20 Must-Read Audiobooks with Indigenous Narrators

Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah, work by Rainy Fields and Oscar Hokeah

Ever is simply a young Indigenous antheral with Cherokee, Kiowa, and Mexican heritage. He’s struggling to recognize himself, his family, his taste history, and his spot successful the world. The communicative unfolds done the POVs of everyone successful his beingness — parents, lovers, friends, grandparents, neighbors. It’s a moving symphony of voices, and a beauteous communicative astir nonaccomplishment and belonging.

The Round House by Louise Erdrich, work by Gary Farmer

Erdrich’s galore books are each fantastic connected audio — she reads galore of them herself and is simply a fantastic narrator. But Gary Farmer shines successful this one. It’s a moving, coming-of-age communicative astir an Ojibwe lad surviving connected a preservation successful bluish Minnesota, struggling to marque consciousness of his beingness aft his family’s satellite is shattered by a unspeakable crime.

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Probably Ruby by Lisa Bird-Wilson, work by Dakota Ray Hebert

This is different fantastic kaleidoscopic publication told from aggregate POVs. Ruby is an Indigenous pistillate adopted by achromatic parents arsenic a baby, chopped disconnected from her commencement household and culture. As a young woman, she longs to reconnect with them, but her travel backmost to herself is afloat of challenges. The communicative moves astir successful time, arsenic the radical who cognize Ruby — her commencement and adoptive parents, friends, kids, lovers and ex-lovers — stock the meaningful moments successful their and Ruby’s life.

Sanaaq by Mitiarjuk Nappaaluk, translated by Bernard Saladin d’Anglure, work by Tiffany Ayalik

A beautiful, quiescent communicative astir the regular lives of an Inuit household successful bluish Quebec, this publication was the archetypal caller to beryllium written successful Inuktitut. It mostly follows a pistillate named Sanaaq done the ups and downs of her days: she goes seal hunting, prepares for winter, argues with her husband, tells stories.

A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt, work by Jesse Nobess

This genre-defying caller is simply a superb blend of theory, philosophy, oral history, and intimate storytelling. The unnamed narrator is simply a queer Cree PhD pupil who, fed up with the unrelenting racism of the academy, abandons his dissertation and returns location to bluish Alberta to constitute a novel. Belcourt’s sentences radiance and shimmer and popular similar lone a poet’s can. It’s a abbreviated publication that nevertheless delves profoundly into questions of lineage, legacy, and the uses of penning itself.

Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss, work by Tamala Shelton

You’re going to privation to person the tissues acceptable portion listening to this one. It’s a gorgeous story, afloat of moments of anticipation and transportation and community, but it’s besides heartbreaking. Set successful Gundagai, Australia, successful 1852, it’s astir a young Aboriginal pistillate who’s forced to determination distant from her household aft a flood destroys the location of the achromatic household she’s moving for. It’s a profoundly achy communicative astir the colonization of Australia, featuring 1 of the astir specific, determined, and originative protagonists I’ve had the pleasance to conscionable successful a agelong time.

Scratching River by Michelle Porter, work by the author

This unsocial nonfiction publication is simply a blend of memoir, Métis history, and journalism. The publication centers connected Porter’s hunt for a spot for her member to telephone home, and her probe of the maltreatment helium suffered portion surviving successful an Alberta radical home. Interspersed with these intimate household stories, Porter shares pieces of Métis history, yet telling a communicative that, similar a river, grows stronger arsenic it flows.

The Break by Katherena Vermette, work by Michaela Washburn

This intergenerational household saga begins with a Métis parent named Stella, who looks retired her model 1 time and sees a imaginable transgression taking place. From there, the communicative moves done a chorus of POVs, with everyone connected to the unfortunate sharing their stories of what happened connected and earlier that moment. It’s a almighty caller that illuminates the complex, interconnected lives of a radical of divers characters surviving successful Winnipeg’s North End.

Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty, work by Darrell Dennis

This linked communicative postulation reads much similar a caller — it has that consciousness of relentless momentum that propels novels forward. It’s a bid of stories acceptable connected a Penobscot preservation successful Maine, centering connected 1 household and their struggles, messes, joys, heartbreaks, and triumphs. Talty is incredibly bully astatine capturing the emotion underlying seemingly mean moments. His penning is vivid and sharp.

An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States by Kyle T. Mays, work by Shaun Taylor-Corbett

In this indispensable substance astir America’s past and present, Afro-Indigenous historiographer Kyle T. Mays explores the profoundly intertwined histories of Black and Indigenous activism and absorption passim American history. It’s a almighty relationship that invites listeners to ideate the possibilities inherent successful Afro-Indigenous solidarity.

Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse, work by Kinsale Hueston

This mediate people phantasy follows the adventures of Nizhoni and her member Mac. Nizhoni is definite her dad’s caller brag is really immoderate benignant of monster — he’s mode excessively funny successful their family’s Navajo practice and stories — but it’s lone aft her dada disappears that Nizhoni and her member recognize conscionable however overmuch occupation they’re in.

Tell Me Why by Archie Roach, work by the author

Archie Roach was 1 of Australia’s astir beloved singer-songwriters. In this memoir, helium shares the communicative of his life: his forced removal from his location astatine the property of two, the foster families helium grew up with, his hunt to find his radical and reconnect with the satellite that had been stolen from him, and his bonzer philharmonic career.

The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee by David Treuer, work by Tanis Parenteau

Every truthful often I brushwood a nonfiction publication I privation to thrust into the hands (or ears) of everyone I know, and this is one. Examining Indigenous past from 1890 to the present, Treuer deftly shatters the harmful story that Native past “ended” with the Wounded Knee massacre. He delves into the galore ways that Native radical person been shaping America from the beginning. He doesn’t shy distant from the galore atrocities the U.S. authorities has committed against Indigenous people, but helium goes into conscionable arsenic overmuch item astir thriving Indigenous art, activism, politics, and culture.

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley, work by Isabella Star LaBlanc

This YA caller is truthful galore things: a coming-of-age story, a household saga, an exploration of Ojibwe culture, and a execution mystery. Daunis is a biracial teen who’s ne'er felt astatine location anywhere, not successful her tiny hometown oregon the neighboring Ojibwe reservation. She’s conscionable trying to support her caput supra h2o erstwhile she witnesses a execution — and she’s abruptly successful the midst of a transgression probe that volition alteration her life, and her knowing of the world, forever.

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice, work by Billy Merasty

This quiescent yet chilling post-apocalyptic caller is adjacent much haunting erstwhile work aloud. It’s acceptable successful a tiny Anishinaabe assemblage successful bluish Canada. Suddenly, connected the borderline of winter, they suffer each interaction with the extracurricular satellite — phone, internet, power. With nary mode to cognize what’s happening, they effort to instrumentality attraction of themselves arsenic champion they can, facing threats from some wrong and without. It’s a post-apocalyptic caller with the slowest pain you’ll ever read.

Shutter by Ramona Emerson, work by Charley Flyte

This chilling supernatural transgression novel, acceptable successful New Mexico, is adjacent parts thriller and moving quality study. Rita Todacheene is simply a forensic lensman who sometimes sees the ghosts of victims. She uses what they archer her to assistance lick crimes, often noticing tiny details that investigators overlook. It’s not agelong earlier her abilities get Rita successful trouble, and unit her to face the ghosts of her ain past.

Bad Indians by Deborah A. Miranda, work by the author

In a enactment of nonfiction that’s adjacent parts past and memoir, Deborah A. Miranda explores the Mission Period successful California, retelling aged stories astir the state’s history, centering Indigenous peoples alternatively of colonizers. It’s a postulation of memories, fragments, stories, poems, and essays — almighty penning that uses the past to illuminate the present.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones, work by Cara Gee

Master of fearfulness Stephen Graham Jones has written truthful galore books that it’s ever hard to prime conscionable 1 for a list! This highly creepy caller is astir 4 Blackfeet men, each of whom are haunted due to the fact that of a unspeakable lawsuit successful their past. Like truthful overmuch of Jones’s work, this caller is simply a seamless blend of chilling suspense, affluent quality development, and societal commentary.

Islands of Decolonial Love by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, work by Tantoo Cardinal

These beauteous stories, songs, and poems astir modern Indigenous beingness are comic and heartbreaking. In communicative aft story, Simpson captures moments of intimacy, struggle, love, and despair. Her inventive storytelling makes this postulation travel alive, and it’s particularly poignant connected audio, arsenic truthful galore of the pieces consciousness similar they’re meant to beryllium experienced retired loud.

Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq, work by the author

Set successful Nunavut successful the 1970s, this haunting, dazzling caller is astir an Inuk woman coming into herself amidst alteration and turmoil. The communicative does not unfold neatly oregon linearly. It’s a wonderfully propulsive surprise, a communicative grounded successful scenery and household that besides explores the affectional truths recovered successful dreams and memories. Tagaq, who is simply a renowned pharynx singer, intersperses her pharynx singing with the narrative; it feels similar a wordless, but essential, portion of the story.