Read this to be exposed to a lot of interesting Native perspectives!

There is so much variety in what the contributors do in their lives, but also in how they relate to being Native (did they grow up in a reservation or big city or somewhere else? are they an enrolled, not enrolled, or ineligible member of a tribe?). I felt like this hit a good balance of being easy to read and introducing a lot of topics impacting Native Americans today.

My favorite parts were the essays that explored Native communities and how Natives treat other Natives. A standout was Angeline Boulley’s essay about the complications of being an enrolled member and the prejudices that can exist for not being seen as Native enough.

But there were also a lot of beautiful, uplifting stories of everyday trailblazers, finding connection with others, and maintaining a link to traditions.

in all anthologies, some stories are better than others, but that's kind of the gift of this one. it's intended to paint a full picture of what it means to be Native, outside of stereotypes or expectations or misconceptions. some of the writers are writers, and some aren't. a lot of my favorite essays actually came from non-writers: from Chopped chefs, for example. the best one is from a standup comedian which is a kind of writing and probably cheating. 
i think this book may be specifically intended for a Native audience, but even as a non-Native reader, this was enlightening and powerful.

“Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won’t either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up.” - Louise Erdrich

Just as the title says, through essays and poems, 20 Native Americans share their experience of “growing up Native in America”. Some are humorous (Timeless Wisdom: Genius Tips for Enhanced Native Living), some are poignant (I Belong), and some are heartbreaking (Growing Up Pueblo (and White) in America). Each piece is heartfelt and I thoroughly enjoyed spending my time reading each one.

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

Read if you like:
Reading Indigenous works
Essay and Poetry collections
Learning about different cultures

Thank you Atria Books for the ARC.

Beautiful book! Highly recommend! I enjoyed the poetry, especially "Growing up Pueblo (and White) in America". Powerful and a moving collection of stories.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC!

This book is a collection of essays and poems written by a fascinating group of Native authors. They each give a unique and interesting perspective and it was really interesting to read their stories. All the essays and poems are strong, I truly enjoyed reading them all. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Atria & MTV Books and NetGalley for the review copy.

Pub date: October 1, 2024