Many Native cultures share a rich history with oral storytelling traditions, making Indigenous literature in its myriad shapes and forms truly meant to be heard. Offering everything from stirring and sentimental memoirs to regenerative views on climate science and political activism—as well as bringing fresh perspectives to genres such as science fiction, fantasy, and horror, which so often rely on their characters to trust their intuition—these contemporary Native authors shine in their literary explorations of Indigenous identity today.
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With a story partially shared from the POV of a sweet baby bison, this fiction debut showcases Métis poet, memoirist, and journalist Michelle Porter's masterful storytelling skills, undeniably inherited from her native ancestors. In fact, Porter's audiobook is made all the more special by its musical interludes featuring early recordings of performances given by her great-grandfather, grandmother, and great-aunt. Told with the unique musical cadence of a Métis jig and narrated by many Indigenous Canadian voices, A Grandmother Begins the Story is truly a stirring ode to the rhythms of generational exchange.
Jessica Johns illuminates the wisdom that thrives where dreams begin and reality (supposedly) ends throughout her debut novel, Bad Cree. The story opens on a chilling scene, and from the moment Mackenzie finds the crow’s skull from her nightmares staring back at her, she knows it can only mean one thing—she must return to the family she left behind and face her mother’s pointed wake-up call. In their culture, “you aren’t ravens, you are crows,” meaning “you travel together everywhere.” Still, as narrator Tanis Parenteau (of Plains Cree descent) reveals in her tender performance, the realities of processing grief are rarely so straightforward.
Blending influences of paranormal fantasy with Lipan Apache lore, Darcie Little Badger’s critically acclaimed debut novel imagines an America where vampires, fairies, and spirits abound freely. Elatsoe follows its titular heroine, an asexual teenage girl who possesses an ancestral gift to summon the ghosts of dead animals. Accompanied by Kirby, the phantom of her late springer spaniel, Elatsoe sets off on a mission to avenge the mysterious murder of her cousin, unraveling a fantastically folkloric whodunit infused with the magic of Indigenous Futurism.
Acclaimed essayist and citizen of the Seabird Island Band, Terese Marie Mailhot tells of her dysfunctional upbringing, complicated relationships, and struggles as a mother and woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD in her short, experimental, and stirring memoir, Heart Berries. Narrated by Rainy Fields (of Cherokee descent) with reverence and passion in a performance that is utterly captivating and at times discomfiting, this beautiful and painful listen explores what it means to be “Indian Sick,” which Maillot explains is a condition that “begins with want” and is battled only by internalizing the knowledge that something instinctually connects contemporary native voices with the gaze of their ancestors.
Eddie Chuculate first began his career in his teen years, working as a sports journalist and editor for papers in his native Oklahoma. Numerous creative accolades later, Chuculate turns inward with This Indian Kid, a coming-of-age memoir rooted in reflections on the traditions and influence of his Muscogee and Cherokee background. Accessibly geared towards young adult listeners, Chuculate's warm, conversational celebration of heritage, family, friendship, and belonging is as important as it is evocative.
Award-winning novelist, broadcaster, short story writer, and photographer Thomas King has no shortage of accolades and acclaimed projects in his extensive repertoire. In his astounding work of nonfiction The Inconvenient Indian, he brilliantly subverts dominant colonialist narratives of North American history, particularly along the border between Canada and the United States, while showcasing his quintessentially Indigenous brand of dark humor. Narrator Lorne Cardinal perfectly delivers on the piece’s sharp and witty tone.
Tommy Orange is an American novelist from Oakland, California, and a citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal Nations in western Oklahoma. Published in 2018, his award-winning debut There, There explores the individual experiences of urban Native Americans in a virtuosic “novel of voices” narrated by a full cast, including Darrell Dennis, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Alma Ceurvo, and Kyla Garcia. Opening with a profound meditation and history lesson on the first Thanksgiving, the novel then follows 12 characters who are all attending the Big Oakland Powwow, racing to a searing finish that sets up the author's hotly anticipated follow-up, Wandering Stars, due to release in 2024.
