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There There
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
Not since Sherman Alexie's The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and Louise Erdrich's Love Medicine has such a powerful and urgent Native American voice exploded onto the landscape of contemporary fiction. There There introduces a brilliant new author at the start of a major career. Jacquie Red Feather is newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind in shame in Oakland. Dene Oxedrene is pulling his life together after his uncle's death and has come to work the powwow and to honour his uncle's memory. Edwin Frank has come to find his true father. Bobby Big Medicine has come to drum the Grand Entry. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield has come to watch her nephew Orvil Red Feather; Orvil has taught himself Indian dance through YouTube videos, and he has come to dance in public for the very first time. Tony Loneman is a young Native American boy whose future seems destined to be as bleak as his past, and he has come to the Big Oakland Powwow with darker intentions. Tommy Orange's first novel is a wondrous and shattering portrait of an America few of us have ever seen. There There is a multi-generational, relentlessly paced story about violence and recovery, hope and loss, identity and power, dislocation and communion, and the beauty and despair woven into the history of a nation and its people. A glorious, unforgettable debut.
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TheBookDream
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

This had a disorienting number of characters, but it was a good book with an intense ending. #indiegnousauthors

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TheBookDream
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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My friendβ€˜s dog Mabel checking out my book! #pugsoflitsy #dogsoflitsy
A different friendβ€˜s puggle, Niko, needs cancer treatment. I would much appreciate it if you could share this link so he can get it: https://gofund.me/782c67cb
Thank you!

Leftcoastzen Aww πŸ₯° 4w
32 likes1 comment
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MyNamesParadise
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

Read this 4 work as it‘s one of the One Maryland One Book Top 11 this year! A powerful read. It‘s a compilation of Native peoples‘ POV as they all converge at the Oakland Powwow. It was interesting to see how all the characters were connected & their histories. The Powwow scenes were gripping & short as POV kept switching. I was satisfied with the way the story ended.

Cortg This was a great book! I‘m looking forward to this year‘s #OneMarylandOneBook choice! I looked over the list and there are a lot of good ones! 2mo
MyNamesParadise @Cortg Yes, it‘s a wonderful list this year! Thank you for following the program! The Top 3 will be announced in February and then the final selection will be in March! I hope you enjoy reading your way through the list πŸ˜‰ 2mo
36 likes1 stack add2 comments
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canbku
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Great list to come back to. Suggestions invited!

RaeLovesToRead Ooh, good prompts. I won't be able to do all these in 2023, but will definitely have a go at these.. 3mo
45 likes1 comment
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LaurenMags
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

Great book that deals with a lot of tough topics. It is about 12 native Americans getting ready to go to a powwow in Oakland California. I think I would like this book better if the characters were narrowed down to 3 or 4 of them. It was too hard to keep track of all the characters with there being 12 of them.

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ChaoticMissAdventures
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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#tbt Throwback Thursday - feature books I have read that I think are awesome, that need more discussion or push for others to read.
Play, tag, join in (I am terrible at tagging people!)

November in the States is Indigenous People's Month, and this book does an amazing job weaving modern Native history (if you do not know about Alcatraz Island and the Indigenous people it is worth a look into), many story lines, and a big climax.
Amazing book.

jlhammar So good! Loved this book. 4mo
28 likes1 comment
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Melismatic
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this, altho I thought the ending felt a little too chaotic to be left open ended.

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peanutnine
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks On my shelf 🧑🧑 5mo
ncsufoxes My son read it last year for his senior ethnic lit class & loved it. This summer we moved cross country & we drove through Arizona/Navajo reservations. He said the drive made the book come to life for him, he was seeing what the author described. 5mo
peanutnine @ncsufoxes wow that sounds amazing 5mo
Eggs πŸ§‘πŸ–€πŸ§‘ 5mo
41 likes4 comments
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mollyrotondo
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Amazing. This was my second time reading this one and I loved it just as much. This is such an important book. Honest. The Interlude is one of the best pieces of writing I‘ve read. Very much recommend especially since Thanksgiving is around the corner.

