I was excited to hear that Tommy Orange was releasing a new book in 2024 after reading his debut novel, THERE, THERE, in 2019. I enjoyed THERE, THERE but wasn't wowed. I thought WANDERING STARS was a much more cohesive book; the characters weren't exactly developed in a lot of detail, but their personalities were somehow still clear to me, and their inner monologues, emotional pain, etc., felt sincere.

WANDERING STARS follows multiple generations of a family navigating their Native American heritage and identity, individual and generational traumas, and addiction. Opal, one of the grandmothers, tries desperately to keep her family stable and together through it all as the poverty and addictions of the generations before her continue to follow the family. It can get a little difficult to follow all of the POVs—some in first-person and others in third—but the story is beautifully written, heartbreaking at parts, and an important historical analysis tackling the impact of boarding schools, colonization, and more on Native American bloodlines.

*This review is based on a digital ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

"I thought maybe there was some looped aspect to people partying at the lake, then ending up at the rehab at the lake, then relapsing and partying again on the lake like some hell in paradise or paradise in hell. That's what addiction had always felt like, like the best little thing you'd forget on the worst day possible, or the worst big thing on a day in a life you thought kept getting better because you kept getting high."

Wandering Stars is not a BIG book in terms of pages (336) but HUGE in what it contains. I have not read There There and plan on making time to do so after reading this powerful book. Tommy Orange's writing is quite beautiful while detailing and describing horrible injustices against Native Americans.

Colorado, 1864

Star has survived the Sand Creek Massacre and is taken to the Fort Marion Prison Castle, where they are hellbent on removing his identity and culture through violence and barbaric treatment. He is made to learn English and convert to Christianity. Years later Star's son, Charles, will be sent to the same place and will be brutalized by the man who once brutalized his father. There he will meet Opal.

Oakland, 2018

Opal is coping with all that has happened and all that is currently happening in her life and to those she loves by experimenting with drugs.

This book touches on several horrific things that occurred to Native Americans. The things discussed are on a drop in the bucket of injustices, harms, abuses, eradication, and violence that has been committed against Native Americans. I appreciate the author for giving voice to them. I am a firm believer that we should never shy away from things that make us uncomfortable. It is how we learn, how we grow, how we are educated, how we learn empathy, and how we gain insight. The atrocities against Native Americans have included cultural devastation, assimilation, violence, loss of land, abuse, forced relocation, discrimination, removal of children, and death to name a few.

The Sand Creek Massacre, Fort Marion Prison Castle, and drug/alcohol abuses are mentioned in this book. There is not only physical trauma, emotional trauma, but family trauma and cultural trauma detailed as well. These are shown through the POV's of several characters.

This family saga was well written, gripping, and hard to read at times. It has me wanting to read the author's previous book. I found myself thinking about this book after I finished the last page.

"𝘌𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘛𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘺 𝘖𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 1864 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴.”

In order to prepare for for this one, I went back to read There There, a book considered to be one of the best of the year it was published. Wandering Stars continues the story of There There but it also goes back in time to explain how the characters got to that point. Exploring issues of school shootings, addiction, suicide, this is not an easy read. It’s an important work, though, as we need to know this history. This book shows generational trauma but also highlights the love and strength that cross generations from the Red Feather family.

When Ann Patchett spoke at a local event earlier this year, this was one of the titles she said was not to be missed. I agree.

Thank you Knopf for the generosity of a review copy of Wandering Stars and for supporting Tommy Orange's work; the stories of indigenous people need to be amplified and I value books and publishers who are a part of this needed storytelling. I acknowledge as well the PRH influencer program for the audiobook copy and for a powerful multi voice actor audiobook (with diversity in identity among those narrating the book, that's important)

Wandering Stars is a hard read; it should be because the stories aren't meant to be easy to hear and read. Tommy Orange challenges us to listen and sit with this book, it was for me a bit slower in pace as compared to There There (not a criticism) and is a little more abstract or stream of consciousness in writing style. The story though once again weaves together themes and characters into a bigger tapestry of Indigenous identity, the harshness of abuse and suffering endured, recognition of trauma and addiction. and the struggles of persistence in spaces that have been taken away, the struggle for support and recognition of hurt and harm.

