It’s Native American Heritage Month! And, of course, that means we have the perfect round up to celebrate. From eerie folklore inspired stories, beautiful poems, and memoirs, this list is sure to inspire many reading minds.

Phyton’s Kiss: Stories by Louise Erdrich

From Louise Erdrich, a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author, comes a wonderful collection of short stories. Spanning over two decades, these writings consist of a story from the son of tribal newsletter editor and immigrant farmers whose stability is challenged, along with accounts from regular people, bird lovers, artists, school teachers, and romantics. With notable artwork by Aza Erdrich Abe—a beautiful mother and daughter collaboration—these stories present insights, brilliance, and imagination from one of the most important writers in America.

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Shards of Silence by Brian Lee Young

Derrick knows that having a scholarship to attend an elite East Coast boarding school is a rare opportunity, even if leaving his friends and family—especially Mildred, his great-grandmother—in New Mexico hurts. Sagefield Academy is… different: his new classmates take drugs to help them get through school. Although Derrick would prefer using only caffeine, sports, school, and the constant comments about his heritage (and hair) seem impossible to juggle. Back home, Mildred’s health is diminishing. When she pleads for him to leave Sagefield over the phone, Derrick realizes she’s worried because she remembers her time in federal Native boarding schools. However, she gives him the term paper topic he’s been searching for: bringing her voice into the future. As Derrick uncovers his great-grandmother’s past, her once silent memories might just change him—and his entire family—forever.

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distant water: poems by Beth Piatote

In this beautiful poetry collection, distant water explores the alluring way language is expressed from body to body. In this contemplative, vast anthology, Piatote conveys language as a mutual vibration, a living form that preserves an affectionate world. Through the Nez Perce language anchored in the Northwest, these poems invite readers to enter a spiritual, traditional world that dwells in the ancient indigenous language.

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A Voice Like Mine: A Memoir by Deb Haaland

Deb Haaland’s life wasn’t laid out for her. However, she’s the first Native American woman in the U.S. to be elected to chair a state political party, one of the first Native American women to be voted into Congress, and the first Native American to be a member of a presidential cabinet. A New Mexican of the thirty-fifth-generation with a standing in the Pueblo of Laguna, Haaland has lived an extraordinary life shaped by poverty, alcohol abuse, and solo parenting. She eventually resigned from her role as secretary in the presidential cabinet to run for governor in the 2026 New Mexican election. With accounts of working in her grandfather’s cornfield to fighting for political change in Washington D.C., Haaland uses her heritage to serve, inspire courage, and be a humble leader.

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Savage Lake by Nick Medina

Although she swore she’d never come back to the place where part of her perished, Nell Marin is forced to return to Torchlight Lake after the death of her estranged father. Along with her teenage son Oscar, the two of them will repair the family cabin, sell it, and ensure Nell never has to come back ever again. However, when the roads become blocked by the local Tribe, the quick trip suddenly turns into weeks. As the summer lingers on, eerie things begin happening—screams emerge from the water and something is watching the cabin from the trees during the night. But the strangest thing? Nell is acting less and less like herself. The disturbing events force Oscar to confront secrets and something more horrifying than movie monsters. He must figure out the answers before the nightmare that shattered Nell grabs him too.

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Off the Reservation by Stephen Graham Jones

Five years have passed. As one of the survivors of the revenge murders, Nathan Yellow Tail ends up in the hospital after a near-fatal accident. Sebby, his best friend, is barely holding on a few doors down. When the opportunity arises for Nate to balance his unbalanced life—and potentially save Sebby—Nate steps up. This time, he finds himself in a rundown camper van along with three older Blackfeet to find the bones of a lone Blackfeet boy. The boy died at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, a school where numerous Indigenous children were abused. But there’s a problem: when the bones are acquired, something dreadful escapes along with them. In this eerie American Indian story, dark histories are illuminated and desperate choices are displayed.

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The Savage Mind: An American Legacy by David Treuer

After George Flyod’s murder and January 6th, David Treuer decided to write a letter—a letter that resulted in The Savage Mind, the most powerful book of his career. Between accounts of Treuer’s childhood on Leech Lake reservation in Minnesota to his parents’ stories, a Jewish Holocaust refugee and the first American Indigenous female judge, this book uncovers the unsettling essence of our nation. Treuer goes on to explain the history of America’s frontier and also provides information about its violent present day standing. With the brutality in Gaza and the school shootings in America, he hopes to make this invisible string visible and ultimately weave elements together.

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Another Name for Red by Amber Blaeser-Wardzala

The vanished people of the community—and even those who remain—haunt Middle Sister. Her ex-best friend and ex-boyfriend remind her of her past self while her parents and attention-seeking younger siblings remind her of the elder sister she can never compete with. And of course there’s John Smith—the disgraceful white man living on stolen land. But the worst part? There are countless ignored, missing, and murdered Indigenous women, one being Older Sister, whose absence has caused her remaining family to collapse. Since the local authorities aren’t helping, Middle Sister starts her own investigation instead. She begins with “Eric,” a white man Older Sister claimed to be in love with. In order to hunt down the right Eric, Middle Sister seeks help from her coworker, Casanova; a stray rez dog; and her grandmother, Nookomis, who has anticipated her own death. However, John still lingers in the shadows, offering something that Middle Sister can’t seem to overlook. Ultimately, she must decide if she will let remorse overtake her or if she will put up a fight.

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The Lost Guardian by Natalia Hernandez

Studying his Incan ancestors has taken up the majority of Santiago Rios life. However, he never thought those legends would actually come to life. But then his grandfather passes away, leaving an obscure map and a warning behind. Wildly enough, the map leads to an ancient curse and a missing imperial tomb. The last Incan emperor, Atahualpa, threatens to release his wrath on the world, which means Santiago has mere days to find the tomb. Although he’s supplied with extensive history knowledge, navigating the jungle will still prove difficult. He needs a guide—and Ali is qualified, brave, tough, and, of course, alluringly beautiful. Their attraction is unquestionable, but under the current circumstances, igniting love isn’t something they can afford. Santiago may have come to Peru to discover his family’s history—but now he’s hustling to defend their legacy, undo a centuries-old curse, and make sure he and Ali stay alive.

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Sunflower Season by Danica Nava

June Walker needs an escape from her demanding tech job. What better way to do that than by buying a rundown sunflower farm in rural Oklahoma? Now back where she grew up, June quickly realizes that “positive vibes” aren’t a very good business plan. However, nothing prepares her for an encounter with the boy she abandoned at seventeen when her life collapsed. Noah Abbott has remained in Love County. Between his job at the fire brigade and his family, he’s content with his life—except for the fact that he needs answers. With June back in town as the new owner of Sunshine Farm, Noah will stop at nothing to figure out why the girl he once loved dearly vanished so suddenly. As old memories resurface and attraction ignites, June and Noah must decide if first love is worth replanting.

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