Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Where the Dead Sit Talking
Where the Dead Sit Talking | Brandon Hobson
Set in rural Oklahoma during the late 1980s, Where the Dead Sit Talking is a startling, authentically voiced and lyrically written Native American coming-of-age story. With his single mother in jail, Sequoyah, a fifteen-year-old Cherokee boy, is placed in foster care with the Troutt family. Literally and figuratively scarred by his mother's years of substance abuse, Sequoyah keeps mostly to himself, living with his emotions pressed deep below the surface. At least until he meets seventeen-year-old Rosemary, another youth staying with the Troutts. Sequoyah and Rosemary bond over their shared Native American background and tumultuous paths through the foster care system, but as Sequoyah's feelings toward Rosemary deepen, the precariousness of their lives and the scars of their pasts threaten to undo them both.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
review
Reggie
post image
Mehso-so

I wanted to dnf this book but having been raised by 2 parents who cared, I felt I owed it to this MC to keep reading. Sequoya is in the foster care system because his mother is in prison. He‘s half Cherokee and is placed in a rural Oklahoman family with 2 other foster kids. The book is a bunch of creepy places and mysterious people. They‘re not really stitched together, though. The kids are alone, preoccupied with death. It‘s a lot and I 👇🏼

Reggie think a lot of it went over my head. Like there were some breadcrumbs that were supposed to take me somewhere but I couldn‘t see them and got lost. So-so. 12mo
CarolynM Sounds like a tough read. 12mo
Reggie @CarolynM It was, cause there felt like there was no good future for anyone in here. Also, I went to go read Goodreads reviews and there is this post that explains this book so perfectly and I still feel like how was I supposed to get that. Lol 12mo
63 likes3 comments
review
Nebklvr
post image
Mehso-so

I didn‘t get much out of this book. Lots of symbolism and no ending. The first part was great but it lost me somewhere along the way.

23 likes1 stack add
review
ChaoticMissAdventures
post image
Mehso-so

This book has a lot of challenging subject matters. I wasn't thrilled with the fascination of the main character with harmful sex fantasies, though it did feel real to life.
The pacing was good and the characters well developed, this is a good book just not for me.

blurb
megnews
post image

Lots of DNFs on this one. Is it because we aren‘t the target audience? Who do you feel might be, specifically, if any?

