Historical Fictionistas discussion

I've looked a bit through the recommendation folder but I haven't seen any lists of native people fiction - Native Americans, Inca, Maya, Aztec etc. Does anyone have any good suggestions?

Thanks!

Aztec- I haven't read it, but I think there is a book discussion for it here somewhere.

Ride the Wind- this one was recommended to me by some GR friends. It's on my radar, but haven't read it yet.

Actually, they call themselves Indians rather than the white man's politically correct "native Americans." For instance: The Seneca Nation of Indians.

Most of the Indian fiction I've seen was written in the early 1900s. Not sure if any is accurate or pure Hollywood perceptions. Some excellent non-fiction books, such as Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

I liked The Red Heart

Jackie wrote: "Aztec- I haven't read it, but I think there is a book discussion for it here somewhere.

Ride the Wind- this one was recommended to me by some GR friends. It's on my ..."

I second Ride the Wind!

W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear wrote a few series. One starts with People of the Wolf.

I enjoyed One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd. It's definitely fiction. I had some issue with characters behaving contrary to type in order to move the story in a certain direction. However, despite that quirk, the author creates really interesting characters. I still wonder how accurate the portrayal of native peoples really is but I enjoyed the story.

Shay wrote: "W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear wrote a few series. One starts with People of the Wolf."

Their Anasazi mystery series was very good as well.

Jackie wrote: "Aztec- I haven't read it, but I think there is a book discussion for it here somewhere.

Ride the Wind- this one was recommended to me by some GR friends. It's on my ..."

I read Aztec earlier this year. Despite its length, it's really an easy, fast read. But wow, it's smutty.

Shay wrote: "I read Aztec earlier this year. Despite its length, it's really an easy, fast read. But wow, it's smutty."

Sounds like a read I would love! LOL

Aztec is a little beyond "normal" smutty- like graphic sex scenes. I almost gave up at the beginning because of the incest. (Yes, it was pretty graphic.) I was afraid the whole book at what he would throw in to top that.

Oh see I don't do incest. I mean, I've read books that includes incest, but it makes me uncomfortable. I can do graphic sex just fine as long as it fits in with the rest of the story or it's an erotica novel. If I pick up an erotica novel obviously that's what I'm expecting to read.

Shay wrote: "Aztec is a little beyond "normal" smutty- like graphic sex scenes. I almost gave up at the beginning because of the incest. (Yes, it was pretty graphic.) I was afraid the whole book at what he woul..."

Ah, just what the world needs, an epic sensational book about incest. Fine reading, I'm sure.

I recently enjoyed:

Jackie wrote: "Oh see I don't do incest. I mean, I've read books that includes incest, but it makes me uncomfortable. I can do graphic sex just fine as long as it fits in with the rest of the story or it's an ero..."

What about books set in Ancient Egypt? Incest was normal for the Pharaohs.

If it fits within the context of the book then I just go with it, but I don't like reading about incest when it's up in my face (graphic sex) and it's not really necessary. For example, Game of Thrones has incest and yes at time it was graphic, but I didn't mind it so much because it fit within the context of the book.

Louise Erdrich writes books about the Ojibway (the Dakota area). I haven't read anything by her, but some people have said that while most of her books aren't a formal series, that some characters reoccur. So, it's best to read them in order. I'm not sure any of them are HF, though.

Jackie wrote: "If it fits within the context of the book then I just go with it, but I don't like reading about incest when it's up in my face (graphic sex) and it's not really necessary. For example, Game of Thr..."

As I recall, it was fairly graphic. But, I don't like any level of smut, really. I try to just skim through stuff like that.

Hanta Yo by Ruth Beebee Hill. The story of a group of Lakota Sioux on the eve of the coming of the White Man. A beautiful, profound, spiritual novel and on of my best ever historical fiction reads. It's about their way of life just before it changed forever.

A Thousand White Women

There is the Kwani series by Linda Lay Shuler starting with She Who Remembers.

I'd like to recommendGardens in the Dunes: A Novelby Leslie Marmon Silko. I'd also like to recommend Black Hills: A Novelby Dan Simmons.

I just finished Feathered Serpent: A Novel of the Mexican Conquest by Colin Falconer. Enjoyed that one very much!

There is also Five Dances with Death by Austin Briggs
an historical fantasy about the same period of time, which I'd enjoyed enormously.

Another good novel is Panther in the Sky by James Thom.
This one occurs in North America, long after its discovery. A great account of a prominent Shawnee leader.


Um.... there is also my novel, which deals with the Mississippians and the Iroquois around the 14th century,
but I'm afraid it would be a shameless promotion on my part, so no links :-)

Hope it helps :)

I read and enjoyed it.

Keith

I took a class on indigenous literature around the world. Not all of the readings were historical fiction but they were all good stories and I also took a class on american Indians in which we read many nonfiction books. If you are interested let me know and I will round up the books and post the titles.

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions! I've added them all to my to-read list, so I'll have plenty to choose from the next time I'm looking for something to read!

Danielle wrote: "I took a class on indigenous literature around the world. Not all of the readings were historical fiction but they were all good stories and I also took a class on american Indians in which we rea..."

If it isn't too much trouble I really would like to know some of the titles. Thanks!

Kelli,
A non-fiction that tells it like it is about how we treated the Native American Indians and vice-versa is
The First Frontier by Scott Weidensaul, releasing Feburary, 2012. Here is a link
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12...

