14 Books By Indigenous Writers to Read Right Now

With a title translated and loosely borrowed from the Mohawk phrase for depression, Haudenosaunee writer Alicia Elliott’s book of autobiographical essays A Mind Spread Out on the Ground was a bestseller in Canada. Covering more than just Elliott's personal experiences, the collection also reckons with the impact of ongoing colonial traumas on Indigenous people and communities. “I recommend this nonfiction essay collection to everyone. It’s impactful, searing, and covers so many important Indigenous issues,” says Dani.

There There follows its cast of characters as they reconvene around the Big Oakland Powwow, while navigating Native life and issues in predominantly white, nonNative spaces around Oakland, California, the city where the author grew up. The novel is Orange's debut, and it was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize. “There There is an immensely readable work of fiction about multiple urban Indigenous characters and the long lasting repercussions of violent colonialism,” according to Dani.

Indian Horse charts a First Nations boy's journey from a residential school through to big-time ice hockey success in the 1960s. It's a coming-of-age novel that reckons with a dark part of Canada's history and its impact on generations of Indigenous people. “Wagamese's writing is moving, warm, and visceral," Dani says. "For those who are not well informed on the residential school system, this book is for you.”

Did you know?: The novel was adapted for the big screen in 2017.

“This [collection] gives so much insight into the strength of Indigenous families, individuals, and friendships,” explains Dani of Beth Piatote’s debut short story collection about Native life in the northwest. The stories span periods and genres—from a contemporary rework of a Greek tragedy to the story of a girl coming of age during the Fish Wars of the 1960s—but they're unified by the centering of the northwestern setting and Indigenous perspectives. “[The Beadworkers] illuminates where our strength manifests,” Dani says.

If you’ve read just one book by an Indigenous writer, there’s a good chance it was award-winning Birdie by Tracey Lindberg of the Kelly Lake Cree Nation. The novel charts the title character's journey from Alberta to British Columbia, and away from trauma and toward healing along the way. “It is a beautifully heartbreaking, at times humorous, abstract dream storm of a novel,” raves Dani, who says Birdie is one of her favorite books.

In a post-apocalyptic tale of life on a reservation, Waubgeshig Rice expands the genre beyond its typically white bounds. The result is Moon of the Crusted Snow, a novel that's “full of Anishinaabemowin and traditional stories, [in which] we are able to witness the resiliency of the First Nations spirit that will have you eager for more.” And if you're looking for more after reading this fantastic novel, you're in luck—the sequel, Moon of the Turning Leaves, was published in 2023.

The Break goes beyond a standard crime novel with its use of shifting perspectives to dive into complex intergenerational dynamics and relationships between the women of the story. It's "an incredibly important novel that delves into Indigenous identity, racism, trauma, and the struggles First Nations women face on a daily basis,” according to Dani. Plus, Vermette's poetic background shines through in the prose and storytelling, making The Break an unforgettable read.

"This beautiful graphic novel anthology features writing and art by many talented contributors that, when combined, produces a visceral result,” says Dani about This Place: 150 Years Retold, which explores post-colonization Indigeneity in Canada. The 10-comic collection moves through various time periods, art styles, and storytelling frameworks—including the use of Indigenous languages throughout the collection—to create a moving portrait of Indigenous life and history in colonized Canada.

The first of Louise Edrich’s “Native American” trilogy, Love Medicine is set on a North Dakota Ojibwe Reservation and tells a multigenerational story through shifting perspectives. The novel is “beautiful, strong, and well written” according to Dani. “Erdrich touches on many important issues in her first published work of fiction [and Love Medicine] is a true Indigenous literary classic.”

Did you know?:Love Medicine was originally published in 1984, but has been updated and expanded in two new editions since then, one in 1993 and another in 2009.

Edited by Joshua Whitehead, Love After the End won the Lambda Literary Award for its collection of speculative fiction by Two Spirit and queer Indigenous authors, including Darcie Little Badger and jaye simpson. The collection takes place in post-apocalyptic landscapes, but the stories are largely optimistic, setting it apart from other, more dystopian stories. “This post-apocalyptic anthology features nine heartbreaking, hilarious, and stunning stories [and] each one challenges colonialism through the art of writing,” says Dani of the anthology.

“In a nonfiction work loved by many, Kimmerer combines science, botany, and Indigenous knowledge seamlessly,” says Dani about Braiding Sweetgrass, an essay collection that blends the author’s experiences as both Indigenous scientist and woman. With elements of oral history, Western science, and traditional knowledge informed by Kimmerer's heritage, it’s a powerful call to action for readers to respect both the natural world and Indigenous culture interwoven with Kimmerer's background as a botanist and ecologist.

Not only is the cover of Diane Wilson’s The Seed Keeper exquisite (thanks go to Mary Austin Speaker for their design), the novel itself is an intricate meditation on home, family, and Indigenous identity. “This is a beautifully written and memorable work of fiction that spans seven generations and weaves through time effortlessly,” says Dani. Once again centering on land, women, and ancestry, The Seed Keeper is a must-read piece of Indigenous literature.

Essay and memoir combine in Billy-Ray Belcourt’s A History of My Brief Body, which has been likened to Ocean Vuong’s novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. This essay collection touches on the author's experiences at the intersection of Indigeneity and queerness. “[A History of My Brief Body is] one of my all time favorite works," Dani says. "Belcourt writes of necessary truths and personal reflections with intelligent, honest, and skillful craft.”

Per Dani, Danielle Geller’s Dog Flowers is “a striking memoir that was different from any that I’ve read.” The book tells the story of Geller's grief and processing of her mother's death, using her training as an archivist to parse her mother's story (and her own) through her mother's left-behind belongings. Over the course of close to 300 pages which straddle genres, “Geller tells her story in a fresh way through words, shared photos, and other mediums.”