Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I just finished "There There", by Tommy Orange and I’m so glad to have read it - though sometimes it was difficult: This book will make you sad - read it anyway. This book will make you mad - read it anyway. This book will remind you of the lies we were taught as children - read it to remember. This book will remind you not to tell those lies anymore - read it to know the truth. This book will make you smile – know hope. This book will ruin Thanksgiving for you - read it so you can re-think your future Thanksgivings. "There There", (the title referring to an out-of-context quote by Gertrude Stein about Oakland, CA) is fascinating, heartbreaking, frustrating and ultimately hopeful. The novel is comprised of individual, but interconnected/interrelated stories by a dozen characters; their stories and actions will culminate at the “Big Oakland Powwow”. (There are some major coincidences – but just suspend your disbelief and let it go!) The section on Dene Oxendene, somewhat mirrors the premise: Dene wants to make a documentary film of various Native Americans talking about their life experiences of living in Oakland, and that is pretty much the description of this novel – plus some mysteries and some shocking action. Summing it up best, Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield’s Mother tells her that the world is made up of stories and that they honor their people by telling their stories. And that’s how Tommy Orange honors his people, and his readers, with these transforming and redemptive stories.