Indian No More

by Charlene Willing McManis, Traci Sorell Narrated by Jennifer Bobiwash

Overview

Regina Petit's family has always been Umpqua, and living on the Grand Ronde Tribe's reservation is all ten-year-old Regina has ever known. Her biggest worry is that Sasquatch may actually exist out in the forest. But when the federal government enacts a law that says
Regina's tribe no longer exists, Regina becomes “Indian no more” overnight-even though she lives with her tribe and practices tribal customs, and even though her ancestors were Indian for countless generations.
Now that they've been forced from their homeland, Regina's father signs the family up for the federal Indian Relocation Program and moves them to Los Angeles. Regina finds a whole new world in her neighborhood on 58th Place. She's never met kids of other races, and
they've never met a real Indian. For the first time in her life, Regina comes face to face with the viciousness of racism, personally and toward her new friends.
Meanwhile, her father believes that if he works hard, their family will be treated just like white Americans. But it's not that easy. It's 1957 during the Civil Rights era, and the family struggles without their tribal community and land. At least Regina has her grandmother, Chich, and
her stories. At least they are all together.
In this moving middle-grade novel drawing upon Umpqua author Charlene Willing McManis's own tribal history, Regina must find out: Who is Regina Petit? Is she Indian, American, or both? And will she and her family ever be okay?

Editorial Reviews

July 2023 - AudioFile

"What if I can't be Indian in Los Angeles?" worries 11-year-old Regina, voiced by Jennifer Bobiwash, a member of the Mississauga First Nation, in this story based on author McManus's own experiences. When the Umpqua girl's family is uprooted from their reservation home in Oregon in 1957 and relocated to the city, misunderstandings, microaggressions, and out-and-out racism continually assail her sense of identity even as she makes friends in her multicultural neighborhood. Bobiwash captures Regina's jumbled emotions as she struggles to understand her new world. Adult characters are given less range, with the exception of Regina's complicated father, an optimist who believes in the American dream. His jovial tones disappear when that faith is cruelly tested. V.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

09/16/2019

Set in 1957, as the U.S. government’s Indian Relocation Program went into effect, this autobiographical novel was written by the late McManis, of Umpqua heritage and a formerly enrolled citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and completed after her death by Sorrell, an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Ten-year-old Regina Petit’s family moves to Los Angeles after their Umpqua tribe, along with all Oregon tribes, is terminated. Displaced to a small house in a crowded neighborhood, the Petits—Daddy, Portuguese Mama, grandmother Chich, younger sister Peewee, and Regina—confront stereotypical views of Native Americans held by their new friends, including black, Latinx, and white people. Regina struggles with her Native identity as she experiences Halloween—during which a racist attack leaves her bewildered—and Thanksgiving for the first time. The authors’ depiction of valiantly optimistic Daddy as a man who is unwilling to be defeated by discrimination is especially strong; other characters, while sympathetic, have less dimension, and two significant family events are given little heft. A personalized look at a significant moment in U.S. history, the book closes with extensive back matter, including McManis’s author’s note and family photos. Ages 8–12. (Sept.)

From the Publisher

* "What begins as a story of displacement quickly turns into a story of childhood fun and antics colored by Umpqua culture and the racial tensions of the civil rights movement set in the lively and culturally diverse city of L.A." — Booklist, starred review

* "In this book based on McManis's own childhood experiences, the family is fictionalized to show how older children might react to being uprooted and plopped down in a foreign world. . . Readers will be moved as they become invested in Regina's predicament. Is she still Indian, American, or both—and what does that mean for her and her family?" — School Library Journal, starred review

"It stands apart from anything I've read before because it is about the US government's termination of the Grand Ronde Tribe, and others, too. . . As far as I know, Indian No More is the first book for children that is about the life of a child and her family when their tribe was terminated and then, relocated. The story in Indian No More is one reason why it is unique. Another is the team that brought it forth." — Dr. Debbie Reese, American Indians in Children's Literature

"I love Indian No More. It is a beautiful and important book, honest and moving. Regina's story faces a shocking injustice directly, creating a powerful historical novel that should be included in every school's curriculum." — Margarita Engle, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Surrender Tree and We Need Diverse Books Mentor of Charlene Willing McManis

"In this honest depiction of an Indian family's struggle to survive the termination of their tribe, we see how 'Indian stories speak truth' through the eyes of a gifted young narrator. Courageous and wise, Regina Petit navigates life away from home with a triumphant dignity that celebrates her heritage and everything she has to offer the world" — Guadalupe Garcia McCall, award-winning author of Summer of the Mariposas

