Wandering Stars is the newest novel from Tommy Orange. Set in the town of Oakland, California, it seeks to explain the plight and invisibility of Native Americans in the present day.

It is marketed as a sequel to There, There but it is also a prequel. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and it made real sense to me. Orange does an incredible job of painting and creating a premise—the mistreatment and cruelty towards Native Americans sets the stage for generational trauma, where the main character later in the story carries an invisibility weight— he constantly thinks of why his family can’t get it together and why does his family always have to suffer.

He doesn’t always have the answers, but I appreciate his need to understand where he comes from. There is such beauty in the way Orange writes that gives a voice and brightness to the characters. It is a very worthwhile read.

The beauty in the present-day story is about Orvil and his addiction to opioids after his accident in There, There. His invisibility as a Native American leads to loneliness and despair, and eventually drug use and addiction. He is indigenous without nature, a country, and a tribe. The only connection to his community is his family, yet because he is young and immature, he squanders that away in the place of distractions and relief.

The addiction story was paralleled to Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. I do not mind— we need to read more stories about addiction and recovery, and I am especially glad that the opioid crisis is getting more attention.

This is a must read book for its subject matter, social commentary, and history.

"Wandering Stars" by Tommy Orange is a haunting journey through time and the interconnected legacies of Native American history. Seamlessly weaving together past and present, Orange delivers a powerful narrative that delves into the repercussions of historical atrocities and the enduring struggle for identity and survival.

Set against the backdrop of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Orange introduces us to characters whose lives are irrevocably shaped by the brutality of colonialism and institutional violence. From Star, a young survivor of the massacre forced into assimilation at Fort Marion Prison Castle, to Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield, grappling with the aftermath of her nephew's near-fatal shooting in contemporary Oakland, each character's story resonates with profound depth and emotion.

The portrayal of intergenerational trauma is particularly poignant, as Orange explores how the wounds of the past continue to reverberate through subsequent generations. Through Orvil's compulsive search for school shooting videos on YouTube and Lony's desperate attempts to reconnect with his Cheyenne heritage, Orange vividly captures the struggle to reconcile personal identity with a history marked by violence and erasure.

Orange's prose is lyrical and evocative, capturing the beauty and brutality of the landscapes his characters inhabit. His exploration of Ceremony and peyote as avenues for healing adds a spiritual dimension to the narrative, offering glimpses of hope amidst the despair.

"Wandering Stars" is a masterful follow-up to Orange's acclaimed debut, "There There." With its piercing poetry and unflinching portrayal of America's ongoing war on its indigenous peoples, this novel is a devastating indictment of historical injustices and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

In conclusion, "Wandering Stars" earns its four stars through its compelling storytelling, richly drawn characters, and profound exploration of themes of trauma, identity, and resilience. Tommy Orange has once again proven himself to be a formidable voice in contemporary literature, and this novel is sure to leave a lasting impact on readers.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Receiving an advanced copy was a delightful surprise. I believe both existing fans and newcomers will find it equally enjoyable.

3/5 stars rounded up.
Like so many others, I LOVED Orange's debut There, There about "urban Indians" and their individual struggles to reach the Oklahoma pow-wow. So I was very excited to see that he had another book coming out and that it is a sort of sequel to There, There which ended rather abruptly, in my opinion.

I have mixed feelings about this offering. As always, reading Orange is a master class in writing at the sentence level. His command and control of language is beautiful and sometimes surprising. I really love his style. He's readable but also cerebral and literary.

This book is rightfully split into two parts. The first part is a sweeping and quick overview of hundreds of years of Native American history told by the ancestors of Orvil - one of the victims of the shooting at the pow-wow in There, There. It spans generations in this family. I learned a lot in this section, but it dragged for me. LOTS of telling. And the parts that he did include were cursory history of the events. I'd love to see an entire book on the Prison Castle/re-education schools in Florida where we really get inside the lives of the characters there. This entire section felt like a bulleted list of moments in Native American history instead of really getting into the nitty-gritty of these events. I'm curious about the though process behind backing up this far, just to zoom ahead and really zero in on the aftermath of the pow-wow shooting.

The second half follows several of the characters we met in There, There. This section felt disjointed to me. There were several POVs that were told in first person. Several in third person, A few even in 2nd person. And I couldn't quite understand why or even what the point was. I don't think it necessary added anything to the story to switch around like this. This section did move a bit faster with the inclusion of more dialogue, but it still felt like it was trying to do too much in a little amount of time.