And, of course, there is Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West of Dee Brown :-( (a very well researched bunch of records on this particular 'cultural clash' :-/)

On the general overlook of the various nations history, I would also recommend Native American History: A Chronology of a Culture's Vast Achievements and Their Links to World Events of Judith Nies.

Good luck, Kelli :-)

Kelli, Here are some of the books that I read, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Rabbit-Proof Fence: The True Story of One of the Greatest Escapes of All Time, Once Were Warriors A very gritty book, it can be difficult to read but it is one of my favorites, Cartographies of Desire: Captivity, Race, and Sex in the Shaping of an American Nation, The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions I personally found this book to be racist but I know that it speaks to many American Indian women, & Wisdom of the Mythtellers. There are others for sure and more of what you are looking for, there are several listimania!s on Amazon that you could take a look at too. Happy reading:)

Follow the River by James Alexander Thom is grea HF. For a modern day Native American book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

Sherman Alexie is great!

I don't know if this is something you would be interested in, but I have a book available. It is about the native people of Costa Rica during the time of the first Spanish exploration. It is a series, and does include some of the time during the peak of the Mayan culture.

I second the recommendation for Aztec. Amazing book.

There's William T. Vollmann's 'Seven Dreams', seven novels on conflict between native peoples and settlers in North America. Four are out:

The Ice-Shirt 10thC, Norse voyagers
Fathers and Crows 16th-18thC, French Jesuits out to convert
Argall with Pocahontas
The Rifles

I thought The Ice-Shirt was marvelous and I'm eager for Fathers and Crows next (it's in the mail).

PS. thanks for the suggestion of Hanta Yo, great reviews.

Here's one I just finished, on native people of Arctic Siberia:
The Chukchi Bible

It starts with origin legends and travels through history, to the early 20thC. My review:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

A beautifully written, well-researched novel set in the Ohio wilderness during the Revolutionary War is Dancing through Fire by Jo-Ann Hague.

This was going to be my question but I searched and found this thread, I am definitely going to read "Ride the wind".
I also found a list on this site for the top 100 Native American Historical Fiction books.
I want to read about american indians before the white man came along. How they lived, what they believed, the different tribes etc.. But the author has to be top notch :) wish me luck!

The Education of Little Tree is a memoir/novel. Story well-written, and it's one I'll hold onto forever. Maybe I'll reread it right now.

My new novel, Legend of the Dead (available on kindle for $4.99) is about the interactions between colonists and natives in New Amsterdam and New England. It features the fur trade on the Hudson River and King Philip's War.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. :)

I finished One Thousand White Women a few days ago and found it lacking. I liked the story and the characters but the way May spoke and described things just didn't seem realistic to me. I also felt the ending was very rushed. The good thing about that book is that it did get me interested in Indian culture and so I browsed this folder and saw Ride the Wind, downloaded and started it yesterday and I am already hooked!! Holy cannoli, what a way to start a book!! Really intense!!! I can't wait to get deeper into the story!

Melissa, one of my college students is reading that book.

If you're interested in native literature, I'll tell you that the best, bar none, interview in literature right now is anything done with Sherman Alexie. Either written or on you-tube.

Shelley, Rain: A Dust Bowl Story
http://dustbowlpoetry.wordpress.com

I just posted in the what are you reading now thread that I just finished The Grass Dancer by Susan Power. It is part historical, part magical realism as power follows the lives a various members of the Sioux Nation starting in the 80s and going back into the 18 hundreds.

I'm about to start Selkie Dreams by Goodreads author Kristin Gleeson. Despite the title, it's set in Alaska among the Tlingit. Sounds really interesting. Also, has anyone mentioned Sue Harrison's books? Mother Earth, Father Sky, My Sister the Moon, and Brother Wind are all set in prehistoric Alaska. It's years since I read them, but I really enjoyed them.

Elizabeth wrote: "Hanta Yo by Ruth Beebee Hill. The story of a group of Lakota Sioux on the eve of the coming of the White Man. A beautiful, profound, spiritual novel and on of my best ever historical fiction read..."

I second Hanta Yo! It's really good.

I read Sacajawea years ago and I recall it was good...though very long!

James Welch writes Plains Indian historical fiction that's worth checking out. I read Fools Crow last year and really enjoyed it. I haven't tried his other books yet, but based on how well-done Fools Crow was, he's on my list of to-reads.

Heather wrote: "I enjoyed One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd. It's definitely fiction. I had some issue with characters behaving contrary to type in order to move the story in a certain direction. ..."

yes, I wondered that too, Heather, but I just adored the story anyway... totally engrossing.

There are some great books mentioned here and some great authors. I've read in the area of Native American and First Nations (Canada) for many years, both fiction and non-fiction. Other fiction authors you might consider are Leslie Marmon Silko
Sherman Alexie who are both Native American and write more contemporary type fiction. You also might enjoy 'Caleb's Crossing' set in early New England, too.
Someone has already kindly mentioned my book, Selkie Dreams, which is set in 19th Alaska among the Tlingits. I've also written on a First Nations Canadian woman, Anahareo, who was a pioneer in wilderness conservation in Canada.



Leslie Marmon Silko
Sherman AlexieThe Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Caleb's Crossing
Anahareo: A Wilderness Spirit

I can recommend Kris Gleeson's beautiful novel "Selkie Dreams" ---a fascinating glimpse into Tlingit culture as well as a haunting story.
Her non-fiction book "Anahareo-A Wilderness Spirit" is a scholarly masterpiece.

Light of the Feather: Pathways Through Contemporary Indian America

Black Elk: The Sacred Ways of a Lakota

The Lance and the Shield: The Life and Times of Sitting Bull