I am appreciative of this book in so many ways. Storytelling is an elevated art form with Tommy Orange and I am going to spend time thinking about this book as I did with There There.

An intense, immersive, and important read. While it's not a sequel per se to There There, fans of that novel will be pleased to spend more time with some of the characters and will recognize the themes. Orange is working in areas only now being explored in literature and he's doing it with heart and emotion. This is gorgeously written, which makes it all the more distressing in spots. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Highly recommend.

This book is so powerful. It's beautifully written. The way he uses language conveys so much about each character's mindset at the moment; you feel the drug-induced haze along with many of the characters from their inner monologue. And while addiction is a big part of the story, it is also an absolutely gutting depiction of erasure and the ways this cultural genocide compounds from generation to generation. Getting a peek into how much personal family history was lost, along with larger Tribal knowledge and physical loss was profound. As the reader, you know more about this family's history and their Tribal ties than any singular character gets to know and it's heartbreaking. It's a standalone book, but there is quite a bit of crossover with events and themes from his first book "There There." This is a must read.

This was a difficult read. After reading Killers of the Flower Moon and now this one, I have a greater understanding of the horrors the indigenous people suffered. As the author stated this is a story about "America's war on its own people". The research is there which will make you feel sorrow and rage for the eradication of a culture.
Starting with 1864, the Sand Creek Massacre survivor, Star, is sent to Fort prison Castle where they all must learn a new identity and culture. The abuse is almost unbearable under the direction of Pratt, a prison guard.
The next generation is Star's son, Charles. He is sent to the Carlisle Indian Industrial school with the harsh and brutal treatment by Pratt extended. His only hope is in his friendship with Opal.
The next generation is about Opal's nephews where they experience a school shooting, prescription drugs, self-mutilation and PTSD. It is hard to read about generational abuse and sorrow. While most history books in school now have left out the abuse on Indigenous people, it is important that they know about these stories that have been researched and shared so we don't forget.
The author has gained notoriety and numerous awards for his first book There, There, which I need to look into. Incredible wealth of information in this book that I will not forget anytime soon.
Thank you NetGalley andKnopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf for this incredible ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

A novel full of beautiful writing and heart-wrenching histories.

Starting in 1864 at the Sand Creek Massacre and following three generations of a Native family subjected to traumatic practices at the hands of those who conquered their people, this is a story that is epic in its scope. It is both the prequel and sequel to author Tommy Orange’s acclaimed novel There There, and a must-read for those who fell in love with the characters of that precursor.
This is not an easy book to read, not only because of the horrific episodes of American history contained within but also for its almost stream-of-conscious style of writing, which I found to ramble a bit. Native tribes have not been treated well by the white people who took control of their lands and their lives. They have endured periods of attempted eradication, have been uprooted from their traditional lands and either sent to prisons like Fort Sill in Florida (as Jude Star in this book experienced) or sent to schools like the notorious Carlisle School which sought to eliminate the Native identity of those who were enrolled there. Ripped away from their families, their culture and their very identities, many turned to the seductive oblivion found in a bottle of liquor or any number of other addictive substances. It makes for painful reading, yet it remains important for all to know the truth of what was done to generations of Native families. Those looking for an uplifting, happily-ever-after tale will not find it here, but those who are willing to put in the time will be rewarded with wonderfully developed characters, amazing imagery and gifted writing. Readers of Louise Erdrich, Michael Dorris and Barbara Kingsolver might also want to give this a try. Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon Vintage, and Anchor for allowing me access to an early copy of Wandering Stars.

WANDERING STARS

I’ve been waiting patiently for another novel from Tommy Orange since THERE THERE, one of my all time favorite novels. I was so grateful for an early copy of WANDERING STARS, a powerful multigenerational story that touches on identity, generational trauma, addiction and survival.

I loved revisiting Orange’s characters and finding out more about their early history, how the family ended up in Oakland, the trauma their ancestors suffered at the Fort Mason prison castle and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, and what happens after the Oakland Coliseum powwow. The novel is split into two parts and, personally, I would have preferred to see each part fleshed out into separate and longer books, forming a trilogy about the Stars, the Bear Shields and the Red Feather family. I think there was more to say about their lives, homes, displacement and silences, and I would always love to read another novel by Tommy Orange.

