Book Review: There There by Tommy Orange

“We are the memories we don't remember, which live in us, which we feel, which make us sing and dance and pray the way we do, feelings from memories that flare and bloom unexpectedly in our lives like blood through a blanket from a wound made by a bullet fired by a man shooting us in the back for our hair, for our heads, for a bounty, or just to get rid of us.” - Tommy Orange

There There by Tommy Orange is a novel interweaving multiple lives and timelines of Native American characters as they navigate a world where their identity is often lost and individuals struggle to understand where their identity stands in the hazy world of the United States. All the characters’ lives are interconnected with one another as they navigate their way to an Oakland Powwow. 

Recently, for both a history project and an essay I was writing, I had recently studied different historical issues of the Native American boarding schools as well as the prevalent issues of alcoholism and lack of structured care or infrastructure in reservations. Picking up There There was only timely to learn and listen into the perspective of Native Americans who were not living on reservations and navigating their struggles and interpretations of their identity.

Overall, I truly enjoyed the weaving in the different perspectives of both multi-dimensional fictional elements to the nonfictional essays. Although the book was fictional, Orange’s words of truth rang out in the first chapter of the book. The history of blood and tragedy that shaped and formed the lives of Native Americans today impacted my perception of the book and narration significantly. Orange’s essay made the purpose and the viewing of the interconnected stories through a more powerful lens.

Through the book’s intense themes of family, loss, and journey, I believe and would recommend the book to anyone interested in Native American history and perspectives. I also thought it refreshing to see more popular fictional Native American perspectives beyond The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by encompassing more diverse aspects of the Native American community. Still, I would highly recommend to anyone willing to read and digest the issues interwoven throughout the book.