megnews Obviously, this is a YA book. Angsty teens, particularly those in foster care, may benefit more from this story. But there‘s something else that makes me think this book isn‘t necessarily “for me” and so I may not be able to understand. Maybe it‘s a cultural thing-the history & impact of alcoholism & foster care due to oppression that I can see but never fully understand. Though I need to read stories about others‘ experiences & can try to 3y
megnews understand, maybe I never fully will. That‘s ok. Because everyone needs to have stories they can relate to. I‘m even wondering if that is some of what was going on with “I Can Make This Promise” this month as well. Thoughts? (edited) 3y
IndoorDame @megnews I think you may be right that it‘s written for a very specific audience. Which is fine. There should be books that Native kids in foster care relate to even if those books are just for them. On the other hand, I think the writing itself was only okay here (as in it was clear but not transporting), and if it had been something special it would likely have spoken to a much wider audience. 3y
See All 6 Comments
TheBookHippie It reminded me of kids we‘ve had as respite care, and a ton of kids I mentor. It was realist to what I‘ve seen. To see it in a book is so good. It‘s life, I didn‘t have a hard time reading it because it‘s what I see, daily and try but fail to convey to others. 3y
mrp27 I‘m glad I stick it out and finished. Was hoping for more resolution. It was a very confusing read because I simply don‘t understand it‘s tone. I wish there was more about Native American culture, to me it felt secondary. 3y
megnews @mrp27 agree somewhat but I felt it made sense since he‘s somewhat disconnected from his community being in foster care. 3y
32 likes6 comments
blurb
megnews
post image
IndoorDame The two things I saw spurning that relationship on were that she presented herself like a puzzle, intentionally offering up little pieces designed to make him want to know more about her. And that she was the closest thing he had to a connection to home, and with her he was less lonely. 3y
megnews @IndoorDame agree though I hadn‘t thought that far into. I assumed it was the fascination of a younger boy on a more developed, seen as “sophisticated,” girl. 3y
IndoorDame @megnews Yes. That too. I think that would definitely have been a part of what drew her to him. 3y
See All 7 Comments
TheBookHippie Intrigued and intertwined in her without knowing truly why is the best description I have. 3y
IndoorDame @TheBookHippie I like that description. Very poetic. 3y
mrp27 I agree she seemed mysterious and intriguing to him. He wanted to know her. 3y
23 likes7 comments
blurb
megnews
post image
megnews I‘m interested to hear how others interpreted this. Did he feel, in one way or another, they were all already dead because of the lives they felt stuck in? 3y
IndoorDame I picture Rosemary‘s spot in the woods when I hear this title. So I suppose I think that dead is kind of a metaphor for depression in this instance. 3y
See All 10 Comments
TheBookHippie Dead inside to survive 3y
megnews @TheBookHippie yes. Very sad. 3y
Butterfinger They were so enamored with death. I wished there was more to Rosemary's dreams or something about the nature/spiritual side of things. I think children into Goth would appreciate this work, but a part of me wants to keep the book away from them. 3y
mrp27 I honestly don‘t even know what to think about the story let alone the title! 3y
megnews @Butterfinger @mrp27 @IndoorDame @TheBookHippie it‘s almost like we didn‘t even read the same book! 3y
mrp27 Agreed! I see all the points everyone is making and I tend to agree but I was too focused on the creepy tone. 3y
TheBookHippie @Butterfinger @megnews yes -everyone reads books differently-because I didn‘t read it as consumed with death or creepy. It is. It‘s how thousands upon thousands of kids live. I see it daily. 3y
19 likes10 comments
blurb
megnews
post image
megnews Hard to tell. Did he keep too much to himself? I hate to think he blamed himself all these years. Ultimately all too often you don‘t know when it will happen, even if you think it might. 3y
IndoorDame @megnews I also hope he didn‘t blame himself. It would be easy for a young boy who was infatuated with her like he was to think he played a role, but ultimately she was the only actor in that situation. 3y
TheBookHippie It‘s just hard. I hope he doesn‘t harbor guilt. The answer is always inside the person, that‘s hard to rationalise sometimes. 3y
See All 6 Comments
Butterfinger I saw it as an ambiguous ending. Did it say he tried to take the gun from her? He was angry at her. He had already had visions of hurting her. I just saw it differently. 3y
mrp27 I‘m with @Butterfinger. This whole book was very ambiguous. My first thought was he killed her. 3y
megnews @Butterfinger @mrp27 how interesting. I agree it was very vague but hadn‘t even considered this possibility especially since she‘d been withdrawing more & more. Gives me something to think about. 3y
13 likes6 comments
blurb
megnews
post image
megnews They seem to be wrapped up in their own issues. Perhaps a bit of inappropriate sharing. At times, I think they‘re being very sensitive to teen needs. Others I felt they left them to their own devices too much. 3y