A powerhouse collection of Indigenous dark fiction penned by writers ranging from Tommy Orange to Rebecca Roanhorse, this anthology is rooted in a belief held by many Native cultures—that whistling at night can call upon all variety of malicious spirits. The stories range from the slightly spooky to the downright chilling, but what they all share is a deeply human base to otherworldly tales of curses and creatures. Imaginative, complex, and steeped in family and cultural legacies, these eerie tales are simply unforgettable.
Along with all the mystery, thrills, and supernatural themes you could ask for, Shutter offers a glimpse into the sights and sounds of the Navajo Nation, enriched by author Ramona Emerson’s exceptional writing as well as by narrator Charley Flyte’s stellar performance. At her grandmother’s urging, Rita Todacheene has left home, bringing with her an ability to see and converse with ghosts, which surrounded her with suspicion on the reservation. She becomes a forensic photographer, and through her eyes, we get an otherworldly view of the many crime victims who pay her visits, nudging her to find their killers. Thankfully, loved ones also show up every now and then, adding welcome light into the portrait of the world she captures with her perspective.
Urban Native Erika T. Wurth is a writer of Apache, Chickasaw, and Cherokee descent whose debut novel White Horse explores hauntings both literal and metaphorical. The novel takes its name from the dive bar where protagonist Kari James, a rock-and-roller who eschews history and tradition for heavy metal, hard drinks, and horror fiction, spends many a night. After the discovery of a family heirloom that once belonged to Kari’s later mother, a terrifying entity is unleashed alongside nightmarish visions of family secrets and the very real, very monstrous systemic evils plaguing Indigenous communities.
Indigenous author and ecologist Robin Wall Kimmerer has been celebrated in the scientific community for decades, in a large part thanks to the pure reverence she has for the natural word. Her awe for our planet’s flora and fauna shine in her groundbreaking Braiding Sweetgrass, a sweeping, lyrical work of nonfiction that encourages listeners to develop a reciprocal relationship with our planet. Balancing her identity as a Potawatomi woman with her extensive academic background, Kimmerer offers a glimpse of the endless gifts that our cohabitants on Earth—that is to say, plants and animals, big and small—have to offer.
Cherie Dimaline, a registered and claimed member of the Métis Nation of Ontario, is perhaps best know for 2017’s acclaimed, Kirkus Prize-winning The Marrow Thieves. Her most recent work, the fun, feminist, witchy fantasy VenCo, proves again that Dimaline has a gift for dynamic world-building and character creation. This listen follows Lucky St. James, a Métis millennial whose life is upended when she comes across an enchanted artifact that unlocks her connection to other witches across the continent. The discovery sets off adventure that finds Lucky and her grandmother Stella on a wild ride to protect the coven and secure the future power of all women.
Moniquill Blackgoose has been writing science fiction since she was 12 years old. An enrolled member of the Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe, Blackgoose deftly weaves her culture and experiences into her debut sci-fi and fantasy novel, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath. Performed by Charley Flyte, the audiobook starts on the remote island of Masquapaug and follows Anequs, a 15-year-old girl who comes across a dragon’s egg. While her people are delighted, the Anglish colonizers have different views on how dragons should be raised. Anequs is then shipped off to an Anglish school where her beliefs are put to the test.
Rebecca Roanhorse is an American author of science fiction and fantasy whose family is from the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo of Northern New Mexico. She spent many years living in the Navajo Nation, and her stories often feature Navajo main characters. Black Sun, the first audiobook in her Indigenous fantasy series Between Earth and Sky, follows four characters through a pre-Columbian-inspired world and features the vocal talents of celebrated performers Cara Gee, Nicole Lewis, Kaipo Schwab, and Shaun Taylor-Corbett.
With artful ease, Isabella Star LaBlanc's authentic narration brings Angeline Boulley's exceptional debut novel to life. Driven by fully drawn and complex characters, The Firekeeper's Daughter is as compelling as it is rich in storytelling. 18-year-old Daunis has never has really fit in within her hometown or on the nearby Ojibwe reservation, but when a shocking murder pushes her into an FBI investigation, Daunis must decide how far she'll go for her community. Boulley’s second novel, Warrior Girl Unearthed is another thrilling YA mystery narrated by LaBlanc.
