TeenZone Menu

Find Stuff to Read

Native American Voices

Alexie, Sherman. Reservation Blues

(1995) Legendary blues guitarist Robert Johnson appears on a Native American reservation to lead a Catholic rock band.

Call number: Fiction Alexie

Borland, Hal. When the Legends Die

(1963) Tom Black Bull tries desperately to disavow his Indian heritage, but he can never escape its influence, and he and his family take refuge in the wilderness after falling wictim to the white man's justice.".

Call number: Fiction Borland

Brooks, Martha. Bone Dance

(1997) When her father wills her a cabin on land in rural Manitoba, Alexandra meets a young man who shares her Indian heritage and her experience of being haunted by spirits.

Call number: Fiction Brooks

Bruchac, Joseph. Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two

(2005) After being taught in a boarding school run by whites that Navajo is a useless language, Ned Begay and other Navajo men are recruited by the Marines to become Code Talkers, sending messages during World War II in their native tongue.

Call number: Fiction Bruchac

Bruchac, Joseph. Sacajawea: The Story of Bird Woman and the Lewis and Clark Expedition

(2000) Sacajawea, a Shoshoni Indian interpreter, peacemaker, and guide, and William Clark alternate in describing their experiences on the Lewis and Clark Expedition to the Northwest.

Call number: Fiction Bruchac

Carter, Alden R.. Dogwolf

(1994) Fifteen-year-old Pete, who is part Chippewa spends a difficult summer fighting fires what threaten the northern Wisconsin forest, while also hunting an equally threatening creature believed to be part dog and part wolf.

Call number: Fiction Carter

Carter, Forest. The Education of Little Tree

(1976) Recounts the childhood remembrances of an orphaned American Indian boy living with his Cherokee grandparents in a mountain log cabin in eastern Tennessee during the 1930s.

Call number: Fiction Carter

Carvell, Marlene. Sweetgrass Basket

(2006) In alternating passages, two Mohawk sisters describe their lives at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, established in 1879 to educate Native Americans, as they try to assimilate into white culture, and one of them is falsely accused of stealing.

Call number: Fiction Carvell

Creech, Sharon. Walk Two Moons

(1994) After her mother leaves home suddenly, thriteen-year-old Sal and her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route. Along the way, Sal recounts the story of her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left.

Call number: Fiction Creech

Dorris, Michael. A Yellow Raft in Blue Water

(1987) Follows three generations of Indian women beset by hardships and torn by angry secrets, yet inextricably bound together by the indissoluble bond of kinship.

Call number: Fiction Dorris

George, Jean Craighead. Julie

(1994) When Julie returns to her father's Eskimo village, she struggles to find a way to save her beloved wolves in a changing Arctic world, and she falls in love with a young Siberian man.

Call number: Fiction George

Gregory, Kristiana. Jenny of the Tetons

(2002) Orphaned by an Indian raid whle traveling West with a wagon train, fifteen-year-old Carrie Hill is befriended by the English trapper Beaver Dick and taken to live with his Indian wife Jenny and their six children.

Call number: Fiction Gregory

Hobbs, Will. Beardance

(1993) While accompanying an elderly rancher on a trip into the San Juan Mountains, Cloyd a Ute Indian boy, tries to help two orphaned grizzly cubs survive the winter and, at the same time, complete his spirit mission.

Call number: Fiction Hobbs

Hobbs, Will. Kokopelli's Flute

(1995) Thirteen-year-old Tepary discovers an old flute in a cliff dwelling in New Mexico, and through its powers he learns about ancient Native American magic.

Call number: Fiction Hobbs

Hudson, Jan. Sweetgrass

(1989) Living on the western Canadian prairie in the nineteenth century, Sweetgrass, a fifteen-year-old Blackfoot Indian girl, saves her family from a smallpox epidemic and proves her maturity to her father.

Call number: Fiction Hudson

Kadohata, Cynthia. Weedflower

(2006) After twelve-year-old Sumiko and her Japanese-American family are relocated from their flower farm in southern California to an internment camp on a Mojave Indian reservation in Arizona, she helps her family and neighbors, becomes friends with a local Indian boy, and tries to hold onto her dream of owning a flower shop.

Call number: Fiction Kadohata

Keehn, Sally M.. Moon of Two Dark Horses

(1995) At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, hoping to keep bloodshed away from their valley, a twelve-year-old Delaware Indian boy and his white friend search sacred land for the bones of a legendary beast.

Call number: Fiction Keehn

La Farge, Oliver. Laughing Boy

(1957) A young Navajo couple watches their relationship and their way of life crumble as they struggle to protect their beliefs, lifestyle, and love from the influence of white society.

