Read Native - Young Adult | East Lansing Public Library

by Smith, Cynthia Leitich

Book - 2018

Muscogee Creek author, non-fiction. "When Louise Wolfe’s first real boyfriend mocks and disrespects Native people in front of her, she breaks things ...Show more Muscogee Creek author, non-fiction. "When Louise Wolfe’s first real boyfriend mocks and disrespects Native people in front of her, she breaks things off immediately and dumps him. It’s her senior year, anyway, and she’d rather spend her time on her family and friends and working on the school newspaper. The editors pair her up with Joey Kairouz, the ambitious new photojournalist, and in no time the paper’s staff find themselves with a major story to cover: the school musical director’s inclusive approach to casting “The Wizard of Oz” has been provoking backlash in their mostly white, middle-class Kansas town." - from the author's webpage Show less

Available now View Details

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

http://search.mel.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb37612270

Web Resource

Ojibwe author, fiction. "Apple Starkington turned her back on her Native American heritage the moment she was called a racial slur for someone of whi...Show more Ojibwe author, fiction. "Apple Starkington turned her back on her Native American heritage the moment she was called a racial slur for someone of white and Indian descent, not that she really even knew how to be an Indian in the first place. Too bad the white world doesn't accept her either. And so begins her quirky habits to gain acceptance. Apple's name, chosen by her Indian mother on her deathbed, has a double meaning: treasured apple of my eye, but also the negative connotation a person who is red, or Indian, on the outside, but white on the inside. After her wealthy father gives her the boot one summer, Apple reluctantly agrees to visit her Native American relatives on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in northern North Dakota for the first time. Apple learns to deal with the culture shock of Indian customs and the Native Michif language, while she tries to find a connection to her dead mother. She also has to deal with a vengeful Indian man who loved her mother in high school but now hates Apple because her mom married a white man. Bouncing in the middle of two cultures, Apple meets her Indian relatives, shatters Indian stereotypes, and learns what it means to find her place in a world divided by color." - Birchbark Books Show less

Surviving the City, Vol. 1 - By Tasha Spillett and Natasha Donovan

http://search.mel.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb38419819

Web Resource

Nehiyaw author and Métis illustrator; graphic novel; if you like it, vol. 2, just came out! "Tasha Spillett’s graphic-novel debut tells a story of ki...Show more Nehiyaw author and Métis illustrator; graphic novel; if you like it, vol. 2, just came out! "Tasha Spillett’s graphic-novel debut tells a story of kinship, resilience, cultural resurgence, and the anguish of a missing loved one. Miikwan and Dez are best friends. Miikwan is Anishinaabe; Dez is Inninew. Together, the teens navigate the challenges of growing up Indigenous in an urban landscape – they’re so close, they even completed their Berry Fast together. However, when Dez’s grandmother becomes too sick, Dez is told she can’t stay with her anymore. With the threat of a group home looming, Dez can’t bring herself to go home and disappears. Miikwan is devastated, and the wound of her missing mother resurfaces. Will Dez’s community find her before it’s too late? Will Miikwan be able to cope if they don’t?" - Portage and Main Press Show less

An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States

by Dunbar-Ortiz, Roxanne

Book - 2014

Nambé Owingeh author, non-fiction. "Today in the United States, there are more than five hundred federally recognized Indigenous nations comprising n...Show more Nambé Owingeh author, non-fiction. "Today in the United States, there are more than five hundred federally recognized Indigenous nations comprising nearly three million people, descendants of the fifteen million Native people who once inhabited this land. The centuries-long genocidal program of the US settler-colonial regimen has largely been omitted from history. Now, for the first time, acclaimed historian and activist Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz offers a history of the United States told from the perspective of Indigenous peoples and reveals how Native Americans, for centuries, actively resisted expansion of the US empire." - Penguin Random House Show less