In Midnight Son, Iñupiaq native and storyteller James Dommek Jr. unraveled the true crime mystery of Teddy Kyle Smith, an actor-turned-fugitive whose story intersects with a mythic Alaskan tribe known as the Iñukuns. Now, in his latest Audible Original, Dommek Jr. returns with another audio installment that is not only told in the Iñupiaq tradition of oral storytelling but also centers the experiences of Native Americans in Alaska while questioning the government systems and legal processes that often fail them as well. Alaska Is the Center of the Universe offers a thrilling examination of the elusive cryptids and myths that thrive in some of the most remote regions of the United States.
There are few contemporary horror writers who do it quite like Stephen Graham Jones. The author of smart, terrifying, and trope-transcending works including The Only Good Indians and Mongrels, Graham Jones has a knack for crafting scenes that feel so real, so truly imbued with terror and panic, that listening can rival the thrill of your favorite spooky movie. His latest, My Heart Is a Chainsaw is a must-listen for any slasher enthusiast. Horror-obsessed teen misfit Jade Daniels spends her days winding an imagined, twisted history of her hometown to escape the traumas of her past. But when blood does spill in the streets of Proofrock, Jade's area of expertise promises to foretell the plot about to unfold.
Award-winning author Louise Erdrich has written everything from poetry and novels to children’s fiction. An enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, a federally recognized tribe of the Anishinaabe, she’s been publishing since the 1970s, and her works all feature Native American characters and settings. Her novel The Night Watchman is based on the life of her maternal grandfather, who worked as a night watchman and fought against Native dispossession. This audiobook is wonderfully narrated by the author herself, which seems fitting for a story that is so personal.
Standing Rock Sioux author and activist Vine Deloria, Jr. originally published his “Indian Manifesto” in 1969, attracting national attention to both the Alcatraz-Red Power Movement as well as other prominent Native American issues at the time. Today, Kaipo Schwab’s stirring performance of Custer Died for Your Sins only emphasizes just how relevant Deloria’s opinions regarding the entwined history between Christian churches, federal aid organizations, and other bureaucratic barriers to native sovereignty remain.
Anishinaabe journalist Tanya Talaga’s podcast explores the modern and historical lives of the First Nations people in seven parts, each related to one of the Anishinaabe’s Grandfather Teachings: Love, Bravery, Humility, Wisdom, Honesty, Respect, and Truth. Told with remarkable clarity and urgency, Talaga’s stories illuminate seldom-heard voices, shining a light on the ongoing toll of generational trauma and the incorrigible strength of individuals who have stood up against injustice. Seven Truths is a necessary listen that will open your mind to the tragedies, struggles, and triumphs of the First Nations.
Joy Harjo is a poet, musician, playwright, and memoirist. She’s also the incumbent United States Poet Laureate, the first Native American to hold that honor. She’s a member of the Muscogee Nation and belongs to Oce Vpofv, also known as Hickory Ground, the last capital of the National Council of the Muscogee Nation, now considered a sacred place. An outspoken activist when it comes to US and Native American affairs, she regularly speaks and writes about fighting for the rights of women and Indigenous people. Her memoir Poet Warrior is a lyrical follow-up to Crazy Brave, revealing how she came to write poetry of compassion and healing with the power to unearth the truth and demand justice.
Picking up in the decades-long aftermath of a four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl’s disappearance from the blueberry farm in Maine where her family traditionally travels to from Nova Scotia every summer for work, Amanda Peters poignantly unearths the cultural significance of unraveling the roots of generational traumas for families of different backgrounds throughout her beautiful debut novel. Brought to life by narrators Aaliya Warbus and Jordan Waunch, The Berry Pickers takes on the riveting mystery as its core and infuses it with gorgeous reflections of the power that dreams and visions hold in many native cultures. This listen ultimately offers a resonant testament to the way grief bonds family members together long after their paths have been separated.