Call number: Fiction LaFarge

Lipsyte, Robert. Warrior Angel

(2003) Native American boxer of the Moscondaga Nation, Sonny Bear must fight to retain his heavyweight championship title. A chance encounter with a new kid at the gym plays a special part in changing Sonny's destiny for the better in his upcoming fight.

Call number: Fiction Lipsyte

MacGregor, Rob. Prophecy Rock

(1995) Will Lansa visits his father, who is the tribal police chief on the Hopi reservation in northern Arizona, and learns about some sacred Hopi traditions while he helps investigate several murders.

Call number: Mystery MacGregor

Momaday, N. Scott. House Made of Dawn

(1968) A young American Indian returning from World War II searches for his place on his old reservation and in urban society.

Call number: Fiction Momaday

O'Dell, Scott. Island of the Blue Dolphins

(1990) Left alone on a beautiful but isolated island off the coast of California, a young Indian girl spends eighteen years, not only merely surviving through her enormous courage and self-reliance, but also finding a measure of happiness in her solitary life.

Call number: Fiction O'Dell

Thurlo, Aimee & David. The Spirit Line

(2004) When the special rug Crystal Manyfeathers is weaving for her kinaalda, the traditional Navajo womanhood ceremony, is stolen from her loom, there are any number of suspects.

Call number: Fiction Thurlo

Vick, Helen Hughes. Tag Against Time

(1996) Twelve-year-old Tag struggles with himself and encounters historical figures and events as he time-travels from the ancient cliff-dwellers period to the present.

Call number: Fiction Vick

Wilkinson, David Marion. Oblivion's Altar: A Novel of Courage

(2002) The Cherokee tribe under the leadership of the visionary chieftain John Ridge struggles to cope with the vast influx of American settlers into what was once their homeland, an invasion that leads to a devastating war that culminates in the infamous Trail of Tears.

Call number: Fiction Wilkinson

Non-Fiction

Ballantine, Betty & Ian, editors. Native Americans: An Illustrated History

(2001) A beautifully illustrated history of North American Indians..

Call number: 970.00497 N21398 2001

Bruchac, Joseph. Bowman's Store: A Journey to Myself

(2001) Compelling, lyrical, and deeply moving, Bruchac's memoir tells how he came to fully understand, and eventually claim, his Abenaki heritage, despite his grandparents' unspoken pact never to discuss Grandpa's Indian blood.

Call number: 92 B8309 2001

Carlson, Lori Marie, editor. Moccasin Thunder: American Indian Stories for Today

(2005) Presents ten short stories about contemporary Native American teens by members of tribes of the United States and Canada.

Call number: 813.680897 M7139 2005

Chapman, Serie. We the People: Of Earth and Edlers, Volume II

(2001) A compilation of 63 interviews explores the lives and viewpoints of Native Americans across the United States and Canada.

Call number: 970.00497 C3676w 2001

Cheek, Larry. A.D. 1250: Ancient Peoples of the Southwest

(1994) Cheek draws on the work of the foremost archaeologists and anthropologists of the region, and explores some 25 major Southwestern prehistoric sites, to chronicle the birth, rise, decline, and ultimate collapse of the great Sinagua, Anasazi, Hohokam, Mogollon, and Salado cultures. Ravishing color photographs illustrate the terrain as well as the spectacular artifacts and ruins left behind by these ancient peoples.

Call number: 979.00497 C414a 1994

Cothran, Helen, editor. Early American Civilization and Exploration - 1607

(2003) Presents primary sources and historical studies outlining the early history of America, from prehistory through the years of early exploration to some of the first colonies settled in the New World.

Call number: 970.01 Ea761 2003

Deloria, Vine. Deloria, Barbara; Foehner, Kristen; & Scinta, Samuel, editors. Spirit & Reason: The Vine Deloria, Jr., Reader

(1999) In this collection of writings culled from his extensive career, including several works never before published, Deloria explores a wide array of topics, challenging theories of religion and science, examining the problems of modern education, and expounding on our understanding of the world.

Call number: 970.00497 D384s 1999

Gleason, Katherine. Native American Literature

(1997) Introduces Native American authors and provides a glimpse into their culture, historical perspective, and world-view.

Call number: 810.9897 G47n

Horn, Gabriel. The Book of Ceremonies: A Native Way of Honoring and Living the Sacred

(2000) An eclectic compilation of many American Indian traditions, featuring a tapestry of stories, poems, prayers, and love songs describing sacred Native American ways of life and what the varied native traditions and practices can offer all spiritual seekers.