This book has a different tone to it, more somber and less propulsive than THERE THERE, but I appreciated how elements from the lives of Star, later renamed Jude Star, and his son Charles, keep reverberating in the lives of their descendants Opal, Orvil, Loother and Lony. Sometimes the motifs—stars, spiders, flight, blood—feel over-literal, but I appreciated how Orange adapted indigenous traditions, lore and both new and old ceremonies into this imagery. There were more storylines about drug dealing, addiction and recovery than I expected, but I was especially touched by Orvil and Lony’s vulnerability and complicated lives.

The excellent multicast audiobook narration, read by Shaun Taylor-Corbett, MacLeod Andrews, Alma Cuervo, Curtis Michael Holland, Calvin Joyal, Phil Ava, Emmanuel Chumaceiro, Christian Young, and Charley Flyte, really made these characters come alive. Orange’s debut is a tough act to follow, but WANDERING STARS is a thought-provoking, haunting and emotional work well worth reading.

Many thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for the ARC and Penguin Random House Audio for the audiobook.

This book was amazing! It traces a family from a frightening escape from the Sand Creek massacre until the present day. Much like There There, Mr. Orange is able to weave the many threads of people and time and place into a story you won't want to put down.

Tommy Orange knows how to get into a character's feelings in a way I rarely see. You think you're just reading and then, BAM, the feels.

It is a sweeping story, covering more than one hundred years. There is so much tragedy and sadness, but also hope and strength. I like how the author includes historical events; some of which the reader may not know about. And one of my favorite things, we even get to join Opal from There There! I just love it when an author will bring in a character from another book; it's like having a friend visit.

This is not a light book. But it is a great book.

My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tommy Orange has a unique writing style which I embrace. I read this as I wanted to know more about the Native American culture, and it did not disappoint. I read There There so long ago, I really didn't remember much of his first book. Wandering Stars is to be a sequel, but I think it is good as a standalone. It seemed to me to be two books in one. It starts out with a historical perspective in the 1800's with the Star family. The narrative takes you through the generations. The second part dwells on the present day and lives of the Star family and a friend of Orvil who is adopted and is part Native American Indian. While I learned about the struggles of the family and the racism, they incurred I struggled to get through it. Reading about addiction is uncomfortable and I felt it went on too long. It's a multigenerational story and Tommy Orange is a gifted writer, give it a try.

Wandering Stars brings readers right back to the characters from Tommy Orange's debut novel, There, There, but instead of picking up where the story ends, the novel begins with a more historical perspective into the character's ancestors and the generational trauma they endured. The second part of the book flashes forward to the aftermath of the mass shooting from There, There, and the effect it had not only on Orville, but his entire family.

Orange's writing style is so unique in how he's able to weave in so many perspectives that it feels like you're watching the story unfold in front of you, but it's also being retold simultaneously based on someone else's experience. This writing style helps capture how trauma presents itself differently for each character and across generations.

This is, yet again, another poignant novel by Tommy Orange. I cannot wait to read whatever he writes next.

Brilliant. Tragic. Inspiring. A harsh truth.
A family history consumed by addiction, continuing the family history from Orange's previous book, There There. The nonlinear narrative can be challenging at times - but stick with it.
This book gave me so many emotions. So much history not learned in a classroom. So rich with tragedy yet some stars of hope.
This book will stay with me.

Unpopular opinion alert!!

I read There There when it first came out, and if I’m being honest, I remember very little from that book. I remembered there was a shooting at a pow-wow, but that’s about it. None of it stayed with me.

So I was already had some trepidation to read this one, but really wanted to give Tommy Orange another try because there are so many that praised There There. I knew pretty quickly that Wandering Stars was going to end up much the same for me that There There did, but I pushed on. There was a lot of internal dialogue going back and forth about dnfing it, but I powered through and finished.

Wandering Stars has been said to be a prequel and a sequel to There There and I would agree with that statement. I don’t think you have to have read There There to read Wandering Stars, but I think it would be helpful to get more out of the story.

It’s clear Tommy Orange is beyond a talented writer. Unfortunately, something about his style just doesn’t work for me. I honestly think he’s too high brow for my taste. I have a hard time following his jumbled and messy writing. He has massive amounts of characters that are hard for me to keep track of, especially when we also jump around timelines like he tends to do. If he ever writes more of a character story, I’d totally be willing to give him another chance, but stories like this just aren’t for me.

