A multi-generational saga that following the descendants of a Native American family through several decades. The story begins with the Sand Creek Massacre and then proceeds through several years featuring the Carlisle Indian School, the Alcatraz Prison take over and all the way to the Covid 19 pandemic. The author has portrayed in a poignant manner the characters' struggle to reclaim and preserve their identity, legacy and heritage. The author has deftly woven Native Indian history and trivia with a host of contemporary issues like generational trauma, addiction and the opioid crisis. The story is told from multiple points of view of the various characters across several generations. Be warned that the book is more a character study rather than plot-based and would be better appreciated with this in mind.

The book is a prequel as well as a sequel to Orange's earlier acclaimed novel There There. It is not absolutely necessary to read There There before reading this one, however it does help to provide better context. While I loved There There and the way in which the interconnected storied seamlessly intertwined, this one felt more contrived and left me with mixed feelings. I loved the first part (the prequel). The sequel reminded me of Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead and I thought that took away the focus from the Native Indian story to the opiod crisis.

Thank you Net Galley and Knopf Publishing for the ARC.

Thank you, NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for this advanced reader’s copy. I really liked Tommy Orange’s 2019 book There There, so I when I heard he was writing another book bringing his cultural perspective to his distinctive writing, I knew I would have to read it. This book is all that and more. Deep themes of what it means to have Native heritage depending on your DNA, background, or where you grow up, woven with what it means to be family. This book also explores the relationship with drugs throughout and the intergenerational damage that has been inflicted on indigenous peoples. Difficult and often painful story to read, but Orange is a master storyteller.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC!
Initially when I heard that Tommy Orange was writing a sequel to "There, There", I was reluctant to read it because I think the ambiguity of the ending is part of what makes the book reverberate as strongly as it does. I got over that, and I am glad that I did because "Wandering Stars" is the sequel that I didn't know I needed.
Time jumps can be hard to pull off in fiction, especially when an author is dealing in a time that predates their life by decades as well as their contemporary moment. Orange, however, it not bound by temporal constraints. Orange honors the past and pinpoints the way his characters are shaped by what happened before and thus complicates the idea of legacy and how his characters not only remember, but also continue to carry the memory of what has been forgotten.
After all of the commercial and critical success of "There, There", I had my doubts about a sequel because I think the media has a habit of hyping up follow-up works to the point of extravagance that sets the piece up for failure. This doesn't happen in "Wandering Stars", and Orange instead seems to write HIS book about HIS characters that don't seem to be shaped by predictions about what the disembodied and nebulous "public desires and expectations" may be. Orange is brilliant, and I am so excited to continue to watch his cannon develop.

Tommy Orange writes with such ease but impactful. The story starts with the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Indian School through many generations. This story is very different than his first novel, but so great. It's about generational trauma and trying to figure out what it means to be the child or children of of people who were in a massacre, imprisoned and sent to horrible schools. How do you heal this past wounds? Or how do you just survive.

Wandering Stars starts with a man escaping the Sand Creek Massacre and follows his lineage down through addiction, trying to assimilate into a non-native society, and trauma. Each story is a little vignette into a piece of their lives and their choices. You can see them all strugggling to keep their culture a part of them, even as the world tries to tear it away. Halfway through the book, we move into the future, which continues the lineage and the trauma, but in a present, currently happening kind of way, rather than vignettes.

I loved this choice, showing the history and trauma built up and passed down over generations, and then how similar the current situations were. Addiction was a prominent theme, and death and everyone's constant proximity to it. Tommy Orange writes so well, it makes me heart hurt for these characters as if they were real people I know.

I probably would call this a follow-up rather than a sequel to There, There, and maybe that's because for some reason, even though I had long ago read the synopsis for this story, I forgot that it was going to end up dealing with characters from There, There. So when I got to the Part 2 of the book, I was BLOWN AWAY by the connection. That's on me and my poor memory, but I wouldn't have changed that experience.

