Comment on Reader’s pick: “There, There” by Tommy Orange

Geoffrey Bateman, Denver Post: Books
Mon, 06/10/2019 - 10:03pm

Reader’s pick: “There, There” by Tommy Orange

Fiction There, There By Tommy Orange (Knopf) This is an intricate and intense first novel that tells the stories of 12 connected (although also sometimes disconnected) characters, all of whom fit in some way with Orange’s imagining of Urban Indians in Oakland, Calif., who “know the sound of the freeway better than (they) do rivers.” In earlier sections, the novel reads more like a collection of connected short stories, each one exploring some facet of character’s life — whether that of the sisters Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield and Jacqui Red Feather, daughters of AIM and the occupation of Alcatraz, and the grandsons one raises for the other, or Dene Oxendene, budding documentary filmmaker, or Edwin Black, an aspiring writer in search of his biological father. Related Articles Regional books: “Denver School Book,” “Aloha Rodeo” and more Reader Pick: “Death of Celilo Falls” shows ordinary lives in extraordinary circumstances Reader pick: “Circe,” by Madeline Miller Colorado Book Award 2019 winners include suicide memoir, “Death by G-String” Each narrative is richly situated in both the contemporary moment of these particular Indians and the historical legacies of colonialism, genocide, and displacement that have shaped their communal existence.

 

Comment On This Story

Welcome to Wopular!

Welcome to Wopular

Wopular is an online newspaper rack, giving you a summary view of the top headlines from the top news sites.

Senh Duong (Founder)
Wopular, MWB, RottenTomatoes

Subscribe to Wopular's RSS Fan Wopular on Facebook Follow Wopular on Twitter Follow Wopular on Google Plus

MoviesWithButter : Our Sister Site

Movies With Butter More Movie News

More Books News

  • The Book Club: “Talking to Strangers” and more short reviews from readers
    Denver Post: Books, Monday - 04/15/2024 - 08:00 AM

    Editor’s note: The opinions of the smart, well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables. So we asked them, and all Denver Post readers, to share these mini-reviews with you. Have any to offer?

    More | Talk | Read It Later | Share
  • The Book Club: “The House on Mango Street” and more short reviews from readers
    Denver Post: Books, Tuesday - 04/09/2024 - 08:00 AM

    “Airplane Mode: An Irreverent History of Travel,” by Shahnaz Habib (Catapult, 2023) Editor’s note: The opinions of the smart, well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables. So we asked them, and all Denver Post readers, to share these mini-reviews with you.

    More | Talk | Read It Later | Share
  • “The First Migrants” and other books of regional interest
    Denver Post: Books, Monday - 04/01/2024 - 07:59 AM

    “The Memory of Lavender and Sage,” by Aimie K. Runyan (Harper Muse) Tempesta’s father is dead. His will leaves the family fortune to her brother.  But to everyone’s surprise, the will gives Tempesta money that had belonged to her mother, who died years before. Tempesta has no reason to remain in New York.  Her grandmother hates her, her brother is disdainful, and she’s bored with her newspaper job. So on a whim, Tempesta buys, sight unseen, a house in her mother’s native Sainte-Colombe, France.

    More | Talk | Read It Later | Share
  • The Book Club: “Go As a River” and more short reviews from readers
    Denver Post: Books, Tuesday - 03/26/2024 - 08:00 AM

    Editor’s note: The opinions of the smart, well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot, and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables. So we asked them, and all Denver Post readers, to share these mini-reviews with you. Have any to offer?

    More | Talk | Read It Later | Share
  • “City in Ruins” and more mystery book reviews
    Denver Post: Books, Tuesday - 03/26/2024 - 08:00 AM

    “End of Story,” by A. J. Finn (William Morrow) “End of Story,” by A. J. Finn (William Morrow) A. J. Finn’s “The Woman in the Window” was a huge best-seller. “End of Story” is destined to be, too. It’s a mystery more than a thriller, and a tightly crafted page-turner. Literary critic Nicky Hunter is a huge fan of mystery writer Sebastian Trapp.

    More | Talk | Read It Later | Share
  • It’s never too late to fall in love with Star Wars
    Denver Post: Books, Monday - 03/18/2024 - 08:00 AM

    Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems). Right now, fans of sci-fi/fantasy films are going ga-ga over “Dune: Part 2” (which certainly is gorgeous). But I’m here to sing the praises of another space opera. A young George Lucas talks with Anthony Daniels, who plays the robot C-3PO, for the film “Star Wars: A New Hope,” in 1977. I was a bit late jumping on the Star Wars bandwagon.

    More | Talk | Read It Later | Share