Please seek out lots of other reviews because I have a feeling I’ll be alone in this. He’s much too beloved to base your opinion solely on my thoughts, so I would highly recommend you give it a try to see for yourself!

Tommy Orange is an extremely skilled writer. There are moments and sentences of emotional connection in this book that are so wonderful. Some great imagery. He also has some incredibly smart social commentary and biting observations and musings. I loved reading that. The pacing in the novel was a little slow in spots and too fast in others, it wasn't quite right. I also think the book moves into a preciousness that I really didn't care for. The middle third was really my favorite stuff.

I did not know this was a companion/continuation of this author's last book, There, There, when started it but I was happy that it was. This is heavy but in the best way just as is this author's last book. The way the author traced the history and generations of a family and then brought it into the present was masterful. Such a beautiful, important story. Read this book!!

I absolutely loved this book, and I give it my highest recommendation. Wandering Stars comes out next week on February 27, 2024, you can purchase HERE, and I hope you consider reading this one as well as There, There!

There were children, and then there were the children of Indians, because the merciless savage inhabitants of these American lands did not make children but nits, and nits make lice, or so it was said by the man who meant to make a massacre feel like killing bugs at Sand Creek, when seven hundred drunken men came at dawn with cannons, and then again four years later almost to the day the same way at the Washita River, where afterward, seven hundred Indian horses were rounded up and shot in the head.

These kinds of events were called battles, then later-sometimes-massacres, in America's longest war. More years at war with Indians than as a nation. Three hundred and thirteen. After all the killing and removing, scattering and rounding up of Indian people to put them on reservations, and after the buffalo population was reduced from about thirty million to a few hundred in the wild, the thinking being "Every buffalo dead is an Indian gone," there came another campaign-style slogan directed at the Indian problem: "Kill the Indian, Save the Man."

A good author writes an engaging story. A great writer makes you feeling emotions while writing an engaging story. A truly gifted writer is able to write beautifully about terrible difficult topics, teach you something new and paint a picture so vivid you can see it playing out in your head. Tommy Orange follows his debut, There, There, with another powerful book about an indigenous population. There were multiple times I found myself stopping to reread a sentence, not because I didn't understand it, but because it was crafted beautifully. I love reading multigenerational stories that show a family's heritage and complicated history. We need more authors like Tommy Orange to tell the important stories of Native Americans.

Very well written, but it just wasn’t the book for me. I know some people will love it because of the beautiful writing but I couldn’t get into it.

So this was not for me.

Wandering, yes lots of that. The first part I think was to show history of the Star family and the horrendous treatment the native Americans were put through. The writing, rambling, no flow, different perspective written in the same paragraphs. Just extremely hard to follow.

Second part, 2018, victim of school shooting, still think we are following the family line but very unclear. Adds in opioid crisis to the family list of misadventures.

Spent more than a reasonable amount of time rereading trying to figure out if I missed something or if it just wasn’t clear to begin with. Still not really sure of the entire purpose because again things were not clear, may be the intended purpose. Just was not enjoyable for myself.

Thanks to Netgalley for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own

In Tommy Orange's follow up to his debut novel, There, There, we find ourselves going back in history to the origin story of one of the characters, Orvil Red Feather. Orange's novel is dedicated to "everyone surviving and not surviving this thing called and not called addiction" and the book begins with generations of Orvil's ancestors' stories passing down both their trauma and their addictions to the next generations. My biggest complaint with There, There was the non-linear timeline and multiple narrators making it pretty difficult to follow what was happening to whom and when. Part 1 of this book gave a bit of this vibe, but only because it covered a lot of time, fairly quickly. Once we get to Part 2, Orvil's story, it evens out a bit and becomes easier to follow. The way addictions follow this family in different ways and different outcomes is pretty heartbreaking and this is not a happily ever after kind of book. But I liked it much better than There, There and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in a fictionalized history of Native peoples in America and how things that happened at the beginning of the colonization of this country (massacres, "boarding" schools, etc.) are still having great effect on modern day Native people. I would not say you need to read There, There first, as the events of that book are addressed fully in this one, enough to not need the background information.