IndoorDame @megnews I agree that they‘re left to their own devices too much. And that they‘re inconsistent in their parenting and occasionally inappropriate. But they do seem to be caring people who want the best for the kids. And this seems to be the best situation all of the kids have found in a long time. 3y
megnews @IndoorDame I agree. I imagine by this age in the foster care system, parents have to be a bit more hands off or you may end up with a lot of problems on your hands—runaways etc. 3y
See All 9 Comments
TheBookHippie Hands off is required to some degree I agree, it has to be paired with absolute consistency I think. In my experience routine is a comfort. I still have kids I‘ve mentored or fostered -now adults take comfort in some of the things I do routinely -it‘s security in a different form. I do think they care. It‘s so difficult you never really know if you‘re doing it correctly. 3y
Butterfinger @TheBookHippie I am glad you said that. Routine is definitely security. You come to know the outcome. There are no surprises to someone who has been in unstable situations. I think the Troutts tried. You always hear of awful stories of the foster system in the 80s. 3y
mrp27 Although not a shining example, I think they did the best they could. But I kept kept expecting worse from them as they too seemed mysterious. 3y
megnews @Butterfinger yes and the group homes in the 80s too! 3y
megnews @mrp27 I felt they were too. It was hard to put your finger on. The whole swinger conversation was weird. 3y
TheBookHippie @Butterfinger group homes early 80s is where I started my nursing career. No words. 3y
10 likes9 comments
blurb
megnews
post image
IndoorDame Sequoyah doesn‘t seem dangerous, but I could see George being afraid of him anyway because he represented an upset to what little stability he‘d had in a very uncertain world. 3y
megnews @IndoorDame I agree. I took these questions from the publisher website and was surprised at this one. I never felt he was dangerous. George seems very sensitive. Nothing wrong with that. I just interpreted it as a George issue more than Sequoyah. 3y
TheBookHippie I‘m not sure dangerous is the word a threat to George‘s security maybe ? 3y
Butterfinger I felt he was dangerous. #unpopularopinion. He kept wanting to "kill" George. I think George understood him on some level. 3y
mrp27 I felt he was dangerous too, I didn‘t trust him. But I am so confused as how to look at this book. On one hand it feels like a creepy thriller. Was he dangerous and did he murder Nora and his other friend? How does he know the exact dates and manner of death? Was he responsible for Rosemary‘s death? Or was this simply a story about a young traumatized kid going through the system? 3y
9 likes5 comments
blurb
megnews
post image
megnews I‘m not sure how reliable he is. Clearly, he tried to hide some of what went on with his mom. 3y
TheBookHippie I think no. Intuitively I think there‘s something hidden that isn‘t spoken of, reminds me of when I‘m talking with traumatised youth. I can‘t put my finger on it exactly. 3y
megnews @TheBookHippie I know what you‘re talking about. It is hard to put a word to it. 3y
See All 7 Comments
Butterfinger I thought that too. He knew things about prostituting oneself. He just knew things. How did he intuitively know to leave that one man's house when he saw the children just sitting around? 3y
Butterfinger I didn't answer the question. I just don't know if he is a reliable narrator. Is that why the author wrote Sequoyah the way he did? To leave us wondering how exactly did the girl die? 3y
mrp27 I don‘t think he was reliable at all but was he unreliable because of experienced trauma or was he hiding things? 3y
megnews @Butterfinger I think he was old enough to have seen news reports on sex trafficking etc. I‘m learning the Native community is really preyed on in regards to this. 3y
9 likes7 comments
blurb
megnews
post image
IndoorDame His adult voice is remarkably patient. It helps communicate that the young character was resigned to his fate, but it‘s missing the sense of urgency that most teenagers experience, even ones who are depressed. 3y
megnews @IndoorDame great point. Telling a story in real time is different than looking back. What was important then may not feel so much anymore and vice versa. He may also downplay or over play certain things. (edited) 3y
TheBookHippie @IndoorDame it‘s missing the angst, yes? 3y
See All 9 Comments
TheBookHippie @megnews I agree with you, perspective changes so very much. 3y
IndoorDame @TheBookHippie yes. I think that‘s one of the things that‘s definitely downplayed in the recollection. 3y
megnews @TheBookHippie I missed tagging you! So sorry! Glad you saw the posts. 3y
TheBookHippie @megnews 😂😂 no problem 3y
Butterfinger He was brutally honest about his feelings. Would a teen admit that he wanted to cause pain to someone? 3y
mrp27 I too think he was brutally honest with what he thought and felt but I wished he explained more why he thought that or felt that. Wish there was more insight. 3y
12 likes9 comments
review
Roary47
post image
Bailedbailed

