There are times when There are times when I have to sit with a book after reading it, to figure out exactly what I want to say.  Kindly Knopf sent me one of those books, a copy of Julian Brave Noisecat's "We Survived the Night". 
    Here's the problem. I still don't quite know what to say and it's been over a week. Why the struggle? Because I can't put into words everything this book contains. It's memoir, it's folklore, it's journalism, it's a story if a father and son, it's the story of a people, it's the story of generational trauma, it's heart warming and funny, full of joy, its a gut punch and heart breaking, it's a history lesson, it's a lesson in humanity. It is a reckoning.
      The book starts with the troubled beginnings of Julian's Secwépemc and St’at’imc father's life, which leads to learning about Noisecat's non-Native mother and his being embraced by the Native community in Oakland, and the Canim Lake Indian Reservation in British Columbia. This is just the start of this epic journey that Noisecat takes us on. I can't begin to sum it all up, as much as I've tried.
    Noisecat certainly doesn't owe any of us an education, but damn if we aren't graced with the pleasure of him giving us all one. Pull up a seat, and tuck in. You are in for, what I will say is one of the best reads I've had this year. 
       We Survived the Night should be on everyone's TBR list this year when it is released in October.

Julian Brave NoiseCat is a writer, filmmaker, and fierce voice in Indigenous journalism and We Survive The Night blends memoir, mythology, and reporting into a narrative that dares to retell the stories colonization tried to erase.

Written in the style of a Coyote Story, this book feels like a braid of timelines as it is part coming-of-age, part father-son elegy, part political and cultural chronicle. It sweeps across Turtle Island, from Oakland to the lands of the Secwépemc and St’at’imc Nations in British Columbia, as well as from fishing boats in Alaska to North Carolina.

The underlying theme is a personal search of a son trying to understand his father. NoiseCat’s father is an artist haunted by generational trauma, residential school violence, and abandonment. Julian's mother, Jewish and Irish, raises him outide of the reservation within an urban Native community.

This is also a book that asks big questions about identity, legitimacy, and the danger of storytelling when it centers an outsider’s gaze. One particularly painful moment arises when NoiseCat writes about the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. For many Lumbee readers, this section evokes more harm than insight. These tensions matter. The right to tell is not the same as the right to interpret, especially when that interpretation reawakens historical wounds.

We Survived the Night is an achievement. NoiseCat has written a book that insists Indigenous stories are not relics—they are living, breathing, things. This book is a vital addition to the contemporary Indigenous literary canon. But like all powerful stories, it leaves space for hard conversations.

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NoiseCat’s book is a interesting narrative that weaves journalism, personal memoir, and Indigenous mythology together in order to explore the current lives and the historical stories of the Indigenous peoples of North America.

Known for his insightful commentary on Indigenous issues and climate justice as well as his documentary, Sugarcane, NoiseCat uses his many different experiences as well as his cultural background to tell this story. He offers readers a nuanced look at the complexities of Indigenous existence in the modern era, focusing on themes like the apocalypse, odyssey, and the trickster archetype.

It is definitely worth delving into.

We Survived the Night is Julian Brave NoiseCat's bold and unforgettable debut. Told through the lens of a modern-day Coyote Story, this book is as intellectually rich as it is emotionally resonant, offering a deeply personal exploration of heritage, history, and the enduring power of Indigenous identity.

NoiseCat writes with urgency and elegance, weaving together memories of his youth—caught between two cultures, two countries, and a father’s absence—with deeply researched accounts of the people and movements pushing for Indigenous resurgence across North America.

What sets this work apart is its fluidity. It moves with agility—shifting between memoir and reportage, mythology and manifesto—yet every thread is purposeful. NoiseCat’s voice is fresh, sharp, unflinchingly honest, and unafraid to question historical systems and personal pain.

This book is not just a story of survival—it’s a story of resurgence—of communities reclaiming their land, their language, and their futures, of a son reckoning with the complexities of his father and his past. We Survived the Night is a vital contribution to the growing canon of Indigenous literature—brave, poetic, and alive with the power of storytelling to heal, resist, and restore.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a powerful and necessary book. Julian Brave NoiseCat blends memoir and reporting with care and clarity, telling a story that feels both personal and expansive. The structure—part oral history, part journalism—really works, and the themes of identity, survival, and cultural restoration come through with strength.

It’s a thoughtful, well-written account that doesn’t shy away from hard truths, yet still leaves space for love, resilience, and hope. A moving read that honors the stories so often overlooked.

I made it a goal to read more books by Indigenous authors this year.
I couldn't have found a better ARC from Netgalley to have the pleasure of reading in exchange for my honest opinion. One of the best things about this book is the blur of genres.
It's a coming of age. It's about Native folklore. It's a memoir filled with journalistic reporting. I loved the incorporation of The Trickster and the tidbits we learned. Like where the title comes from.
Julian Brave Noisecat had a Secwépemc and St’at’imc father. His father was an artist with a unstable past. That unstable past is a direct resut of growing up poor on the Reservation and a history of abuse. The horrors of residential schools rears it's ugly head.
His mother isn't Native. She's Jewish and Irish. But they are both embraced by the Native community in Oakland, California.
As a result of his fathers abandonment, Julian deeply involves himself in his fathers culture. Fully.
He has a need to not only understand that part of himself. But to also know his father.
The storytelling is phenomenal. It should be required reading.
This is a book that's filled with the rich culture and history of Indigenous people in the US. It's moving and, shows us the Indigenous existence and their resistance through a profoundly personal lens.