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MeganLindell
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

12 likes1 stack add
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DivineDiana
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

This is a fast paced multigenerational story of twelve Native characters, on their way to the Big Oakland Powwow. The Powwow is a celebration of Native culture. There are substantial cash prizes for the winners of the traditional dance competition. Each of the characters has a reason to attend, and as the time grows closer, their stories intersect. A glimpse into the world of urban Natives. Heart wrenching. #booked2022 #titlerepeatsitself

DivineDiana Chosen for One Book One Philadelphia- 2019 9mo
jlhammar Loved this book! 9mo
DivineDiana @jlhammar I am still thinking about it! 9mo
See All 11 Comments
Cinfhen This was a really impressive debut! I‘m excited to see what the author does next πŸ€“ 9mo
DivineDiana @Cinfhen Yes! When this was One Book Philadelphia, I attended a program at Museum of the Revolution that tied in with the book. It was great! Our group toured exhibits related to Natives and we would stop periodically and listen to readings from the book. It has been sitting on my shelf. If it wasn‘t for Booked2022, it would still be there! 9mo
Librarybelle I have this on my to read list and hope to read it for the same #Booked2022 prompt! 8mo
Cinfhen That‘s so cool, Diane!!! I don‘t think I‘ve ever been to that museum. 8mo
DivineDiana @cinfhen It only opened in 2017. πŸ™‚ 8mo
DivineDiana @Librarybelle πŸ‘πŸ» 8mo
Cinfhen That explains it then πŸ˜‰ 8mo
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DivineDiana
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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New audiobook. Have had the actual book on my shelves for a few years, so doubling up with the audio. #mttbr

Graywacke Oh, I really enjoyed this on audio. 9mo
glamhobbit I honestly think about this book like once a week, even years after I read it! 9mo
DivineDiana @Graywacke Thank you for letting me know! Just started, but so far, I am as well. πŸ™‚ 9mo
DivineDiana @glamhobbit Thank you for sharing your experience. Only just begun, but already, there are stories and images that I know will stay with me. 9mo
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Butterfinger
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

You get to know the histories of the characters and then... A horrific ending. Horrific. I thought it was brilliant how we see the violence that is still high in our indigenous communities.

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TheSpineView
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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#Movie2BookRecs @Klou
Prompt: Jack the Bear

EvieBee Oh wow! I haven‘t thought about this movie in so long! 11mo
TheSpineView @EvieBee IK!πŸ’™πŸŽ¬ 11mo
Klou Great choice!! 10mo
TheSpineView @Klou 🀩 10mo
57 likes4 comments
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Singout
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
Panpan

This disappointed me, with interesting characters, an intriguing structure, and some important messages. However, it just didn‘t hang together: several characters and perspectives that I couldn‘t engage with, and an ending that made no sense to me at all.
#Booked2022 #TitleRepeatsItself

fredthemoose I felt the same way about this book! 13mo
Cinfhen I remember thinking that the author showed real potential but this book was missing something. 13mo
17 likes2 comments
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Singout
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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β€œWe‘ve known the shooter could show up anywhere…the bullets have been coming for miles, years. The tragedy of it all will be unspeakable, the fact that we‘ve been fighting for decades to be recognized as a present-tense people, modern and relevant, alive, only to die in the grass wearing feathers.”

This piece on constant vulnerability of Indigenous people spoke to me today, as a white person thinking about the recent murder of a white friend.

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Singout
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange

β€œ[Indigenous] kids are jumping out of burning buildings falling to their deaths, and we think the problem is that they‘re jumping. And this is what we‘ve done. We‘ve tried to find ways to get them to stop jumping, convince them that burning alive is better than leaving when the shit gets too hot for them to take. We‘ve boarded up windows and made better nets to catch them, found more convincing ways to persuade them not to jump.”

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BooksNBowls
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

What an intriguing story, from 12 unique perspectives. History meets present as Tommy takes us through these characters‘ journey to make it to the Big Oakland Powwow. And we learn just how different and connected they all are. The irony is heart-breaking as we learn what it means to be a native in the city- an β€œurban Indian.” Violence, identity, dislocation, addiction, sacrifice, heroism, and despair rake through the pages, and leave an impact.

plemmdog I loved this. I can‘t wait to see what he does next 14mo
Suet624 What a great review for a great book. 14mo
BooksNBowls @plemmdog me too! He‘s a great storyteller! 14mo
KellyK I loved this book! 14mo
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BooksNBowls
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Library haul! Which ones should I dive into first?