I had to stop reading this because of all the times it made me cringe. The children in the foster system have a lot on their plates. That pain is very real, and how they deal with it can many times not be in healthy ways. I‘m not saying this is a good or bad book. I‘m just saying I personally can‘t read anymore because of the depressing material within it. This is for #YABuddyReads and #BookSpinBingo in November

TheAromaofBooks Sometimes a book just isn't the right fit. 3y
megnews Quite a few others were in the same boat. 3y
Ruthiella I have never read this one because I know I couldn‘t take it. It‘s OK to know your boundaries. 3y
TheBookHippie @Ruthiella I bailed on that book—I couldn‘t do it. 3y
10 likes4 comments
review
Butterfinger
post image
Mehso-so

It left me uncomfortable. The young people are obsessed with death and pain. Some scenes made me cringe (wanting to dispense pain). It made me think of the kids who are fascinated with gothic themes. I didn't like it, but I didn't dislike it either. Not a very coherent review, is it? It just left me depressed. #YABuddyRead @megnews

Chrissyreadit I‘m reading similar reviews from everyone. @megnews I am going to have to skip this- I cannot handle the depression in my books right now. I need escapism this week. 3y
megnews @Chrissyreadit no problem. @Butterfinger expressed a lot of how I felt. I have a theory to ask about during discussion. I‘ll post in a bit. 3y
44 likes2 comments
review
mrp27
post image
Mehso-so

#yabuddyread

I am glad I was able to add some Native American fiction to my reading this month but ultimately this title was not my cup of tea. A bit creepy, this coming of age story about a teen aged boy living through the foster system left more questions than answers. Looking forward to discussion.

review
IndoorDame
post image
Panpan

This was bleak and didn‘t really speak to me. The writing itself was clear, but I had a hard time figuring out who the intended audience is and who might really connect with these characters. #YAbuddyread

review
megnews
post image
Pickpick

There are things I like and things I didn‘t about this book. I‘m looking forward to discussion in a couple weeks. #yabuddyread

quote
megnews
post image
41 likes1 stack add
blurb
megnews
post image

Another reminder to grab your November #YAbuddyRead and/or #MGBuddyRead books.

Chrissyreadit Yes!!! I should have gone to the library yesterday….they are closed on Mondays. And for the record, I think libraries should be fully funded open 7 days a week 8-8…. (I know in NYC they have great hours. Not so much in WV) 3y
TheBookHippie @Chrissyreadit 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼agree! 3y
38 likes2 comments
quote
TinaFaa

"I saw the look of tenderness on her face, and I knew she was happy that I was in a good, safe place. It struck me then how strong grief and hope were. Grief and hope were our anchor, holding us together."

review
TinaFaa
post image
Pickpick

Beautifully written, and very honest in its descriptions. There is a completely different way of thinking for children who have grown up in the system, a way of thinking that is only recognized by others who have experienced familial trauma. This book is a shared experience with its reader in the way it's written almost as a memoir. Although I am not normally a fan of memoirs, I was enthralled nonetheless.

blurb
TinaFaa
post image

And of course, I have my next read already lined up. I rarely have only one book going, and I never have no idea what I'm going to read next, I always have a well stocked library. Once I'm getting close to the end of a book, I start carrying around the next book I'm going to read, so I'm always carrying around no less than three books at a time. My Louis Vuitton is more of a book bag than an actual purse. 🤓📖

review
MegCaldwell
post image
Pickpick

This was a book that I‘m not sure I can really review without giving any of the gems away. I think it is a 50/50 if people other than me will like it! But I enjoyed how haunting and beautiful it was.

review
TracyReadsBooks
post image
Pickpick

Hobson worked in social services for a number of years & it shows in this well-written story about a fifteen-year-old Cherokee boy who bounces from foster home to foster home while his mother is in jail. Identity, freedom, hope, guilt, depression, belonging, responsibility, family &, perhaps most of all, survival are prominent themes in this book which offers an unflinching look at life in the foster care system. Not always easy, it‘s a good read.

blurb
TracyReadsBooks
post image

My morning...

20 likes1 stack add
blurb
TracyReadsBooks
post image

My next book is described as a “stunning and lyrical Native American coming-of-age story.” It‘s about a fifteen-year-old Cherokee boy who is sent to live with a foster family and what happens afterward as he and another teen work their way through the foster care system. A finalist for the National Book Award, I‘m expecting this to be a powerful and emotional story.

