Tommy Orange’s new novel, Wandering Stars, is gorgeous. This book traces a family through generations, capturing the history of the American effort to erase Native people through killing and forced assimilation. Throughout each generation there are echoes of the past. Much of the novel returns to characters from There There, spending more time with how the events of the Oakland Powwow rippled through each family member. Orange writes in a way that speaks beyond the story to the world. Addiction weaves throughout this novel and manages to find hope while laying bare the realities of substance use. This novel begs to be read again. The sentences are phenomenal. There is an intention in the structure that I will continue to think through. Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for access to an early egalley.

With There There being one of my all-time favorite books, I was highly anticipating what came next from Tommy Orange. Wandering Stars is a prequel and sequel at once to There There. The first part follows multiple generations of the Red Feather family from 1864 in the aftermath of the Sand Creek Massacre. The second part picks up after the thing that happens in There There and explores the various ways the Red Feather family tries to cope.

Orange’s writing is spectacular from the sentence level. He conveys so much emotion combined with sharp observations. The central theme of Wandering Stars is survival. Surviving oppression, surviving historical trauma, surviving addiction, surviving identity erasure. It’s heartbreaking, emotional (there was definitely some crying while reading this) and so important. Between the two distinct parts and the way the POV shifts, the pacing of this isn’t always perfect but Orange makes up for it with his writing and his characters.

Wandering Stars can be read as a standalone, but There There is so good that I don’t recommend skipping it.
Thank you so much to Knopf for the ARC of this one.

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
There There, Orange’s 2018 debut novel, set a pretty high bar. We were introduced to unforgettable characters, unforgettable circumstances and brought face to face with the plight of the Native American tribes as removal and assimilation were forced upon them by the non-native powers. Wandering Stars gives us more context, by reminding, or teaching, us about the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado. We jump decades, and perspective characters, to revisit the heirs of the survivors, and the continuing issues that Indigenous people continue to struggle with, including the isolating compartmentalization non-indigenous people seem most comfortable with. They are complex issues, complex people, served well by this complex novel. It is not an “easy read,” but meets the challenge of There There. The book releases on February 27, 2024. Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for a chance to read and review.

Tommy Orange is just a beautiful writer! Wandering stars is written with perfection. It's definitely not for the weak hearted. This book will easily become a classic in my opinion and will stick with me for years to come. This story is about a survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre and what him and his generational family went through in the name of America. If you have not yet read There There by Tommy Orange, I suggest you start there first as you will have a better understanding of this book, Even though it is not considered a sequel. Thank You so much for the wonderful yet heart breaking journey of a book! I look forward to reading more by Tommy Orange!

Tommy Orange's Wandering Stars is an intergenerational epic that ties together, as the description says, a "constellation of narratives." At once gorgeous and devastating, Orange traverses a family history that begins with the Sand Creek Massacre, but nevertheless sings with hope.

Wandering Stars paints an intimate portrait of a national history, highlighting the individual effects of national events that often taught as abstract or impersonal, like residential schools and the occupation of Alcatraz. Orange does not shy away from difficult topics, but does not allow readers to resign themselves to pessimism or pity; though spanning generations, the narrative is forever looking toward the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

On the heels of massive award winner There There, Tommy Orange’s next title is expected to garner similar praise and adoration. But the not-quite-sequel Wandering Stars doesn’t quite deliver on the promise made with his debut novel.

There There introduced readers to a number of characters who made lasting impressions. Orvil, the teenager shot during a powwow in that novel, makes another appearance in the follow-up, alongside his brothers, grandmother, and aunt. But before we’re shown Orvil’s story, the reader is first taken back in time to explore his lineage.

The first third of the novel focuses on Orvil’s great grandfather, Jude Star, a survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado. Jude was only a child, and he loses the ability to speak after the carnage witnessed. He and friend Victor Bear Shield are then sent to a reeducation school in Florida in order to “cleanse” them of Indigenous ideas. Jude’s son, Charles, suffers the same fate at a school in Pennsylvania.

The narrative serves to offer a deeper backstory of characters we already know from There There, and the generational trauma that is passed down from the 1860s to the present day. But while that part of the story is beautifully written, it’s hard not to feel confused when reading it: Who are these characters? Why do we care about them? What is this leading to? I felt a present-day chapter or two at the beginning of the book would have served as a useful reminder. As it was, I felt I was missing some of what the backstory was getting at.