AmyG I loved The Nightengale. 1y
slategreyskies So many good choices! :) 1y
BooksNBowls @AmyG yes! Everything Hannah writes is gold!! 1y
See All 8 Comments
Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I enjoyed The Nightingale. 1y
Desha American Dirt was soooo good! Hard to read in places, but good. πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ“š 1y
KellyK There are two in your stack I haven‘t read but of all the rest my favorite is Ask Again, Yes. 1y
TEArificbooks The nightingale 1y
Amoon I loved Ask Again Yes. Heard about it in a YouTube show called β€œBooks on Toast” 1y
47 likes8 comments
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Chittavrtti
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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TamTracy
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

I loved the book, writing, and the stories. My problem only lies with how many characters there are and keeping their stories straight. I was warned about this and still had problems. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

RebL I also recommend this book. The ending was a little, β€œhuh,β€œ but didn't take away from my enjoyment. 1y
TamTracy @RebL very good way to describe it lol. So much happened so quickly that I had to slow down and go back to read it again. 1y
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bookwrm526
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

Beautifully written, heart-wrenching and yet somehow still…hopeful? There are a lot of characters, some you get to know very well and others you only meet briefly. Their stories are masterfully woven together, and even though the ending felt like a freight train bearing down on me, it still wasn‘t exactly what I expected!

Reggie I know you come and go whenever but it‘s always nice to see you when you pop up! πŸ‘‹πŸΌ 1y
bookwrm526 @Reggie Thank you :) I am trying to be more present here for a bit, since it IS my favorite social media platform 1y
ImperfectCJ A freight train bearing down on the reader is an excellent way to describe the ending of this novel! You see it coming but can't get out of the way. 1y
35 likes3 comments
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Blueberry
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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1. Lightning Strike
2. Jonny Appleseed
3. There There by Tommy Orange

#WeekendReads. @rachelsbrittain

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Erin.Elizabeth10
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

This month‘s book club pick for Native American Heritage Month. I‘ve wanted to read this book for years, so I‘m glad we finally did. The multiple perspectives were very interesting and less confusing than I thought they‘d be. It was a sad book in many ways, and the end brought me to tears, but I can also see some good elements of characters being reunited and stepping more fully into their identity. I‘m looking forward to our book club discussion.

Suet624 I‘m so glad he wrote this book. 1y
Erin.Elizabeth10 @Suet624 Yes, definitely a gift! 1y
18 likes2 comments
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TheSpineView
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks πŸ§‘πŸ“šπŸ™ŒπŸ» 1y
65 likes1 comment
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vlwelser
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

Somehow this book manages to be both heartbreaking and confusing AF. Maybe it's just the #audiobook but every time the narrator changes it's hard to get your mind wrapped back up into the story. But overall it is very good and the story is important.

My IRL book club picked this as their second November pick (it's possible I picked this and no one protested).

#BookSpinBingo square 2
@TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Yay!!! 1y
51 likes1 comment
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ImperfectCJ
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

This novel surprised me. For most of it, I wasn't sure if I liked it. I started wishing I'd read the paper version instead of audio because I had trouble keeping the characters and relationships straight, but the last 1/4 or so, it all comes together into something that feels horribly inevitable (in part because Orange has been prepping us for it the entire time). This is another piece of California I hadn't really looked at before.

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sarahbellum
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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I was super bummed that I didn‘t read more in 2019 (life ramped up and left me with little downtime). There, There was a top read- I was living in Oakland, CA at the time and it felt very real and grounded to me. I also finally got around to reading the Hunger Games trilogy (I know, I know, I‘m typically behind the times with these kinds of things) and was definitely entertained by the storyline.

Curiouser_and_curiouser I've just finished The Hunger Games for the first time only a month or so ago. I still have the next 2 to catch up on. You're not behind at all. Cool read huh?! At least you can cross them off your TBR list now! 2y
14 likes1 comment
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Astroneman
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Mehso-so

Why? Why?
I don't understand this book! It's a big confusion about indian people.
#book #bookly #readingchallenge2021 #libro #litsy #litsybook #goodreads #toread #leggere #bookworm #therethere #tommyorange

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Hooked_on_books
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Mehso-so

I really expected to love this book but I just didn‘t. It was certainly gripping and gritty in places, but much of it felt overworked to me and it just fell flat. It was a bit of a slog for me to get through it, unfortunately. #unpopularopinion

BkClubCare Me, too 2y
LeafingThroughLife Same here. Actually, it was such a slog the I eventually just bailed. 2y
67 likes2 comments
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Andrea4
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this one. A multi POV story where the cast all have some kind of connection.
There is something to be said about Orange's writing when he can make me empathize and can almost fully redeem some of the characters who typically I would never think redeemable.
I like when everyone has a story and also gets to tell it.
We need to hear more voices.

