This Tender Land

by William Kent Krueger

First published 2016

In the summer of 1932, a young Ojibwe boy named Odie O'Banion and his brother Albert flee their abusive schoolmaster and become part of a makeshift family of orphans traveling the rivers of Minnesota. As they journey towards the promise of a better life, they face threats from the law, a sadistic impresario, and the unforgiving landscape of the Dust Bowl. Through it all, the children forge an unbreakable bond, learning to rely on each other's courage and resilience to survive.

Genres: american-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, coming-of-age

Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking

Tropes: found-family, resilience

Setting: Minnesota, Dust Bowl

Period: 1932

450 pages · Hardcover · Atria Books

Content warnings: abuse, child-abuse

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