Once the story jumps to the present day, I had a much easier time staying in the flow of the story and getting (re)attached to the characters. It was moving to see Orvil, Lony, and Loother’s lives after the powwow shooting, and I appreciated that not only the “victim” had his story told. Addiction is deeply entwined in the family’s history, and Orange writes about it eloquently, including swaths about the feelings of euphoria and relief of being high that I found impactful. Jacquie (the boys’ grandmother) is in recovery, and she and Opal (her sister, who is hiding her own cancer diagnosis) share affecting conversations about life and heritage.

In expected Orange style, the prose itself doesn’t disappoint, and I was moved as early as the prologue: “All too often [they] would be told they weren’t the right kind of Indians to be considered real ones by too many Americans taught in schools their whole lives that the only real kinds of Indians were those long-gone Thanksgiving Indians who loved the pilgrims as if to death.”

Additionally, the boys’ lack of attachment to their Indigenous heritage was a theme that reappeared from There There, and Orange touches on that beautifully: “He will recognize you as Indian and ask where you’re from. The question will throw you at first because you’re from Oakland, so you want to say you’re from here, but you don’t know what here means for a moment, did it mean modern times, did it mean Oakland, did it mean America? And where would you be from if you were a real Indian? Oklahoma? You will know that’s not true, that Indians were from every single corner of the country—beyond the country.”

While I wouldn’t recommend this one as wholeheartedly as There There, the language and topic are still impactful and important, and those who liked the author’s first novel will still find pieces to appreciate here, especially if Wandering Stars is read immediately after.

Again, as it was with There There, I have chills reading this last page. Wandering Stars did not invoke the same gut punch as his previous work but still powerful. Orvil RedFeather survived the powwow shooting and we backtrack through his ancestral survivors. Jude Star lived through the Sand Creek Massacre,Charles Star the Indian Industrial school system. Victoria raised by white parents takes her children,Orvils mother Jacquie and auntie Opal to participate in the Alcatraz takeover. A place to try to take back some of their history. Generations and generations of forced trauma and suppression.
2018 begins the second half of the book and centers around the aftermath of the Oakland shooting and Orvils family. The traumas of the past has resulted in PTSD and addiction. Yet there is much strength there especially written into Opals character, this family’s struggles and survival and in many ways triumph. Looking forward to more from Tommy Orange. Thank you Netgalley and Knopf publishing.

Tommy Orange is a living poet, breathing heart and soul into his works like no other. "There There" was a seminal, singular experience, and it was perfection on the page, required reading for all and an impeccable capsule of the Indigenous experience. You cannot read his works and walk away unchanged. And if you haven't read "There There," I exhort you to elevate that as highly as you possibly can on your TBR.

"There There" is a pulsating, towering achievement, and it can stand alone in the modern-day canon. Yet, Orange has gifted us with a quasi-sequel, examining the preceding ripples and the tremulous aftermath. In a way, this reappraisal didn't need to occur: Orange's work was perfect as is. But, in a way, this sequel works because it didn't need to be written; it serves as such a exemplary counterpoint. How do you move on? How does a family mend, even grow, against such a barren expanse?

Orange dedicates this to "everyone surviving and not surviving this thing called and not called addiction." That does give you a little bit of a clue of what it is to follow, and authors like Orange know how to explore such a subject tenderly yet unflinchingly, a compassionate palette of both what is real and what we can become. Poetry like this says it all:

"Wake up. It is morning. Have a cup of coffee. Watch the sun come up. Feel as if you are the only person in the whole world seeing it. Know that it was always true that you were the only one seeing the world the way you were seeing the world."

I do exhort you to read "There There" first because that is effectively a necessary predecessor to this one. And it is an arduous task to craft another masterpiece, but in "Wandering Stars," Orange got as close as it gets.

The long awaited sequel to the best seller There There has arrived and it was well worth the wait! As a huge fan of There There I couldn't wait to get my hands on it and I was so grateful to get an advanced copy!

