familiar and common among native populations - alcoholism, violence, rape, mental disorders, poverty, discrimination. Yet their gifts are rarely celebrated - tradition, connection, community, vibrancy. All of these assets we continue as a nation to try and squelch and pretend these populations don't exist.

Orange does a deep-dive into identity and authenticity. What does it mean to be Indian? Is it simply the blood running through your veins or do you need to be more? If you weren't taught the traditions of your tribe but learned them on YouTube, does that mean you're an imposter? Or trying to discover buried ceremony? If you are an Urban Indian, are you separate from the struggles other Indians experience on the rex? All of these questions Orange explores with no clear answers, leaving it up to each character to brilliantly define their own unique "Indianess". 

Much of this parallels Orange's own life with a native father and white mother who is an evangelical Christian and denounced his father's spirituality and native traditions. Orange was left to struggle, just like his characters, with his own identity and authenticity.

The legacy of Native American's oppression is still visible in their communities to this day, presenting a shameful glimpse into our history. But, shame is in present time.


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