by Tommy Orange
First published 2024
Star witnesses the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864 Colorado and finds himself imprisoned at Fort Marion, where Richard Henry Pratt forces him to abandon his Native identity for English and Christianity. Pratt later establishes the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, where Star's son Charles endures brutal treatment. Charles finds solace with fellow student Opal Viola as they dream of escape from institutional violence. In 2018 Oakland, their descendant Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield struggles to keep her family intact after her nephew Orvil nearly dies in a shooting. Orvil becomes obsessed with school shooting videos and dependent on pain medication. His brother Lony cuts himself and performs blood rituals, hoping to connect with his Cheyenne roots. Opal turns to ceremony and peyote, desperately seeking healing for her wounded family. Orange weaves past and present together, showing how historical trauma echoes through generations of one Native family.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 21st-century, native-american
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, intergenerational
Setting: Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Colorado, Fort Marion, Oakland
Period: 1864, 2018
315 pages · Hardcover · Knopf
Content warnings: abuse, violence