There There by Tommy George (reviewed by Nancy Crowley)

There There is a story of many stories, of over a dozen characters who are making the journey to the “Oakland Powwow” and whose motivations and relationships (revealed in overt and covert means) reach a crescendo in the last pages of the book. In fact, one of the characters has a grant to interview people in what it means to them to be an Indian.

A prominent theme concerns identity, specifically Native American identity, which itself is questioned as to its definition. What is an “urban Indian” identity? “Am I Native enough”? The characters look at themselves in mirrors, window shields, and into their souls. They face the historical identities that America has imposed upon them and their ancestors both culturally in the media and in the long-term results of the separation of families and dispossession of lands. There is a poignant scene in which a young 14-year-old dons native regalia found in a closet and begins to carry out a traditional dance like those he has seen in videos of powwows and “pretends” to be a “Native American.”

There is talk of talismans, medicine men, peyote, the Native American Church, and Christianity and how these intersect within the characters as they experience spirituality, superstition, and healing.

Perhaps the saddest thread in the book is that of addiction and abuse and its destructive and corrupting influence on too many families. It is this painful legacy that most of the characters are trying to overcome, some more successful than others. Our reading group had the hardest time with this and wanted to feel hope at the end but were left with a sense of anxiety for the plight of Native Americans today.

Tommy Orange, author of There There, is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. The New York Times named There There one of the ten most notable books of 2018 and on April 7 Orange received the Pen/Hemingway Award honoring a distinguished first novel.

—Nancy Crowley