Much like in There There, this book is heartbreakingly beautiful. Not only did we get a sequel to the first story, but Wandering Stars is also a prequel, beginning generations back in the timeline of these unforgettable characters. As the timeline progresses and we make our way to after the big event that occurs in There There, we are introduced to many ancestors and see how each life threads its way through the story.

Tommy Orange is a fantastic writer. He has a way of writing about heartbreak and horror that sits with the reader. His words flow effortlessly with such beauty and ease. This novel tackles the toll of generational trauma and the consequences of forced assimilation. We see such devastation that often rocks Indigenous communities due to the racism and forced assimilation such as substance abuse and addiction, missing and displaced people, and massacre. This book is a gut punch to the realities that still rock these communities today.

This book can definitely be read as a stand alone, but if you haven't read There There yet I strongly encourage you begin with it. These characters, their lives and stories, are ones that will stay with you. As we see Orvil Red Feather and his brothers struggle to break out of the system of oppression and trauma, it is fascinating to see their ancestors struggle in similar ways, as if their timelines and traumas are mirrored.
Please pick these books up! Indigenous stories and lives are rich with history and are begging to be heard.

I was emotionally enlightened by Tommy Orange’s book Wandering Stars. This novel is the sequel to his debut novel “There There” following the Red Feather-Bear Shield families. This piece of historical fiction is another captivating recounting the oppressive actions against Native Americans going on for centuries.

The story opens with stirring accounts of the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864 and incidents at the Carlisle Industrial School. The aftermath of these events has affected Native Americans emotionally and mentally for generations. Gracefully moving back and forth between the 1880’s and present times we find the characters residing in Oakland, California. The protagonist Orvile Red Feather opens the narrative when he is shot at a powwow. How he treats his pain demonstrates the generational issue of addiction among Native Americans. Each character in the novel goes through their own journey searching for personal reconciliation with their Native identity in the past, present, and future. Because of the atrocities their forefathers experienced generations of Native Americans continue to struggle with identity, cultural understanding, and finding their place in the world. In this story, Orange gives readers a piece of history ignored for far too long.

Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to read the author’s debut novel. Wandering Stars makes a good stand-alone story, but I would encourage readers to begin with the prequel as well. After reading this book, I was urged to do my own research on the topic which opened my eyes to a piece of history that’s been ignored far too long.

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange is a followup to his book There, There.
In 1964, after the Sand Creek Massacre, Star is sent to a school for Native Americans to be taught about Christianity and erase his tribal education. With interspersed chapters, we learn about Star and his descendants. In 2018, Opal is trying to care for her nephew Orvil in the aftermath of the shooting that almost took his life.
This book is so intricate and I loved the historical sections where we get to see the history of Orvil's family and how they ended up where they are. I also appreciate that we get to see the aftermath of the events in the last book.

Wandering Star was such an enlightening book. The story of the Bear Shield-Red Feather family, shows strength, will and endurance. At the same time, heartbreaking, as we would never hear these stories in a classroom.

We meet Jude Star in 1864 in Colorado. His family and people were killed and brutalized in the Sand Creek Massacre. The Sand Creek was a massacre of Cheyenne and Arapaho people by the U.S. Army. When a 675-man force of the Third Colorado Cavalry under the command of Colonel John Chivington attacked and destroyed a village of Cheyenne and Arapaho people in southeastern Colorado Territory, killing and mutilating an estimated 600 Native American people. Chivington claimed 500 to 600 warriors were killed, about two-thirds of whom were women and children. He and another young man survived this attack and now are having to figure out what to do next. This is when he and his friend are taken to Fort Marion Prison Castle. Here Star if forced to forget his indigenous beliefs, traditions and language. Instead they are forced to learn English and practice Christianity.

When Star is finally able to leaves the Fort Marion Prison Castle in Florida. We see how he navigates life on his own and how he now sees the world.

This was a great book. I would recommend this to any reader. You don’t have to be a historical fiction reader to get so much out of this book. This writing was so poetic and has such a beautiful quality that it will keep you glued to the pages. It is a multigenerational work that spans centuries and shows us the lasting scares that are passed down to each person.

Wandering Stars is another heartbreaking but powerful book about Native Americans and the history of the United States. There are some references to families from There, There in the book also, but it is not necessary to have read the first book. The genealogy will be easier to follow if you have read it, however.

