Reviews

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

micki24's review

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

melodys_library's review

3.0

Massacre and assimilation sever ties to cultural and individual identities. Generational trauma. Addiction. No one said this would be an easy read.

bccoulter's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Very sad saga of generational depression and dependancy arising from ubiquitous oppression of an entire people. As well as from stupid medical practices.

pocketfulofprinting's review

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Abandonment, Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Cancer

smoxen's review against another edition

3.5

I loved the first third or so of the book that followed the first few generations after the Sand Creek Massacre but I didn’t like the modern storylines quite as much. Some of the writing was lovely and poetic but there were also several different POVs that left it feeling a bit disjointed at times.

nickyreads360's review

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ftwftw's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

bigrome4's review

adventurous emotional informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

youraveragedave's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A book that is both a prequel and a sequel to There There. We meet a survivor from The Sand Creek Massacre who goes on to spend time in the Florida prison for Native Americans during the Plains Wars (Fort Marion).  Then his son ends up at The Carlisle Indian School (kill the Indian, save the man) run by Richard Henry Pratt.  We later find out his descendants are the family struck my tragedy at the Oakland Powwow shooting at the end of There There.

Tommy Orange does a fantastic job blending history with fiction.  He touches on so many issues Indigenous peoples have to deal with on a daily basis:  generational trauma, alcoholism and addiction, high suicide rates, racism, identity and culture, etc.

Love the title, Wandering Stars, this family starting with Jude Star has a son Charles. These Stars wander the country, and their descendants end up in Oakland.  Also shooting survivor Orvil has bullet fragments the doctors refer to as "stars" that can travel the body.  The cover has bright starbursts that also look like bullet holes.

The final chapter, which Lonnie writes home, is really strong and powerful.

I'm not usually a big fan of audiobooks that do a big cat if narrators, but this group does an excellent job 

stefs1974's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25