Best Books for Native American Heritage Month

There's a chill in the air, the leaves are crunchy underfoot and the Halloween decorations are beginning to give way to sparkly lights and flying reindeer. But before the winter holiday festivities overtake the calendar, we can't forget Thanksgiving and the month that's often overrun by preparations for what comes after it.

November marks Native American Heritage Month, also known as National American Indian Heritage Month . Since it was federally recognized for the first time in 1990, we've spent the month recognizing the history, culture and contributions of Indigenous people to our culture and communities.

One of those ways is reading books by Native and Indigenous authors that feature characters, storylines and experiences that reflect the incredible diversity of Indigenous communities. Below, we've rounded up some old favorites and newcomers in fiction, nonfiction — and all of the genres thereof — as well as a few children's books to read with your kids this month or add to your classroom collection.

of 20 'Fire Exit' by Morgan Talty Charles has watched Elizabeth's life unfold in glimpses since she was a baby and now that she's disappeared, he has to contend with the secret he's been carrying all that time: she's his daughter. Following Charles as he grapples with whether to reveal that truth and all the complications that come with it, not to mention his struggles with his home and family, this is a gripping tale of legacy and community, inheritance and shared values and what we owe one another.

of 20 'Heart Berries' by Terese Marie Mailhot In this gorgeous elegy for the author's lost parents, Mailhot explores her trauma, a deeply dysfunctional family and the unreliability of memory as she writes her way toward her version of the truth.

of 20 'White Magic' by Elissa Washuta What do Twin Peaks, the Oregon Trail video game and Stevie Nicks have in common? In this braided essay collection, the author traces her legacy of cultural inheritance, colonization and her journey toward becoming a witch, including those cultural touch points that have shaped her. It's a powerful look at the legacy and where some of the now-trendy spiritual practices find their origins.

of 20 'Wandering Stars' by Tommy Orange This soaring exploration of generational trauma starts with Star, a survivor of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, who's forced to speak English and practice Christianity by the man who goes on to found the notoriously cruel Carlisle Indian Industrial School. A generation later, his son Charles is sent to that same school, where the man who abused his father does the same to him. But Charles finds hope with fellow student Opal Viola, clinging to dreams of a better, freer future.

of 20 'The Only Good Indians' by Stephen Graham Jones One of the best horror writers working today takes a Jordan Peele-esque story of four American Indian men who are plagued by a deadly event in their past that comes back to wreak havoc on their present. It's a spine-tingling story of revenge, cultural history and tradition that's not for the faint of heart.

of 20 'Never Whistle at Night' edited by by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. Speaking of scary, this unsettling short story collection by Native and Indigenous authors has something for every phobia. Ghosts, spirits and miscellaneous horrors abound in a series of stories that will get under your skin and stay there.

of 20 'The Berry Pickers' by Amanda Peters Tragedy strikes a Mi'kmaq family when their four-year-old daughter Ruthie mysteriously disappears from one of the Maine fields where they work as seasonal blueberry pickers. That tragedy impacts the family deeply, especially her brother Joe, who last saw her. Meanwhile, a young girl named Norma, who's grown up as the only child of affluent parents, has been plagued by strange dreams that feel "more like memories" in this original, heart-wrenching novel.

of 20 'The Mighty Red' by Louise Erdrich A wedding between terrified North Dakota farmer Gary and former goth Kismet —notwithstanding aspiring home-wrecker Hugo— forms the crux of this powerful and deeply relatable story. It's about the costs of things on a mundane and cosmic scale, how time moves in planetary and human terms, not to mention hope, despair and the life we carve out in between.

of 20 'A Council of Dolls' by Mona Susan Power This poignant, moving novel with elements of magical realism follows three generations of Native women and their treasured playthings: Cora, shipped off to a brutal boarding school with only her doll for comfort; Lillian, who endures unspeakable horrors at the hands of punishing nuns; and Sissy, whose mother's unpredictable anger keeps her on the edge of danger.

of 20 'White Horse' by Erika T. Wurth Turn the Metallica up to 11, crack open a cold one and pull on a well-loved band T-shirt for this gritty, supernatural novel about the importance of family and what it means to be haunted. It's spooky, scary and a great introduction to the author's prowess before her next one arrives in March 2025.

of 20 'The Plot Against Native America' by Bill Vaughn While a number of the fiction favorites on this list explore the horrors of the Native American boarding schools that abused generations of Native and Indigenous children and decimated their communities, this gripping nonfiction breaks down what really happened. In exacting, incisive prose, it details the development, operation and harmful legacy of these institutions from their first formation in the 1800s to the reparations that are being sought today.

of 20 'The Truth According to Ember' by Danica Nava Ember Lee Cardinal hides her Chickasaw identity to land a job and once there, she even gets a crush on the Native IT guy, Danuwoa Colson. But when they get caught violating the no-dating-coworkers policy and a colleague starts blackmailing Ember, she has to decide: should she come clean and risk losing it all?

of 20 'Braiding Sweetgrass' by Robin Wall Kimmerer Botanist, scientist and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Robin Wall Kimmerer, draws on her deep knowledge of the natural world and the lessons it has to teach us in this seminal and beloved book. This 40th-anniversary edition features a new introduction by the author that Elizabeth Gilbert calls "a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise."

of 20 'Sisters of the Lost Nation' by Nick Medina Darkness descends on the Native American reservation where Anna was raised, and her ability to see a nameless entity suddenly takes on even more horrifying meaning. As women begin disappearing, including Anna's sister, she must face the forces encroaching upon her community in this unforgettable, chilling debut.

of 20 'And Then She Fell' by Alicia Elliott This searing, darkly funny take on mental health and motherhood follows Alice, a young Native woman who's just given birth to a beautiful baby girl not long after losing her own mother. While she's the only Indigenous woman in their fancy new neighborhood, her supportive husband is a white academic who studies Mohawk culture, so it's not like she's totally alone — right? But as she starts hearing voices and unexplained occurrences mar her days, she can't tell if she's just paranoid or there's something more sinister afoot.

of 20 'Woman of Light' by Kali Fajardo-Anstine After her brother is run out of town by a violent white mob, Luz has to figure out how to survive in 1930s Denver by herself. But when she starts having visions of her ancestors and their lives in the nearby Lost Territory, she decides she can't let their struggle, perseverance and powerful stories die with her. An epic, cinematic generation-spanning force.

of 20 'Buffalo Dreamer' by Violet Duncan In this gorgeous National Book Award finalist , a young girl named Summer starts having vivid dreams about the reservation where her mom's family lives, her grandfather's heartbreaking history and how learning about a painful past can hold hope for a better future. A beautiful way to teach middle school-aged readers about Native, Indigenous and American Indian history.

of 20 'This Land' by Ashley Fairbanks, illustrated by Bridget George An adorable primer on the history of land and who lived where we do before we got here, this engaging book is a great way to introduce kids to the idea that everyone comes from somewhere — and that even Disney World was something else once, too.

of 20 'Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story' by Kevin Noble Maillard, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal This 2020 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal honoree and 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Picture Book Honor Winner (among many other accolades) teaches kids about the traditions of a Native American family through lyrical verse and beautiful illustrations. Grab a snack — it might just make you hungry!

of 20 'Remember' by Joy Harjo U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo's iconic poem "Remember," illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade, encourages young readers to reflect on their family, nature and heritage in this multiple award-winning book. It's an inspiring addition to any child's collection.