Excellent story, interesting set-up, and beautifully written. Loved.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for the e-ARC!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A family saga about the descendants of indigenous native Americans taken from their homes to indoctrinate them into white society. The past and present come together in situations that mimic ancestral pain.

Beautiful and lyrical writing from Tommy Orange. Wandering Stars follows multiple timelines of Native Americans who have experienced haunting traumas. This, along with Orange's first book "There, There" should be required reading, I believe. Would recommend!

"Wandering Stars" by Tommy Orange is a multigenerational saga that delves into the story of a Cheyenne family grappling with many forms of trauma, institutional violence, addiction, and the erasure of Native history. Through a series of interconnected narratives, the novel explores the complexities of family ties and the enduring impact of historical trauma on Native communities. While the book is incredibly impactful and sheds light on important history, some readers may find it challenging to emotionally connect with the characters due to its format, which reads more like a collection of short stories from various perspectives. Despite this, "Wandering Stars" is a beautifully written, powerful and moving portrayal of resilience in the face of adversity and I would thoroughly recommend it.

A few years ago, I read There, There, the author's amazing debut about 12 Native Americans struggling with their identities and their journeys to the Oakland powwow. It was a book that opened up my eyes to the modern-day plight of Native Americans. In Wandering Stars he revisits these characters and their predecessors, offering a little history as well as the aftermath of the powwow. You don't have to have read There, There to read this one but it would help provide context. Even though I knew the backstory, I found the first half of this book a little hard to follow. I was fascinated and heartbroken by the telling of the attempts to colonize the native people and children. The story shifts to the present, following the ancestors as they cope with modern day pressures. The author's prose is just beautiful and he does a good job of providing history lessons in the format of a novel.

This is a generational story of a Native American Family. A story of trauma, pain but also of the beautiful resilience dealing with the consequences and impact to people due to tragic history. It is written beautifully and honestly, telling the stories of this family and their pain, losses, struggles but also of their love, strength and connections to each other. Tommy Orange is masterful in his writing, with a style that is poetic and lyrical, which is truly a gift as a reader. Although it is a difficult read, I felt connected to the characters and their stories, along with knowing that this book is a work of art. This book, the stories of this family is a needed read by all of us to understand the history and experiences of the Native American people. I had not read the author's previous book, There There but after finishing reading this, I am looking forward to experiencing another beautifully written and important piece of American Literature.
Thank you #NetGalley and #Knopf for the opportunity to read this.

I cannot give this book anything less than 5 stars! The beginning took me a while to hook me and it took a lot more sittings than I’d like to really get into it. But Orange’s prose really has this way of pulling me in and drawing me into the story. I loved the history of the genealogy as heartbreaking as it was to see addiction become this generational thing. Opal’s reflections near the end of the book really struck me - so poignant. I felt like Jacquie needed her own chapter as well - she kinda got gypped out of the story? I think I may love this book more than I did THERE THERE. I loved the observation Sean Price makes about being performative woke - the contrast he draws with Oakland Lee’s preso was so well-done. Lots of reflections in this book about what it means to be Native and what it means to have been disenfranchised for so many generations despite being on this land and of this land first. Also I love Orange setting the whole book in Oakland. I’m new to Oakland and often feel like an imposter and gentrifier…I do love it here but am also trying to isolate if it’s the gentrification I enjoy or if I truly love the roots and what Oakland has stood for all these years. What has Oakland done to give recognition to the Ohlone? What have I done to give recognition to the people who lived on this land first?

Tommy Orange's 2018 novel There, There added a significant voice to the body of literature written by Native American authors. And now, in 2024, he continues to build upon that body of work in Wandering Stars. The book begins in the aftermath of the horrendous Sand Creek Massacre in 1864 Colorado where a village of Native Americans are slaughtered by the U.S. Army in a surprise dawn attack. We follow one of the survivors, who is taken as a prisoner of war to Florida. The book continues through four generations of family history until arriving in 2018 Oakland/San Francisco, where the circle of distant relatives from There, There is brought to completion.