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TheSpineView
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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#MoviesInMay @Klou
Prompt: Daniel Day-Lewis

Klou He looks a bit like Arnold Schwarzenegger on the cover πŸ˜‚ 2y
TheSpineView @Klou A bit.. if you can't see bulging muscles 2y
64 likes1 stack add3 comments
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amyf0x
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

Twelve American Indians tell their interconnected stories of life in Oakland, which culminates in tragedy at the Big Oakland Powwow.

Read April 9-15
Rated 4.5/5 ⭐️
Book 22/60

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candority
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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It was a beautiful day here, so I biked to my favourite thrift store and found all of these lovely books! πŸš΄β€β™€οΈπŸ“š#BookHaul #UsedBookHaul

CoverToCoverGirl Great book haul! 🀩 2y
candority @CoverToCoverGirl Thank you! 😍 2y
EvieBee Nice! I just love a good thrift haul. 2y
See All 10 Comments
CuriousG Those are some great books - lucky you! 2y
candority @EvieBee I do too! 😊 2y
candority @CuriousG I was so excited to see There There, Sapiens, and A Good Neighborhood! 2y
CuriousG Sapient and There There are particularly good scores! 2y
Velvetfur Sapiens is amazing - lucky you getting it in a thrift store! Funny, I just talked to my Mum about it last night, having not even thought about it for a couple of years - the universe's way of telling me I was going to see it somewhere today πŸ™‚ 2y
candority @Velvetfur I‘m sorry for the late reply. I replied in my head, but not on Litsy πŸ˜‚ I love little signs from the universe like that! πŸ’• 2y
Velvetfur @candority haha, that's ok, I do that too, the 'reply in my head' thing! 😁 2y
112 likes10 comments
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LeafingThroughLife
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Bailedbailed

DNF. Everyone else loves this but after 100 pages, I feel like everything past the prologue is a letdown and I‘m getting whiffs of The Madonnas of Echo Park (another book I wish I hadn‘t finished). Orange‘s writing has some definite quotables, but no plot that has yet revealed itself and so little time spent with each character that it hardly works as a character study either. Profound prose alone isn‘t enough to keep me reading. March #bookspin

TheAromaofBooks Sometimes a book just isn't the right match!! 2y
31 likes1 comment
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Rachiiebookdragon
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
Pickpick

An interesting book. Read for a prompt for the #PopSugarReadingChallenge2021. 4/5

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LiteraryinLawrence
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

Very interesting. This book had been on my shelf for a while and I‘m glad I read it, more because it felt like an important book than because I enjoyed the reading experience. I didn‘t completely understand or like what happened in the last scene. Did others feel that way too?

rubyslippersreads 😻😻😻 2y
LitStephanie I haven't read this one but know it got a lot of buzz. It is very sweet of those beautiful kitties to leave you some of the blanket! 2y
LiteraryinLawrence @LitStephanie The book reminded me of Girl, Woman, Other, in case you‘ve read that. It‘s chapters told by different Native people with a connection to Oakland. You eventually learn how some of them are connected personally as well. 2y
Copwithabook I didn‘t feel emotionally invested in this one and didn‘t agree with all the hype. I resented read The Removed and liked it much more. 2y
118 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Esin
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
Pickpick

Intense and layered - I felt an urgent need to finish this book once I‘d started. (Evie rec)

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LadyCait84
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
Pickpick

This one. Whoa. It is going to take time to unpack something so brilliantly and carefully layered: The expansive cast of characters, every one of whom β€” even those guilty of the worst, most costly choices β€” pull on your heart; the deep and varied wounds, both freshly made and long inherited; the remembered dramas and isolated struggles, building to and from shared traumas and violations. Ugh. I‘m rambling. But it‘s a must read. That‘s my point.

ErikasMindfulShelf I loved it too!! 2y
SamAnne I really loved this one too. And the opening prologue... 2y
45 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Graciouswarriorprincess
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Book 14/150 done.

