Indian no more

Tu Books/Lee & Low
ISBN: 9781620148396

Cover of Indian No More by Traci Sorell

Regina Petit's family has always been Umpqua, and living on the Grand Ronde Tribe's reservation is all ten-year-old Regina has ever known. Her biggest worry is that Sasquatch may actually exist out in the forest. But when the federal government enacts a law that says Regina's tribe no longer exists, Regina becomes "Indian no more" overnight--even though she lives with her tribe and practices tribal customs, and even though her ancestors were Indian for countless generations.
Now that they've been forced from their homeland, Regina's father signs the family up for the federal Indian Relocation Program and moves them to Los Angeles. Regina finds a whole new world in her neighborhood on 58th Place. She's never met kids of other races, and they've never met a real Indian. For the first time in her life, Regina comes face to face with the viciousness of racism, personally and toward her new friends.
Meanwhile, her father believes that if he works hard, their family will be treated just like white Americans. But it's not that easy. It's 1957 during the Civil Rights era, and the family struggles without their tribal community and land. At least Regina has her grandmother, Chich, and her stories. At least they are all together.
In this moving middle-grade novel drawing upon Umpqua author Charlene Willing McManis's own tribal history, Regina must find out: Who is Regina Petit? Is she Indian, American, or both? And will she and her family ever be okay?

Charlene Willing McManis

The late Charlene Willing McManis (1953-2018) was born in Portland, Oregon and grew up in Los Angeles. She was of Umpqua tribal heritage and enrolled in the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. Charlene served in the U.S. Navy and later received her Bachelor’s degree in Native American Education. She lived with her family in Vermont and served on that state’s Commission on Native American Affairs. In 2016, Charlene received a mentorship with award-winning poet and author Margarita Engle through We Need Diverse Books. That manuscript became this novel, which is based on her family’s experiences after their tribe was terminated in 1954. She passed away in 2018, knowing that her friend Traci Sorell would complete the revisions Charlene was unable to finish.

recognition

2020 American Indian Youth Literature Award - Middle Grade Winner
2020 Notable Books for a Global Society
2020 American Library Association Notable Children's Book
2020 Global Read Aloud Choice - Upper Elementary/Middle Grade
New York Public Library's 2020 Election Reading List for Kids
Booklist's 2019 Editors' Choice for Books for Youth
Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books of 2019
Multnomah County Library's Best Books of 2019
2019 Junior Library Guild Selection

RAVE REVIEWS

  • “Readers will be moved as they become invested in Regina’s predicament. Is she still Indian, American, or both--and what does that mean for her and her family?”

    —School Library Journal, starred review

  • “Regina’s character is thoughtful and hesitant as her father encourages their family to embrace their ‘Americanness’ . . . While Regina struggles to make sense of her Indianness in LA, her grandmother grounds her in Umpqua folklore and history, helping her to understand the strength and resilience of her people.”

    —Booklist, starred review

  • Highly Recommended: “Written with middle-grade readers in mind, I highly recommend it for them, but for teens and adults, too . . . As far as I know, Indian No More is the first book . . . about the life of a child and her family when their tribe was terminated and then relocated.”

    —Dr. Debbie Reese, American Indians in Children’s Literature

  • “A heartfelt and meditative exploration of an often-undiscussed time in recent U.S. history, Indian No More wades through complex issues of identity and culture and the preservation of both. Thoughtful and purposeful in its education of readers, McManis and Sorell's collaboration sits proudly within the pantheon of middle-grade books as one fully written and edited by women of the Native Nations.”

    —Shelf Awareness

  • “McManis and Sorell produce a poignant family story of the impact termination had on the thousands of Native Americans who left reservations in order to survive.”

    —Kirkus Reviews

  • “I love Indian No More. It is a beautiful and important book, honest and moving. Regina's story faces a shocking injustice directly, creating a powerful historical novel that should be included in every school's curriculum.”

    —Margarita Engle, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Surrender Tree and We Need Diverse Books Mentor of Charlene Willing McManis

  • “In this honest depiction of an Indian family’s struggle to survive the termination of their tribe, we see how ‘Indian stories speak truth’ through the eyes of a gifted young narrator. Courageous and wise, Regina Petit navigates life away from home with a triumphant dignity that celebrates her heritage and everything she has to offer the world.”

    —Guadalupe Garcia McCall, poet and Pura Belpre Award winning author of Under the Mesquite

  • “Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis and Traci Sorell is a poignant look at the termination era and its devastating effects. Regina is a determined young girl who faces huge life changes with incredible strength. It’s an important story, and a compelling debut.”

    —Supriya Kelkar, author of Ahimsa

  • “This is not the story of my family or community. But I feel like it belongs to me. It feels so natural reading it.”

    —Indigo Bookshelf: Voices of Native Youth, reviewed by Ashleigh, age 13

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