I found Orange's somewhat experimental and varying narratives quite difficult to follow and a distraction to the overall flow of the story. But I can also see how this may have been intentional on his part. I also think it would have been helpful to at least have revisited There, There, if only to familiarize myself with the characters that inhabit both books. I felt a bit lost for a time trying to recall the people from his first novel.

The themes in Wandering Stars include addiction (drug and alcohol), domestic violence, family dysfunction, generational trauma, PTSD, and grief. It is not an easy read in that regard so sensitive readers need to be aware before venturing into the novel.

Overall, this was a good, but not great, reading experience for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing a digital ARC in return for an honest opinion and review.

#WanderingStars #Netgalley

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After reading "There, There" by Tommy Orange, I was looking forward to his newest novel, "Wandering Stars." "Wandering Stars" is both a prequel and a sequel to his previous book. The prequel section of the book begins in 1864 during the Sand Creek Massacre. The story then progresses through generations until it picks up where "There There" left off. The novel follows multiple characters and their trials and tribulations.

For me, I didn't feel as much of a connection to the characters in this novel as I did in Orange's first novel. There was something lacking. I found that the chapters and character's stories seemed to be extremely wordy, without saving much. The structure of this novel was unorganized and I found that there was very little plot to follow.

I understand what the author was trying to do in terms of showing how Native Americans have been treated throughout history, as well as how that treatment impacted their lives. I think it's an extremely important story to tell, but this retelling didn't hit the mark for me.

A powerful depiction of intergenerational trauma. Tommy Orange sets his latest novel in the devastating landscape of history when schools were turned into houses of eradication of culture. Beautifully written and thought provoking. An important message

Stunning, brilliant storytelling. The epitome of "show, don't tell" type of writing. Orange explores intergenerational trauma, addiction, and the impact of history, all through a story I couldn't put down.

Wandering Stars is both a prequel and a sequel to Tommy Orange’s fabulous debut novel from 2018, There There. Jude Star survives the Sand Creek Massacre and is then sent to the Carlisle Industrial School, one of many schools that forced Native Americans to assimilate by denying them access to their language and culture. Like in There There, the story is told through different viewpoints, primarily those of Jude’s family members but also that of a teacher at the Industrial School. Eventually the story switches to 2018 and picks up where There There left off, after the shooting at the powwow. The reader learns more about Orvil Red Feather and his family, and how addiction and isolation from one’s culture reverberates through the generations. Orvil’s recovery is complicated by a new friend and easy access to painkillers, while the effects of Orvil’s trauma are felt by his brother Loother and Lony, as well as his grandma Jacqui and his great-aunt (and guardian) Opal. Each of these characters struggle as they try to move forward.

I loved There There so much that I knew it would be difficult to give this book a fair review. While I did not enjoy it quite as much as There There, I am glad I read it and really loved a lot about it. The historical part of the novel was a bit difficult to read, as Orange plays around with the tenses. It is an interesting way of writing and it does make sense from a structural standpoint, but I found that I had to closely focus (and occasionally reread passages) to understand exactly what was happening. Once the novel switched to 2018, I enjoyed it much more. Tommy Orange is a master at writing about contemporary Oakland, and in that sense Wandering Stars did not disappoint. I loved reading more about the Red Feather family and was heavily invested in each of its characters. I wouldn’t mind if he wrote a third book about them!

Thank you to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy!

I was excited to hear that Tommy Orange was releasing a new book in 2024 after reading his debut novel, THERE, THERE, in 2019. I enjoyed THERE, THERE but wasn't wowed. I thought WANDERING STARS was a much more cohesive book; the characters weren't exactly developed in a lot of detail, but their personalities were somehow still clear to me, and their inner monologues, emotional pain, etc., felt sincere.