Andrew65 I‘ve still not set a goal for 2021. 2y
Graciouswarriorprincess @Andrew65. You have plenty of time. πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ˜Š 2y
Andrew65 @Graciouswarriorprincess Good point! Thanks 😊 2y
Crazeedi @Andrew65 I set one, but I'm not going to fixate on it this year. I'm doing what I can 2y
70 likes4 comments
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OriginalCyn620
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

I liked the multiple POVs and the interconnecting stories. The ending was not tied up in a neat little bow, which I think is fitting for this particular book!

#bookspinbingo
#pop21 #bookbyanindigenousauthor

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
55 likes1 comment
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Oryx
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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So glad it's the weekend! Really struggled to motivate myself at work this week. Felt like the longest week. I think books and wine are in order.

Oryx @squirrelbrain This is one I got with you in Harrogate. Enjoy it so far. 2y
squirrelbrain Ah, was that when I was forcing you to buy books from the charity shop?! It has been one of β€˜those‘ weeks hasn‘t it though? Enjoy the wine.... 2y
Oryx @squirrelbrain normally going back to work doesn't bother me that much, but I think the Monday announcement (while not surprising) just compounded it. Hope you enjoying your snow and fire. 2y
See All 9 Comments
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Pretty pic!! 2y
TrishB Same Emma and I only started back Tuesday! Been a long week. Have a lovely weekend πŸ’œ 2y
rockpools That looks like a very good plan - I may join you! Thanks so much for book Emma - was lovely to receive- I‘m really looking forward to it 😊. But might give Piranesi a go first! 2y
Oryx @rockpools your welcome 😁. Yes, don't get distracted by other books - it's all about Piranesi this month πŸ˜‰ 2y
Oryx @TrishB thanks - you too! 2y
MicheleinPhilly This was the longest week ever. Ugh. 2y
82 likes9 comments
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Megabooks
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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274 titles and 758 hours, even I didn‘t expect that!!

First listen was, appropriately, #newyearwhodis with @youneverarrived πŸ’–

Also with titles vs hours, I‘m obviously a #speedfreak, and lest you think all my titles were short Ducks, Newburyport was 45 hours!

And the nonfiction vs fiction, it was a bit surprising that difference was that large.

My top authors were Elin Hilderbrand, Rebecca Solnit, and 🌈 Rowell!

577 titles 🀯🀯

TrishB Wow 😳 2y
CoverToCoverGirl Great year! 2y
Graywacke Phew. Wow. Also congrats on fantastic year audio year. 2y
See All 7 Comments
BarbaraBB What @TrishB says 😳 2y
Cinfhen That‘s INSANE and TOTALLY AWESOME πŸ‘πŸΌ πŸ‘πŸΌ πŸ‘πŸΌ I need to peek at my stats except I also use Hoopla , Overdrive & Scribd so my hours and book counts won‘t be as accurate 2y
Megabooks @Cinfhen thanks!! ❀️😘 I think the number of titles also counts partial titles because I can think of some I‘ve partially listened or re-listened to. I also used overdrive and Libby a fair bit, but not nearly as much as audible. May-September was so unpredictable, I wanted to have more control over the titles I listened to and not have to stress about due dates. (edited) 2y
Kalalalatja Cool stats! Very impressive πŸ‘πŸ™Œ 2y
97 likes7 comments
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lalatiburona
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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It's the last Sunday in 2020. How insane. It feels like time was frozen back in March and yet the things that happened pre-Covid seem like forever ago. On the positive side, it was a great year for reading. These are all the books I read, minus a large number of library books, books I lent out (when I love a book I almost immediately look for someone to lend it to), and a smattering of comics.

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Deblovestoread
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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I am following @Amandajoy β€˜s lead. Thanks to @TheAromaofBooks and her monthly #bookspin challenge I have knocked several books off my TBR. So many good books read. I read a bunch more trying to get bingos which I managed in August, November and December. Looking forward to 2021!

Amandajoy Didn‘t realize I was starting a trend. That‘s cool! ☺️ 2y
TheAromaofBooks Yay!! This makes me so happy to see - thank your for sharing!!! I'm excited about continuing into next year!! 2y
34 likes2 comments
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Kshakal
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Colors of December... cozy fire orange #readnosedreindeer #wintergames2020 @StayCurious

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dearb00kshelves
There There: A novel | Tommy Orange
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Pickpick

Orange manages to create 12 memorable characters that you grow attached to in a short span of time. These seemingly unrelated characters all come together surrounding the Big Oakland Powwow and while it seems obvious what the nature of the ending will be, I still wasn't prepared.