"A poignant look at the termination era and its devastating effects. Regina is a determined young girl who faces huge life changes with incredible strength. It's an important story, and a compelling debut." — Supriya Kelkar, author of Ahimsa

"The straightforward, easygoing flavor of this narrative is shot through with deadpan, subversive humor. Its many ironies lie not in authorial commentary but in the events themselves. . . This is a book we need — distinctive in voice, accessible in style, and told with an insider's particular power." — The Horn Book

"A heartfelt and meditative exploration of an often-undiscussed time in recent U.S. history, Indian No More wades through complex issues of identity and culture and the preservation of both. Thoughtful and purposeful in its education of readers, McManis and Sorell's collaboration sits proudly within the pantheon of middle-grade books as one fully written and edited by women of the Native Nations." — Shelf Awareness

American Indian Youth Literature Award Winner - American Indian Library Association

ALSC Notable Children's Books - American Library Association (ALA)
Amelia Bloomer Book List - American Library Association (ALA)
Best Books of the Year - American Indians in Children's Literature
Best of the Best Books - Chicago Public Library
Editors' Choice Books for Youth - Booklist
Global Read Aloud Choice - Global Read Aloud
MISelf in Books Recommended - Michigan Association of School Librarians
Maud Hart Lovelace Award Nominee - Minnesota Youth Reading Award
Notable Books for a Global Society - International Literacy Association (ILA)
Oregon Reader's Choice Award Nominee - Oregon State Literacy Association
Young Reader's Choice Award Nominee - Pacific Northwest Library Association

School Library Journal

★ 09/01/2019

Gr 4–7—Regina Petit and her family are Umpqua, living on the Grand Ronde Tribe's reservation in Oregon, until the U.S. government enacts a law saying that her tribe no longer exists. Ten-year-old Regina can't comprehend what is happening to her family and how they can have their Indian heritage taken away from them. Forced to move with her parents, grandmother, and younger sister, PeeWee, to Los Angeles, Regina finds her world turned upside down. Daddy believes that the 1957 Indian Relocation Program will provide their family with a home, schooling, a good job, and opportunities, while Chich (Grandma) is more doubtful, calling their relocation an eviction. Mama tries to keep her chin up for her family, but she just wants to go back home. Regina and PeeWee try to acclimate to their new neighborhood and school but find ignorance and racism toward Indians prevalent. New friends Keith and Addie are a bright spot for the Petit children, but as black children, Keith and Addie also face racism. Daddy tries to put on a brave face for his family, working hard to get ahead, only to discover that education and hard work aren't necessarily enough. The family's struggles are not sugarcoated; readers see the reality of Daddy's despair and anger as Mama tries to hold the family together. In the midst of it all, Chich carries forward their tribal stories. In this book based on McManis's own childhood experiences, the family is fictionalized to show how older children might react to being uprooted and plopped down in a foreign world—McManis was one year old when the government declassified her family's tribe. McManis died before finishing the novel, entrusting Sorell to finish her story. A lengthy author's note from McManis offers relevant history with which readers may be unfamiliar, along with family photos from this time. Also discussed in the note is the relevance of President Ronald Reagan changing the laws in 1983, enabling the restoration of tribes that had been terminated. VERDICT Readers will be moved as they become invested in Regina's predicament. Is she still Indian, American, or both—and what does that mean for her and her family?—Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA

Kirkus Reviews

2019-07-14
In 1954, the Umpqua tribe was terminated by the government.

Unable to afford their land on the former Umpqua Grand Ronde reservation in Oregon, 10-year-old Regina Petit's father, who is Umpqua, decides to sign up for the Indian Relocation Program and move the entire family to Los Angeles. Regina and her little sister, Peewee, spend the summer adjusting to life in their multicultural South Central Los Angeles neighborhood, where they befriend black siblings Keith and Addie and Cuban brothers Anthony and Philip. In this new environment, Regina is forced to confront the dominant ideas about her Indian identity through what the other kids have learned at school and from the 1950s TV show The Lone Ranger. A neighborhood game of Cowboys and Indians defies the outcome Regina played on the rez, where the Indians win. The children experience a racist attack while trick-or-treating when white teenagers throw eggs and use the N-word. (The book leaves Regina puzzling over this incident without addressing the history or implications of the slur.) McManis and Sorell produce a poignant family story of the impact termination had on the thousands of Native Americans who left reservations in order to survive. Using a supporting cast of color to reflect distorted stereotypes back at them, however, has the effect of eliding the implication of white culture in their origins.

A good starting point to introduce the legacy of tribal termination. (Historical fiction. 8-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940178336786
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	05/23/2023
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Videos