WANDERING STARS follows multiple generations of a family navigating their Native American heritage and identity, individual and generational traumas, and addiction. Opal, one of the grandmothers, tries desperately to keep her family stable and together through it all as the poverty and addictions of the generations before her continue to follow the family. It can get a little difficult to follow all of the POVs—some in first-person and others in third—but the story is beautifully written, heartbreaking at parts, and an important historical analysis tackling the impact of boarding schools, colonization, and more on Native American bloodlines.

*This review is based on a digital ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

"I thought maybe there was some looped aspect to people partying at the lake, then ending up at the rehab at the lake, then relapsing and partying again on the lake like some hell in paradise or paradise in hell. That's what addiction had always felt like, like the best little thing you'd forget on the worst day possible, or the worst big thing on a day in a life you thought kept getting better because you kept getting high."

Wandering Stars is not a BIG book in terms of pages (336) but HUGE in what it contains. I have not read There There and plan on making time to do so after reading this powerful book. Tommy Orange's writing is quite beautiful while detailing and describing horrible injustices against Native Americans.

Colorado, 1864

Star has survived the Sand Creek Massacre and is taken to the Fort Marion Prison Castle, where they are hellbent on removing his identity and culture through violence and barbaric treatment. He is made to learn English and convert to Christianity. Years later Star's son, Charles, will be sent to the same place and will be brutalized by the man who once brutalized his father. There he will meet Opal.

Oakland, 2018

Opal is coping with all that has happened and all that is currently happening in her life and to those she loves by experimenting with drugs.

This book touches on several horrific things that occurred to Native Americans. The things discussed are on a drop in the bucket of injustices, harms, abuses, eradication, and violence that has been committed against Native Americans. I appreciate the author for giving voice to them. I am a firm believer that we should never shy away from things that make us uncomfortable. It is how we learn, how we grow, how we are educated, how we learn empathy, and how we gain insight. The atrocities against Native Americans have included cultural devastation, assimilation, violence, loss of land, abuse, forced relocation, discrimination, removal of children, and death to name a few.

The Sand Creek Massacre, Fort Marion Prison Castle, and drug/alcohol abuses are mentioned in this book. There is not only physical trauma, emotional trauma, but family trauma and cultural trauma detailed as well. These are shown through the POV's of several characters.

This family saga was well written, gripping, and hard to read at times. It has me wanting to read the author's previous book. I found myself thinking about this book after I finished the last page.

"𝘌𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘛𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘺 𝘖𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 1864 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴.”

In order to prepare for for this one, I went back to read There There, a book considered to be one of the best of the year it was published. Wandering Stars continues the story of There There but it also goes back in time to explain how the characters got to that point. Exploring issues of school shootings, addiction, suicide, this is not an easy read. It’s an important work, though, as we need to know this history. This book shows generational trauma but also highlights the love and strength that cross generations from the Red Feather family.

When Ann Patchett spoke at a local event earlier this year, this was one of the titles she said was not to be missed. I agree.

Thank you Knopf for the generosity of a review copy of Wandering Stars and for supporting Tommy Orange's work; the stories of indigenous people need to be amplified and I value books and publishers who are a part of this needed storytelling. I acknowledge as well the PRH influencer program for the audiobook copy and for a powerful multi voice actor audiobook (with diversity in identity among those narrating the book, that's important)

Wandering Stars is a hard read; it should be because the stories aren't meant to be easy to hear and read. Tommy Orange challenges us to listen and sit with this book, it was for me a bit slower in pace as compared to There There (not a criticism) and is a little more abstract or stream of consciousness in writing style. The story though once again weaves together themes and characters into a bigger tapestry of Indigenous identity, the harshness of abuse and suffering endured, recognition of trauma and addiction. and the struggles of persistence in spaces that have been taken away, the struggle for support and recognition of hurt and harm.

I am appreciative of this book in so many ways. Storytelling is an elevated art form with Tommy Orange and I am going to spend time thinking about this book as I did with There There.