Amazing story! Just as with There, There, Tommy Orange leads us through the struggles of youth, family, and identity with nods to those little feelings we all feel. I have already recommended this to several literary fiction readers.

I was really looking forward to this after reading There, There. I feel like the pacing of this was what threw me off the most. There were parts that felt like they dragged, and other parts where I would’ve liked more.

I am so sad to say that I DNF'ed this book at 20%. No matter how hard I tried, I could not connect with the storyline, pacing, or characters. Tommy Orange writes beautifully but sometimes the sentences were very long and I lost interest. However, if you are a fan of poetic prose and dont mind a leisurely plot, this book might be for you.

I loved Tommy Orange's first novel, so I was excited to read "Wandering Stars." I would recommend this novel to anyone interested in Indigenous literary fiction, and those who have never read anything from an Indigenous author. If you live in the US, I think Orange's work is a great way to learn about this important history and culture. A significant part of the novel is historical fiction, so you have to get into that but if you do it's a rewarding reading experience. The strong connection between generations is one of the novel's strengths and most interesting qualities, so if you enjoy multigenerational family sagas you might love this. I read "There There" for a college course, and almost wish that I had a similar group with which to discuss this because there's a lot to unpack so to speak, and so I am excited for it to come out!

There are Consequences

We did inhumane things to Native Americans in the name of taking over (“settling”) our new property. This is not a news flash, you can look it up, there are facts and footnotes in your Wikipedia. Seems like a long time ago– what with cowboys and such…sepia picture images so far removed from life today. “Wandering Stars,” emerges with violence before author Tommy Orange depicts the ceaseless efforts to systematically eliminate any trace of Native culture. How this history effectively shackles today’s Native American is what we discover here.

In 1864, approximately 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho people, mostly women and children, were brutally murdered and mutilated in the Sand Creek massacre. “Wandering Stars” starts there, with a young Jude Star surviving the attack, only to be captured and sent to Carlisle Industrial Indian School, an infamous re-education institution tasked with assimilating Native Americans into civilized society. The school’s founder, Richard Henry Pratt, lived by the expression, “Kill the Indian, save the man.” He told students they were being taught to become Carlisle Indians, a new tribe belonging to the school and the U.S. government. The children were whitewashed, severed from any trace of their history or heritage.

This is only a portion of the book. The point is bridging the trauma of the past with today. We see subsequent generations orphaned from their past, only vaguely aware of their ancestors and their folklore. Here are people hurting today, not just mysterious tragic figures frozen in history. Drug addiction, alcoholism, depression, suicide… companions to the sustained dehumanization.

“Wandering Stars” is a prequel and sequel to Tommy Orange’s “There There,” a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2018. You do not have to have read the first book to follow the character or buy into their stories. It is a riveting read and provides an important bridge from history to what is being dealt with today. It is enlightening.

Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

“The so-called Chivington or Sand Creek Massacre, in spite of certain most objectionable details, was on the whole as righteous and beneficial a deed as ever took place on the frontier.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC copy in exchange for this review.

Tommy Orange's *Wandering Stars* beautifully tells a story of intergenerational trauma, culture, and identity. Since the release of Orange's debut novel, I have been waiting for more work from the author, and this is an amazing sophomore novel.

Tracing a family line from the Sand Creek Massacre to modern day Oakland, we see each generation deal with the pain of the previous and their attempts to maybe do better, but at the end of the day, we are shown flaws in their attempts. There is some disconnect that can seem a little jarring when we're moving from one character's story to another, but I think that that can help differentiate between the timelines.

There's a there there, but it also shows how it's shrinking and that there can be a loss of identity if it isn't fostered. We see each character reckon with what it means to be Native to them, and in the end, that's what matters. Not what the world sees, but how they see themselves.

Tommy Orange weaves Indigenous history along with his previous novel throughout the stories that come together to make up this novel. Having grown up near Carlisle where the infamous Carlisle Indian School was, I was drawn to this part of the book, and the connection back to There There, which I also read, was an interesting element as well. Despite the difficult, yet important, subject matter, the characters and their stories were interesting. The stories didn't all feel completely connected to me, but all were compelling, albeit difficult to read due to their subject matter. I know this was an anticipated book and while it's not a perfect novel I think it overall it delivers on its promise.