All copies in use View Details

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

Rain Is Not My Indian Name - By Cynthia Leitich Smith

http://search.mel.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb15794536

Web Resource

Muscogee Creek author, non-fiction. "It’s been six months since Cassidy Rain Berghoff’s best friend, Galen, died, and up until now she has succeeded ...Show more Muscogee Creek author, non-fiction. "It’s been six months since Cassidy Rain Berghoff’s best friend, Galen, died, and up until now she has succeeded in shutting herself off from the world. But when controversy arises around Aunt Georgia’s Indian Camp in their mostly white midwestern community, Rain decides to face the outside world again, with a new job photographing the campers for her town’s newspaper. Soon, Rain has to decide how involved she wants to become in Indian Camp. Does she want to keep a professional distance from her fellow Native teens? And, though she is still grieving, will she be able to embrace new friends and new beginnings?" - from the authors webpage Show less

Apple Skin to the Core

A Memoir in Words and Pictures

by Gansworth, Eric L.

Book - 2020

Onondaga author; autobiography and poetry. "The term 'Apple' is a slur in Native communities across the country. It’s for someone supposedly 'red on ...Show more Onondaga author; autobiography and poetry. "The term 'Apple' is a slur in Native communities across the country. It’s for someone supposedly 'red on the outside, white on the inside.' Eric Gansworth is telling the story of his family, of Onondaga among Tuscaroras, and of Native folks everywhere. From the horrible legacy of the government boarding schools, to a boy watching his siblings leave and return and leave again, to a young man fighting to be an artist who balances multiple worlds. Eric shatters that slur and reclaims it in verse and prose and imagery that truly lives up to the word heartbreaking." - Levine Querido Show less

Available now View Details

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

Reawakening Our Ancestors' Lines: Revitalizing Inuit Traditional Tattooing - By Angela Hovak Johnston

http://search.mel.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb37335679

Web Resource

Inuk author; non-fiction. "For thousands of years, Inuit women practised the traditional art of tattooing. Created with bone needles and caribou sine...Show more Inuk author; non-fiction. "For thousands of years, Inuit women practised the traditional art of tattooing. Created with bone needles and caribou sinew soaked in seal oil or soot, these tattoos were an important tradition for many women, symbols stitched in their skin that connected them to their families and communities.But with the rise of missionaries and residential schools in the North, the tradition of tattooing was almost lost. In 2005, when Angela Hovak Johnston heard that the last Inuk woman tattooed in the traditional way had died, she set out to tattoo herself and learn how to tattoo others. What was at first a personal quest became a project to bring the art of traditional tattooing back to Inuit women across Nunavut, starting in the community of Kugluktuk. Collected in this beautiful book are moving photos and stories from more than two dozen women who participated in Johnston's project. Together, these women are reawakening their ancestors' lines and sharing this knowledge with future generations." - Inhabit Books Show less

#NotYourPrincess

Voices of Native American Women

Book - 2017

Multiple contributers; non-fiction, poetry, art, interviews. "Whether looking back to a troubled past or welcoming a hopeful future, the powerful voi...Show more Multiple contributers; non-fiction, poetry, art, interviews. "Whether looking back to a troubled past or welcoming a hopeful future, the powerful voices of Indigenous women across North America resound in this book. In the same style as the best-selling Dreaming in Indian, #Not Your Princess presents an eclectic collection of poems, essays, interviews, and art that combine to express the experience of being a Native woman. Stories of abuse, humiliation, and stereotyping are countered by the voices of passionate women making themselves heard and demanding change. Sometimes angry, often reflective, but always strong, the women in this book will give teen readers insight into the lives of women who, for so long, have been virtually invisible." - Annick Press Show less

Available now View Details

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

http://search.mel.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb37101372

Web Resource

Onondaga author; fiction; "Carson Mastick is entering his senior year of high school and desperate to make his mark, on the reservation and off. A ro...Show more Onondaga author; fiction; "Carson Mastick is entering his senior year of high school and desperate to make his mark, on the reservation and off. A rock band — and winning the local Battle of the Bands, with its first prize of a trip to New York City — is his best shot. But things keep getting in the way. Small matters like the lack of an actual band, or the fact that his brother just got shot confronting the racist owner of a local restaurant. Maggi Bokoni has just moved back to the reservation from the city with her family. She's dying to stop making the same traditional artwork her family sells to tourists (conceptual stuff is cooler), stop feeling out of place in her new (old) home, and stop being treated like a child. She might like to fall in love for the first time too. Carson and Maggi — along with their friend Lewis — will navigate loud protests, even louder music, and first love in this stirring novel about coming together in a world defined by difference." - Scholastic Show less

