Native American Heritage Month Reading List

Explore books and literature recommended by Yale School of Public Health faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

• “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants” by Robin Wall Kimmerer
• “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West” by Dee Brown
• “Indigenous Food Sovereignty in the United States: Restoring Cultural Knowledge, Protecting Environments, and Regaining Health” edited by Devon A. Mihesuah and Elizabeth Hoover
• “NDN Coping Mechanisms: Notes from the Field” by Billy-Ray Belcourt
• “Neither Wolf nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder” by Kent Nerburn
• “The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History” by Ned Blackhawk
• “The Seven Circles: Indigenous Teachings for Living Well” by Chelsey Luger and Thosh Collins
• “Sounds of Tohi: Cherokee Health and Well-Being in Southern Appalachia” by Lisa J. Lefler and Thomas N. Belt

• “Ceremony” by Leslie Marmon Silko
• “Firekeeper's Daughter” by Angeline Boulley
• “The Round House” by Louise Erdrich
• “There There” by Tommy Orange

• “Frybread: A Native American Family Story” by Kevin Noble Maillard (Reading age: 2-6 years)
• “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie (Reading age: 11-13 years)
• “We Are Water Protectors” by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade (Reading age: 3-7 years)

• Indigenous Evaluation Toolkit. Seven Directions Indigenous Public Health Institute.
• TallBear, K. (2019). Caretaking relations, not American dreaming. Kalfou.