Call number: 299.74 H7832b 2000

Johnson, Troy R. Distinguished Native American Spiritual Practicioners and Healers

(2002) An A-to-Z resource providing short biographical essays on 100 Native American spiritual figures, from well known figures such as Sitting Bull and Black Elk, to lesser known spiritual leaders such as Wovoka and Quanah Parker; along with suggestions of print and electronic sources for further reading.

Call number: 299.70922 J6379d 2002

Lassieur, Allison. Before the Storm: American Indians Before the Europeans

(1998) A narrative history about the various Indian peoples of North America and their way of life before contact with Europeans.

Call number: 970.00497 L337b 1998

McClain, Sally. Navajo Wespon: The Navajo Code Talkers

(2001) Navajo code talkers and the secure code they created based on their language, were military secrets for 24 years. This is their story, as told by the Navajo code talkers, military records, and first hand accounts of those who worked and fought along side them.

Call number: 940.5486 M132n 2001

Moore, MariJo, editor. Genocide of the Mind: New

(2003) A collection of nonfiction pieces written by Native Americans explores the line between traditionalism and urban modernity among Native Americans.

Call number: 305.897073 G288 2003

Niethammer, Carolyn. American Indian Cooking: Recipes from the Southwest

(1999) Based on wild, natural foods grown and gathered by Native Americans of the Southwest, this book presents a wealth of information on plants, uses, and recipes.

Call number: 641.59297 N558a 1999

Ochoa, Annette; Franco, Betsy; & Gourdine, Traci, editors. Night is Gone, Day is Still Coming: Stories and Poems by American Indian Teenagers and Young Adults

(2003) Collects poetry, prose, and memoirs from fifty-seven young American Indians, expressing their thoughts and views on such topice as life, love, heritage, family, and identity.

Call number: 810.80897 N5663 2003

Peate, Wayne F.. Listening With Your Heart: Lessons from Native America

(2003) A collection of Native American sayings, sacred words, and practical suggestions to improve one's health.

Call number: 615.88202 P329L 2003

Philip, Neil. The Great Mystery: Myths of Native America

(2001) An introduction to the mythology of the North American Indians, with emphasis on the creation of the world, the meaning of life and death, the foundations of humankind and society, and other basic myths.

Call number: 299.72 P537g 2001

Porter, Joy & Roemer, Kenneth, editors. The Cambridge Companion to Native American Literature

(2005) Covers such issues as historical and cultural contexts in Native American literature, translation and mediation, women writers and gender issues, non-fiction prose, Native American life writing, America's indigenous poetry, pre-1968 fiction, fiction: 1968 to the present, American Indian theatre, and individual authors such as N. Scott Momaday.

Call number: 810.9897 C1442 2005

Riley, Patricia, editor. Growing Up Native American

(1993) A collection of accounts of the lives of Native American children and youth, by twenty-two acclaimed Native American writers; features tales, remembrances, and thoughts on the future.

Call number: 810.80352 G919 1993

Taylor, Colin F.. The American Indian

(2002) An authoritative survey of Indian life, uniting the fields of Native American culture, history, technology, and religion.

Call number: 973.0497 T2129a 2002

Taylor, Colin F.. Native American Weapons

(2001) Featuring 155 color photographs and illustrations, this book surveys weapons made and used by American Indians north of present-day Mexico from prehistoric times to the late nineteenth century, when European weapons were in common use. The weapons and their roles in tribal culture, economy, and political systems are described.

Call number: 623.44108997 T2129n 2001

Trimble, Stephen. The People: Indians of the American Southwest

(1993) A portrayal of Native American life in Southern California, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, and Arizona describes their cultural contributions, lifestyles, struggles, and customs.

Call number: 979.00497 T735pb 1993

Whitson, Kathy J.. Native American Literature: An Encyclopedia of Works, Characters, Authors, and Themes

(1999) An encyclopedia of Native American literatures featuring articles on individual authors, on individual works, on important characters in works, and on terms and events of historical significance that figure in many of the works.

Call number: 810.9897 W617n 1999

Wilkinson, Charles. Blood Struggle: The Rise of Modern Indian Nations

(2005) The story of the extraordinary gains by Indian tribes over the second half of the twentieth century.

Call number: 323.1197073 W6592b 2005

Wood, Nancy, editor. The Serpent's Tongue: Prose, Poetry, and Art of the New Mexico Pueblos

(1997) An anthology presents Pueblo culture through an array of stories, poems, and paintings depicting the Pueblo way of life as well as their celebrations, beliefs, symbols, and more.

Call number: 810.80897 Se67 1997