Native American Schools

Like thousands of Aboriginal children in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere in the colonized world, Xatsu'll chief Bev Sellars spent part of her childhood as a student in a church-run residential school. These institutions endeavored to "civilize" Native children through Christian teachings; forced separation from family, language, and culture; and strict discipline. In this frank and poignant memoir of her years at St. Joseph's Mission, Sellars breaks her silence about the residential school's lasting effects on her and her family and eloquently articulates her own path to healing.

A biography of Jim Thorpe, the Native American sports icon and Olympic champion, that “goes beyond the myth and into the guts of Thorpe’s life, using extensive research, historical nuance, and bittersweet honesty” (Los Angeles Times), by the bestselling author of the classic biography When...

Why don’t our schools work? Eve L. Ewing tackles this question from a new angle: What if they’re actually doing what they were built to do? She argues that instead of being the great equalizer, America’s classrooms were designed to do the opposite: to maintain the nation’s inequalities...

Bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian...

Learn the true stories of Indian boarding school students and their families in this important historical book for young readers. This in-depth history examines letters to and from boarding schools, all compiled and edited by Dr. Brenda J. Child. Firsthand accounts reveal how profoundly entire...

A Good Morning America Book Club Pick! From the instant New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeper’s Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed comes a daring new mystery about a foster teen claiming her heritage on her own terms. Ever since Lucy Smith’s father died five years ago; “home”...

The New York Times bestselling author of the book club classics The Kitchen House and Glory Over Everything returns with a sweeping and “richly detailed story of a woman caught between two cultures” (Sandra Dallas, New York Times bestselling author) inspired by the real life of Crow...

Unearth the foundational chapter of the life of the man proclaimed "the greatest athlete in the world." Dive deep into the compelling, yet often overlooked, formative years of James Francis Thorpe, a towering figure in American sports history whose journey began amidst profound personal loss and cultural upheaval in Indian Territory. This meticulously researched book, Jim Thorpe: The Early Years: Roots and Resilience, is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the deep Jim Thorpe early life influences that forged his indomitable spirit and unmatched athletic prowess. Born on May ...

A groundbreaking and deeply personal exploration of Tribal enrollment, and what it means to be Native American in the United States “Candid, unflinching . . . Her thorough excavation of the painful history that gave rise to rigid enrollment policies is a courageous gift to our understanding of...

Helen Knott, a highly accomplished Indigenous woman, seems to have it all. But in her memoir, she offers a different perspective. In My Own Moccasins is an unflinching account of addiction, intergenerational trauma, and the wounds brought on by sexual violence. It is also the story of sisterhood...

After the Indian wars, many Americans still believed that the only good Indian was a dead Indian. But at Ganado Mission in the Navajo country of Northern Arizona, a group of missionaries and doctors - who cared less about saving souls and more about saving lives - chose a different way and persuaded the local parents and medicine men to allow them to educate their daughters as nurses. In this detailed history, Jim Kristofic traces the story of Ganado Mission on the Navajo Indian Reservation.

The year is 1974, and Grace and Allen’s granddaughter Sophie arrives in Beulah to open up the cottage on Crystal Lake. She visits Gran’s old friend Chloe McGrath and hears the story of a long-ago road trip. In 1924, Grace has been in her cottage for a year when she is called to Detroit to care for her Papa, who is seriously ill. While there she learns her Uncle Charles married a Chippewa woman and lived in the Upper Peninsula. Arriving at the Chippewa camp, Grace discovers that their daughter has been taken to a Native American boarding school. Grace’s friend Hannah needs to go to ...

Best known as a leader of the Indian takeover of Alcatraz Island in 1969, Adam Fortunate Eagle now offers an unforgettable memoir of his years as a young student at Pipestone Indian Boarding School in Minnesota. In this rare firsthand account, Fortunate Eagle lives up to his reputation as a "contrary warrior" by disproving the popular view of Indian boarding schools as bleak and prisonlike. Although Fortunate Eagle recognizes Pipestone's shortcomings, he describes his time there as nothing less than "a little bit of heaven."

A sweeping history of Native Americans’ fraught relationship with United States citizenship and their efforts to protect tribal sovereignty. Only Native Americans have held the political identity of being citizens of nations within a nation. After the American Revolution, they had to decide...

In 1903, over 300 Indian children from across America lived at the Fort Shaw Indian Boarding School in a remote, isolated valley in Montana. Among the children were a handful of teenage girls, many who had only lived in tepees. They quickly learned to play basketball and resoundingly crushed all opponents, including men's and women's university teams. After the games, the girls recited Shelley and Longfellow, played mandolins and violins, sang, danced, and pantomimed.

Daniel McCarter never asked to be a hero. He just wanted his grandpa back. Now he's lost in a world fueled by imagination. One minute, he's rummaging through Grandpa's keepsakes with his little sister Alex and snarky cousin Brent. The next, they're tumbling into a realm where giants farm impossible crops, werecat ladies stalk the forest, and the villainous Dadnabbers kidnap children to power their secret factory hidden deep in the Smokies. To find his way home, Daniel must master something he never knew he'd inherited: Grandpa's gift as a Story Weaver, someone whose words can reshape ...

A hilarious, action-packed journey for young readers (8-12) and Minecraft fans who love history with a side of chaos! Why kids (and parents!) love this book: Humorous Historical Fiction: Learn Indigenous cultures while laughing. Time Travel Adventure for Kids: Thrilling, imaginative plot full of surprises. Educational Entertainment: Introduces real First Americans' lifeways, regions & traditions. Strong, Comical Characters: Relatable Stan, Brave Mia, boastful Zaumy & clumsy Creepy bring the fun. Perfect for Reluctant Readers: Fast-paced, engaging, non-stop action, tons of funny pictures & ...

Big Family High School is a poignant and timely coming-of-age story about identity, loss, and the journey to self-discovery. Jason’s world is turned upside down when his family is torn apart and he and his sister are placed into foster care. Relocated to a new city with a new family, Jason is forced to leave behind everything he knew—his loved ones, his home, and his sense of belonging. But the hardest revelation is yet to come: Jason discovers that his entire life has been a lie—he is Indigenous. This shocking truth triggers a profound identity crisis that sends Jason spiraling out ...

Celebrate Indigenous thinkers and inventions with this beautifully designed, award-winning interactive nonfiction book—perfect for fans of Braiding Sweetgrass. Corn. Chocolate. Fishing hooks. Boats that float. Insulated double-walled construction. Recorded history and folklore. Life-saving...

Winner of the U.P. Notable Books Award (2025) The impact of Indian boarding schools has been devastating for generations of Native Americans, and the aftershocks continue to affect their descendants today. Michigan was home to three: in Baraga, Harbor Springs and Mt. Pleasant. The last to close was Holy Childhood School of Jesus, in Harbor Springs, in 1983. Sharon Marie Brunner set out to intensively study the family history and boarding school experience of nine Native American survivors who attended either the Mt. Pleasant or Harbor Springs institutions. Each faced problems linked to the ...