15 likes1 stack add
review
Honeybeebooks
post image
Mehso-so

A teen searching for cultural identity while living in foster care. The hurt, anger and pain was difficult and unrelenting. Important but tough read and therefore only a so-so rating I recommend it but be prepared.

quote
Honeybeebooks
post image

“You never listen,” she said, and these were her final words.

quote
Honeybeebooks
post image

"I have been unhappy for many years now."

review
OriginalCyn620
post image
Mehso-so

This was sad, heartbreaking, and also weird in some places. It reads like a stream of consciousness, which isn‘t my fave format. I didn‘t hate it but didn‘t love it either. #booked2019 #indigenousauthor

Cinfhen Pretty pic 🌸🌸🌸I agree, stream of consciousness doesn‘t work well for me, either 🙄 6y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Sounds like a tough read, but a unique choice for the prompt. 👊🏻♥️📚 6y
40 likes2 comments
blurb
SphinxFeathers
post image

About to start this with my best friend. Looking forward to it very much. #catsoflitsy #indigenouslit #indigenousliterature #firstnations #brandonhobson

review
ReadingEnvy
post image
Mehso-so

Where the Dead Sit Talking by Brandon Hobson is another read from the National Book Award finalist list. I felt like the life of Sequoyah, a teenaged foster boy, is well represented in how he views the world and interacts with others. The pacing of the book didn't work as well for me, as it tends to race through really important moments.

review
mauveandrosysky
post image
Pickpick

This coming-of-age novel about about a Native American teenager placed into foster care in rural Oklahoma is written in such a compelling and unique voice. I wasn‘t prepared for how weird this book is, and I‘m not sure I can adequately explain the type of weird that it is. Ottessa Moshfegh blurbed one of the author‘s previous books, if that tells you anything. I loved it.

ohyeahthatgirl This made me glad I picked this one up. I love a good dose of weird! 6y
Erinreadsthebooks Sold🙋 Sign me up for anything related to Ottessa M. 🙌🏼🎉 6y
29 likes5 stack adds2 comments
review
mklong
post image
Pickpick

Sequoyah is a teenager moving through the foster care system after his mother is sent to prison. Hobson writes so beautifully of the emotional toll their unstable upbringings have on Sequoyah, and the other two foster children in the home. It is never simply anger, or fear, or sadness, or loneliness, it is all of these feelings at once. Along with love, and relief, and guilt, and well…everything. These are characters I will not soon forget.

review
Redwritinghood
post image
Mehso-so

From the NBA longlist: a Native American boy makes his way to a foster family with two other troubled teens. Throughout, the voice is calm, but there is a rage and trauma underneath that the narrator tries to tamp down. It occasionally comes out when he thinks of hurting others. Unfortunately, I didn‘t feel enough of that suppressed rage and the occasions when he made off-handed comments about shooting someone just seemed sensational. 3⭐️ #Hoopla

59 likes1 stack add
review
8little_paws
post image
Pickpick

I found this so atmospheric and compelling. It's about how teens deal with trauma in their lives, while they are in the foster care system. It's also about losing touch with your culture and the desire to feel connected to it. The characters are heartbreaking. I did think the ending was a little too fast, still I couldn't stop listening to this story. I would have never heard about this if it were not for the NBA longlist, I'm glad I read it.

49 likes1 stack add
review
comics_librarian
post image
Bailedbailed

Sadly, this was just the wrong book at the wrong time. I just wasn‘t feeling it.

review
Jolynne
post image
Pickpick

Sad and moving thoughts of a young Cherokee youth abandoned by his parents.

review
shendrix413
post image
Panpan

I was excited about this book. I'm a member of the Cherokee tribe like the MC and the author and it involves kids in foster care which is where I work.... But, honestly, it was really weird... Just weird, there were thoughts and events that felt like they were just thrown in for shock or whatever. I was very close to bailing a few times, but I kept hoping it would tie together in the end, but no such luck. I'm honestly pretty disappointed 😢

Alfoster Hate it when that happens!😫 7y
53 likes1 comment
blurb
BethFishReads
post image

This week I‘m featuring new coming-of-age stories. Descriptions on my blog or right here on Litsy. http://www.bethfishreads.com/2018/02/5-new-coming-of-age-novels.html?m=1

review
TorieStorieS
post image
Mehso-so

Set in Oklahoma in 1989, this coming of age story is engaging from the first pages and maintains a fast pace. Unfortunately, though the characters feel authentic, I just never connected with any of them... but I think it could be a great book for discussion groups! #HappyShelfieSunday! #FebInBooks18 @bookisglee