Overall, this really felt like two separate books that perhaps Orange couldn't decide which direction to take his second book - or maybe didn't have enough stamina or material/ideas to make two separate books, so he smooshed them together into this one. I did like it. I did highlight a LOT of really great, inspirational, important quotes. But it just didn't hit the same way There, There did. It almost felt like Orange had some salient points he wanted to make about the Native American experience and just used the under-developed characters as a vehicle to deliver these nuggets of wisdom. I didn't feel overly invested in any of the characters. And I don't know that any of them really grew or changed that much as the story progressed.

Wandering Stars is definitely worth the read. Do I think it is going to have the lasting affects of There, There - not for this reader. But I'm glad I read it and it did make me do some more research into the historical events mentioned in the beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tommy Orange, and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an Advanced Reader Copy of this novel.

- I knew Orange would break my heart with WANDERING STARS, and he sure did.
- Orange expands on the legacy of colonization and the generational traumas that stem from it, showing different ways they manifested throughout the decades.
- Orange’s writing is so gorgeous, the kind of writing that you can’t imagine being done any other way.
- I reread THERE THERE immediately before this one, and am happy to report that the anti-fat bias in the first book is almost entirely gone.
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Content warnings: Abandonment, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Colonisation, Death, Self harm, Alcoholism, Blood, Violence, Racism, Suicide, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, Animal death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Cancer, Rape

I admit-I was not as enthralled by there, there as many other readers and reviewers, but I still wanted to give wandering stars a chance. I was so glad I did. The prose is beautiful and haunting. While the it does take a bit to get into the main plot/story, I didn’t mind because oranges words had me along for the ride. This is a multi generational tale about the Native American experience, multi-generational trauma, addiction, families, community, the past, etc. the smooth writing hides a deceptively complex plot and themes. I loved this and want to go back and re read it as I’m sure I missed many, many points my first time around. This is a book worth reading and all the many fans of there, there (and those who aren’t) will still love this.

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a special novel and I just ADORE Tommy's writing style. This book is told through multiple POVs, as Tommy continues to educate you through a story of the Native Americans and their brutal past. He gives us an in-depth lens through the eyes of Opal, Orvil, and Lony. It's a family saga that is well-written, hard to read sometimes (need to be in the right headspace to pick this one up), and felt gripping to its story.

My hopes for Wandering Stars were high; the reality was better. I loved it.

I reread There There before starting this ARC, and I'm so glad I did - Wandering Stars can absolutely be standalone, but it's far more powerful in context. And I love how it's not a straightforward sequel or a prequel - it's more of a wrap-around. The form is a perfect container for the stories - because the past doesn't end, it builds.

I don't always love multi-POV novels (which is maybe a function of growing up in an individualistic society that prizes a specific and familiar type of storytelling?); whatever the reason, Tommy Orange is exceptional at ensemble casts. This book is like a kaleidoscope or a mosaic composed of photographs - there's one story it tells from afar, and then you look closer. In that way, it reminded me of The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride.

I'm so glad the publication date is finally here; I can't wait to discuss Wandering Stars with customers at the bookstore where I work. Like There There, Wandering Stars isn't an easy book to read - I devour most books, but this is one I have to stop and sit with and process - but it's beautiful and memorable and utterly worthwhile.

Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love it. It sounded so good and I love reading about Native Americans. I just couldn’t get into it for some reason. I even downloaded the audio to see if that would help. It’s very slow burn book. Please note that I did not finish the book so my two stars may not be an accurate assessment.

Deeply emotional and gripping prose. At parts, it felt more like linked short stories, working with different styles and voices, but the second half felt more like a novel. It's been a long time since reading THERE THERE, and I didn't remember the characters or their stories, so a bit was probably lost on me as this continues the family's stories.

I struggled with this one. The beginning provided a family tree type back ground but I felt that just as I got to know a character they were gone. Once the main story started I still struggled as the story just seemed to drag for me. Wish I liked it more but it was a struggle for me from beginning to end

A powerful multi generational story threading together the Native American experience and addiction. If you can get past Part 1 which is very difficult and sad read,, you will be rewarded with pure literary excellence. It’s well written and thought provoking. A must read and instant classic.

