There There by Tommy Orange

Gertrude Stein wrote that when she returned home to Oakland, California where she had spent her childhood, "There was no there there."   Using multiple orators, Orange reveals that this is also the plight of the urban Native American.  As this host of characters prepares for a powwow in Oakland, we look back on all the challenges they have experienced.  Some are generic - the poverty, family disagreement.  But others provide insight into the unique sense of isolation experienced by the urban Native American.  Interspersed are narrative essays by the author which were some of my favorite parts.  It is beautifully written but hard to wrap your head around. Particularly the ending.