Indian Voices

In Indian Voices, Alison Owings takes readers on a fresh journey across America, east to west, north to south, and around again. Owings's most recent oral history--engagingly written in a style that entertains and informs--documents what Native Americans say about themselves, their daily lives, and the world around them.Young and old from many tribal nations speak with candor, insight, and (unknown to many non-Natives) humor about what it is like to be a Native American in the twenty-first century. Through intimate interviews many also express their thoughts about the sometimes staggeringly ignorant, if often well-meaning, non-Natives they encounter--some who do not realize Native Americans still exist, much less that they speak English, have cell phones, use the Internet, and might attend powwows and power lunches.Indian Voices, an inspiring and important contribution to the literature about the original Americans, will make every reader rethink the past--and present--of the United States.

This is the United States of Native America at its best! Owings brilliantly weaves together the grassroots narratives and heart-felt stories that she gathered in her travels throughout Indian Country. The result is a stunning and eye-opening book, written in page-turning prose, that reveals the emotions, pains, and humor of Native Americans. Whether you know nothing about Indians or just want to know more, you need to read this book!""Alison Owings is a brilliant listener. Otherwise she wouldn't have been able to interview so many native people and have them talk about their lives, their dreams, their accomplishments with such intimacy.""Vital voices from Indigenous peoples have long been shrouded, interpreted, misinterpreted, or just plain ignored. Owings's humanity and journalistic instincts lead us where few non-Natives have ventured. Truly a must read.""I loved Indian Voices. And it was great fun to read because it is about real people in contemporary times.""Owings assembles interviews with Native Americans from across the nation that achieve a remarkable level of intimacy. Her descriptions are rich in detail, her stories and statistics captivating. This engrossing, affecting book should be mandatory reading in American history classes..""A rich collection that is poignant, funny, heartbreaking, and very real. The vast diversity in Native America is evident. The book is engaging and thoughtfully conceived and effectively communicates Owings’s central thesis—that Native Americans are alive, well, and thriving and have much to teach and share with the rest of us. Recommended for all readers of nonfiction, and highly recommended for anyone living in or near Native communities.

ALISON OWINGS is the author of Frauen: German Women Recall the Third Reich, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year (Rutgers University Press) and Hey, Waitress!: The USA from the Other Side of the Tray.