The Marrow Thieves

by Dimaline, Cherie

Book - 2017

Métis author; fiction/fantasy. "Humanity has nearly destroyed its world through global warming, but now an even greater evil lurks. The indigenous pe...Show more Métis author; fiction/fantasy. "Humanity has nearly destroyed its world through global warming, but now an even greater evil lurks. The indigenous people of North America are being hunted and harvested for their bone marrow, which carries the key to recovering something the rest of the population has lost: the ability to dream. In this dark world, Frenchie and his companions struggle to survive as they make their way up north to the old lands. For now, survival means staying hidden - but what they don't know is that one of them holds the secret to defeating the marrow thieves." - Dancing Cat Books Show less

Available now View Details

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

Code Talker

by Nez, Chester

Book - 2012

Navajo author; non-fiction/history. "The first and only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers of WWII. His name wasn’t Chester Nez. That ...Show more Navajo author; non-fiction/history. "The first and only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers of WWII. His name wasn’t Chester Nez. That was the English name he was assigned in kindergarten. And in boarding school at Fort Defiance, he was punished for speaking his native language, as the teachers sought to rid him of his culture and traditions. But discrimination didn’t stop Chester from answering the call to defend his country after Pearl Harbor, for the Navajo have always been warriors, and his upbringing on a New Mexico reservation gave him the strength—both physical and mental—to excel as a marine. During World War II, the Japanese had managed to crack every code the United States used. But when the Marines turned to its Navajo recruits to develop and implement a secret military language, they created the only unbroken code in modern warfare—and helped assure victory for the United States over Japan in the South Pacific." - Penguin Random House Show less

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

This Place: 150 Years Retold / foreword by Alicia Elliott - By Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm and others

http://search.mel.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb38800916

Web Resource

Chippewa author; graphic novel; fiction/fantasy. "Explore the past 150 years through the eyes of Indigenous creators in this groundbreaking graphic n...Show more Chippewa author; graphic novel; fiction/fantasy. "Explore the past 150 years through the eyes of Indigenous creators in this groundbreaking graphic novel anthology. Beautifully illustrated, these stories are an emotional and enlightening journey through Indigenous wonderworks, psychic battles, and time travel. See how Indigenous peoples have survived a post-apocalyptic world since Contact." - Highwater Press Show less

If I Ever Get Out of Here

by Gansworth, Eric L.

Book - 2013

Onondaga author, historical fiction. "Lewis "Shoe" Blake is used to the joys and difficulties of life on the Tuscarora Indian reservation i...Show more Onondaga author, historical fiction. "Lewis "Shoe" Blake is used to the joys and difficulties of life on the Tuscarora Indian reservation in 1975: the joking, the Fireball games, the snow blowing through his roof. What he's not used to is white people being nice to him — people like George Haddonfield, whose family recently moved to town with the Air Force. As the boys connect through their mutual passion for music, especially the Beatles, Lewis has to lie more and more to hide the reality of his family's poverty from George. He also has to deal with the vicious Evan Reininger, who makes Lewis the special target of his wrath. But when everyone else is on Evan's side, how can he be defeated? And if George finds out the truth about Lewis's home, will he still be his friend?" - Scholastic Show less

Available now View Details

Place hold

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

Elatsoe

by Little Badger, Darcie

Book - 2020

Apache author; fiction, fantasy. "Imagine an America very similar to our own. It’s got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream. There are som...Show more Apache author; fiction, fantasy. "Imagine an America very similar to our own. It’s got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream. There are some differences. This America has been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day. Seventeen-year-old Elatsoe (“Ellie” for short) lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered, in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect façade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family." - Levine Querido Show less

Add to My For Later Shelf On my shelf

Search

Read Native - Young Adult

Services

About ELPL

Help

Support ELPL

East Lansing Community