This is somewhat a biography/autobiography that interweaves the author’s tribal history and folklore with his own upbringing and experiences growing up without a steady father figure, his own father a semi-famous Native artist having been in and out his life. Unfortunately, I have decided to DNF despite the beautiful insight into Pacific Northwest Native culture.

My decision for doing this was not made lightly, but I was completely turned off when, about 40% into the book, the author decided to talk about MY tribe, the Lumbee from North Carolina. It sounded like he had read the book “Lumbee Indians in the Jim Crow South” by Lumbee scholar Malinda Maynor Lowery, a book I highly recommend reading if you want to learn about the history of the Lumbee tribe, and spit out some of the major facts without adding any of the nuances present in Lowery’s book.
I find it somewhat funny that the author said he had never talked to a group of Natives that were suspicious of his presence and his probing about our history. He doesn’t realize, or maybe he did and just doesn’t care, that this is the exact reason WHY people did not want to talk to him about it. They knew we would become the center of yet ANOTHER conversation about federal recognition from someone who does NOT understand our history. This is not his story to tell, even if he is in support of us gaining federal recognition. He can be supportive without using us and our struggles as a conversation topic surrounding identity. We are CONFIDENT in our status as Native Americans, we don’t need the speculating on if we belong or not, we know we do, which is why we’ve been fighting for so long.
I may check this out from my local library one day to give it another shot. However, I wouldn’t pay for it or keep it in my personal collection.
If he had just stuck to discussing his own family and tribal history, I’d have liked this book a lot better. But as it stands, I cannot keep reading, as the chapter about my tribe left a very, very bad taste in my mouth.

An advanced review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a review.


Introduction

"We Survived the Night" by Julian Brave Noisecat is a compelling narrative that intertwines journalism, personal memoir, and Indigenous mythology to explore the contemporary lives and historical narratives of Indigenous peoples in North America. NoiseCat, known for his insightful commentary on Indigenous issues and climate justice, brings his diverse experiences and cultural background into this debut book, offering readers a nuanced look at survival, identity, and the ongoing impacts of colonialism. This review aims to dissect the various layers of the book, highlighting its strengths, themes, and overall impact.

Summary

The book navigates through the complexities of Indigenous existence in the modern era, focusing on themes like the apocalypse, odyssey, and the trickster archetype. NoiseCat uses these themes to discuss the persistent effects of colonialism, the diaspora of Indigenous communities, and the cultural resilience and adaptation in the face of systemic challenges. The narrative is not only a broad commentary but also deeply personal, as NoiseCat reflects on his own family's history, including his father's experiences with residential schools, and his journey towards understanding his heritage and identity.

Key Passages:

On the Apocalypse:
"The apocalypse isn't a future event; it's a long, slow unfurling disaster that Indigenous people have been living through since the first European ships arrived." This passage encapsulates NoiseCat's view of an ongoing cultural and ecological apocalypse for Indigenous peoples, challenging the mainstream narrative of apocalypse as a future event.
Odyssey of Identity:
"Our journey is not just from one place to another but from one understanding of ourselves to another, redefining what 'home' means in the diaspora." Here, NoiseCat speaks to the physical and emotional odyssey of reclaiming and redefining identity in the shadow of displacement.
The Trickster's Role:
"Tricksters teach us to navigate the contradictions between our worlds, to find laughter in the ruins, and to use cunning where power fails." This quote reflects on how Indigenous peoples use cultural stories to survive and navigate modern life's complexities.
Personal Memoir:
"My father was born to a young girl in a residential school, almost thrown into an incinerator. His life was a testament to survival, a defiance against erasure." NoiseCat's personal narrative adds a poignant layer to the book, connecting historical trauma with contemporary resilience.
Cultural Continuity:
"In Secwepemctsín, we say 'tscwinúcw-k' when we greet each other in the morning, which means 'you survived the night.' It's a daily acknowledgment of survival and resistance." This passage underscores the book's title and theme, highlighting the language and cultural practices that affirm Indigenous existence.

Conclusion

"We Survived the Night" is more than just a book; it's an essential dialogue on Indigenous survival, identity, and resistance. NoiseCat's ability to weave together diverse narrative threads offers both an educational and emotional journey for the reader. His critique of colonial legacies, combined with personal storytelling, makes this book a vital contribution to discussions on Indigenous rights, cultural preservation, and the environmental crisis. While it might challenge some readers with its blend of styles, the richness of its content and its call for a deeper understanding of Indigenous narratives make it an indispensable read.

Ratings Breakdown:

Content & Depth: 5/5 - The depth of historical insight combined with personal narrative is unparalleled.
Writing Style: 4/5 - NoiseCat's style is engaging, though the shift between reportage, memoir, and mythology might occasionally feel disjointed.
Cultural Representation: 5/5 - Provides a profound, authentic voice to Indigenous experiences and perspectives.
Narrative Structure: 4/5 - The structure is innovative but can be complex for those unfamiliar with the themes or styles.
Impact & Relevance: 5/5 - Highly relevant in today's context of Indigenous rights and environmental activism.

Total Rating: 4/5 - A recommended read that not only informs but also challenges and inspires.