An interesting thing about There There is that it tells you from the very outset what it intends to do. It's an ambitious book that aims to tell stories that are unknown outside the community they come from. I had never given any thought to the urban Native American experience before reading this book, and certainly wasn't aware (or had never stopped to consider) that there were enclaves and communities of Native people in American cities. There There wants to tell you their stories. And it does. In less than 300 pages, Tommy Orange takes you through a large cast of characters, all with Native ancestry of some sort and ties to Oakland, California, living out a whole range of experiences, but with common threads. He does this so deftly that you develop feelings for characters you only spend a few pages with. It's really something. I feel like I have more to say about this book, but not the energy to say it -- it's been a rough few weeks -- so I guess I'll leave it there. 
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
There There, by Tommy Orange
An interesting thing about There There is that it tells you from the very outset what it intends to do. It's an ambitious book that aims to tell stories that are unknown outside the community they come from. I had never given any thought to the urban Native American experience before reading this book, and certainly wasn't aware (or had never stopped to consider) that there were enclaves and communities of Native people in American cities. There There wants to tell you their stories. And it does. In less than 300 pages, Tommy Orange takes you through a large cast of characters, all with Native ancestry of some sort and ties to Oakland, California, living out a whole range of experiences, but with common threads. He does this so deftly that you develop feelings for characters you only spend a few pages with. It's really something. I feel like I have more to say about this book, but not the energy to say it -- it's been a rough few weeks -- so I guess I'll leave it there. 