"There There," by Tommy Orange

I was initially drawn to the novel “There There” (Knopf, 2018), by Tommy Orange, because it takes place in Oakland (across the bay from San Francisco) and it is about urban Native Americans, whereas most fiction about Native Americans seems to take place on or near reservations. The title of course contains an allusion to Gertrude Stein's famous saying about there being "no there there" in Oakland, but I understand that the author had other references to songs and other sources as well when he chose the title. The novel consists of interlocking stories about various characters, and the stories are often sad and grim, although extraordinary love and support are also evident. The word “searing” is sometimes used -- perhaps overused -- about books, but in the case of this book, it is justified. All the history of the past, of the invasion of Europeans who took over the Native American lands and murdered so many people, and continued to squelch their culture and languages, separate them from their children, and deeply discriminate against them, is very much still felt in the present. The resulting poverty, violence, alcoholism, and disease are still prevalent and heartbreaking, and the author does not spare his readers in exposing these factors of Native American life. Yet pride survives, and the culture survives, although just barely in many cases. The twelve main characters – young and old, male and female, from Oakland or from elsewhere, work their way toward the culminating event of the Big Oakland Powwow. It is to be an exciting time, a validating time, a spiritual time, a cultural summit, a community-building and pride-building time. I won’t give away the ending, but it is much more complex than expected, and devastating. This author and novel have gotten a lot of attention, deservedly so, for so wrenchingly immersing the reader in a world in America's midst but not at all well known by those not in the community. This is a truly original and compelling novel.

Terry Gross on "This is Us"

This post is only tangentially related to books and reading, but you will see the connection. A few days ago, I was watching the excellent television show “This is Us.” One lead character, Kevin, is an actor, and after many ups and downs in his career, he stars in a hugely successful film. He is discussing his sudden fame with his family, and casually mentions that his publicist has scheduled an interview for him with some guy named Terry Gross. Another character gasps and fills Kevin in on who Terry Gross is: the famed interviewer on the famed NPR radio show, “Fresh Air.” And Terry is a woman, not a man. The next scene shows that interview, with the real Terry Gross. The heart of this blogger, a big fan of Fresh Air (see my posts of 3/2/10 and 2/18/16), pitter-pattered a bit to SEE on the screen the actual Terry Gross, after years of hearing her on the radio, and seeing only a photo or two during those years. Gross often interviews authors, among the other types of guests she has on the show; I like pretty much all her interviews, but of course author interviews are my favorites. So here she was on “This is Us,” with her so-familiar voice but her much less familiar physical appearance, looking more or less as I expected, but somehow still a surprise. Her interview of Kevin on the show was as insightful as always, as she drew him out in a thoughtful, uncannily right-on, but never too intrusive way. What a treat that episode of “This is Us” was, and all the more so for the unexpectedness of one of my heroines,Terry Gross, popping up in the middle of it!