An amazing story of a Native American family struggling with addictions. Hard to read and will have you sobbing by the end. To say Tommy Orange has a way with words is a total understatement. I do wish I had read the previous book first though.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"Wandering Stars" by Tommy Orange is a slow burn exploration of the intergenerational trauma inflicted upon Native American families in the wake of historical atrocities. Set in Colorado in 1864, the novel follows Star, a young survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre, and his son Charles, who later attends the Carlisle School. Orange weaves together the stories of these characters, highlighting the impact of colonization and forced assimilation.

Tommy Orange has an important message about the American Indian treatment and how this has affected their culture. I did read There There by Orange many years ago and I did not remember much of the story. While this is supposed to be a sequel, "Wandering Stars" can stand alone.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of "Wandering Stars" in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley, #WanderingStars, #TommyOrange

I was a big fan of Orange’s first book, There There and wasn’t aware that this one was a sort of sequel. It starts off in the 1800s and follows a Native family over time to present day. It is a heartbreaking book full of complicated characters. Includes themes of violence against Native Americans, addiction, and PTSD.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Wandering Stars is the sequel to There, There - but I have to be honest - I don’t remember the specific story or characters since I read it as soon as it came out (so I guess this can be a standalone book). The novels focus on one Native American family’s generational stories beginning in the 1860s. The novel sets up the modern day story by giving the initial background of the character’s ancestors’ stories of the boarding schools, prison stays and general institutional violence that was commonplace. The majority of the novel takes place today and looks at what this generational trauma has done to this one family.

I enjoyed this novel much more than There, There - I found it moved much faster and I connected with the characters much more easily. While the story is painful it is also relatable. Orange is masterful at telling a story at a micro level while showing what happens when society attempts to erase one’s culture at a macro level.

4.25 stars

thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC to review

This was a beautiful but heavy book. I recommend you read Orange's There There first. Technically, these are stand-alone, but we meet some of the same people, and the events of There There fall within of this book's timeline. The family tree helps keep track of the generations, but it's easy to get lost as we jump from person to person, timeframe to timeframe.

Like in There There, this book's topics largely stem from the overarching generational trauma theme. But I found that in this book, there are fewer punches pulled. We see the massacres, the horrific schools like the Carlisle School, and later impacts like high levels of drug use and mental health needs. Yet despite all these heartbreaking elements, the writing is beautiful and moving. There's a sense of bearing witness to the traumas inflicted even as there is a sense of triumph and resilience that is completely independent of us as readers.

As we continue to bear witness to the ongoing, long-reaching impact of colonialism both within the US and abroad, these stories are increasingly essential reminders of the way colonialist ideology has a very real impact on real people.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Wow. This book will stay with me for a long time. Seeing what happens to Orvil, Lony, Opal, and Jacquie after the events in There There was intense but beautiful. The events that happen in this book are darker and stayed with me long after. I put the book down each day. I appreciated how Tommy Orange delicately covered topics like identity, addiction, and belonging. Seeing how each character grew was difficult, but I knew they were in good hands with Orange. The final chapter was heartwrenching and hopeful. I already miss these characters.

"It's just as important for you to hear yourself speak your stories as it is for others to hear you speak them, so that you can come to know you're not alone, and more the same as the person sitting next to you than you are different from them, which you never would have ever believed unless they opened their mouths to share their stories here in these circles."

I highly recommend this book. I've said it before and I will say it again, Tommy Orange is an incredibly important and powerful voice. I am so grateful he is sharing these stories. This book does more than share stories, it shares deep truths through generations enveloped in trauma, loss, family, and what it means to come from a heritage that people are constantly trying to erase. The book picks up where There, There left off (and if you haven't read that - stop reading this and pick that up).

Wandering Stars is steeped in individuals being so consumed in their own hurt and attempts at healing that lead to so many missed and noticed moments of suffering by their family and loved ones. The story is weaved together so well between the past and the future, and at each moment you find yourself intrinsically tied in hope and fury for these characters.

This book does an incredible job of showing in raw and honest detail the scars that are carried over when we try and eliminate an entire peoples culture, history, language and traditions. One of the most poignant parts of the novel for me is when Orvil Red Feather stops to think and consider the land that he is standing on, the place he resides in, and whose land it was - whose land it truly is. That hit me to my core as I considered the myriad of places I have lived, and who the land truly belongs to.

Many thanks to Knopf, NetGalley and Tommy Orange for an advanced copy of this book for my honest review. This book will stay with me for a long time, and I look forward to Tommy Orange continuing to share stories and deep hard truths. Go read this book.

Impressive & worth the wait. Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange intimately explores the multigenerational impacts of trauma and the complexities of reconciling indigenous life with modern society.