Orange, T: Wandering Stars

Orange delves deeply into the complexities of addiction within Native communities, portraying it not merely as a personal failing but as a manifestation of intergenerational trauma. Jude's reliance on alcohol to cope with his suppressed identity and Charles Star's laudanum addiction during his time at Carlisle reflect attempts to numb the pain inflicted by systemic oppression. In the contemporary timeline, Orvil's descent into substance abuse underscores the cyclical nature of this struggle. Through these narratives, Orange challenges prevailing stigmas, illustrating that addiction often emerges from a confluence of historical wounds and the search for belonging. This nuanced portrayal fosters empathy and urges readers to reconsider simplistic judgments about substance dependence. Central to Wandering Stars is its illumination of Native American culture and the profound scars left by colonization. By depicting events like the Sand Creek Massacre and the oppressive practices of assimilation schools, Orange provides readers with a visceral understanding of the systemic efforts to dismantle Indigenous identities. These historical contexts are not presented as distant past but as living legacies that continue to shape the experiences of Native communities today. Through the lens of the Bear Shield-Red Feather family, the novel underscores how deeply the United States' history is intertwined with the suppression and resilience of its Indigenous peoples. This narrative invites all readers, regardless of background, to reflect on the nation's past and its ongoing impact on Native American lives.​ In essence, Wandering Stars is a testament to the resilience of Native American families amidst relentless adversity. Orange masterfully intertwines personal narratives with historical events, offering a compelling examination of identity, trauma, and the enduring quest for cultural reclamation. The novel not only educates but also challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths, fostering a deeper understanding of the complexities that define the Native American experience.

“I didn’t think stories were made to comfort. I believed what my father told me. Stories do more than comfort. They take you away and bring you back better made.” And not many stories do that quite like Wandering Stars. This quote by the author is printed on the back of the book, summarizing it’s effect perfectly. Tommy Orange’s writing is absolutely phenomenal as well as intellectually challengeing, especially to non native speakers. The book follows the family line of Jude Star, a survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre. It showcases the unique struggles every generation had to face, but it also portrays the Native culture, specifically of the Cheyenne tribe, beautifully. Aside from the Sand Creek Massacre, the characters live through the residental schools, mass- and schoolshootings all while battling addiction and generational trauma. The sheer knowledge this book contains and shares amazes me. It talks about many issues Amaericans and Non-Americans alike know little to nothing about. Before reading this, I have never heard of the Native “occupation” of Alcatraz as they reclaimed their land even if just for a short time. Wandering Stars and Tommy Orange’s debut novel “There, There” are two books I think everyone should read, regardless of background, historical knowledge and so forth. It would also make an amazing class lecture, with recurring symbolism and topics, as well as historical context. The different generation highlight, how all discussed topics are still prevalent today, and continue to affect Native communities. It wasn’t just one time a hundred years ago that Indigenous peoples were mistreated, the culture and the people still live and thrive despite everything.

I am not an expert when it comes to violence Native Americans have had historically to endure. That is one of the reasons why I felt so shocked after reading the prologue. It did not only teach me, and possibly other readers, about the topic, but got me hooked as well. “Wandering Stars” is novel following our two protagonists Jude Star and Opal Vila Victoria Bear Shield through two different tine lines. Star’s one from the year 1864 as young survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre brought to Fort Marion Prison Castle; and Opal’s in 2018, who is barely holding her family together after the shooting that nearly took the life of her nephew Orvil. Concerning the writing, I did not enjoy how much words were being repeated just for the sake of making a sentence sound more dramatic. On the other hand, Tommy Orange would write sentences so long and I lost track of what the initial meaning, message of the sentence was. But through the writing you can tell whose narrative voices is whose; their personalities are palpable. Star, the first stone laid on, being brought as a war prisoner to Fort Marion Prison Castle, he was forced to learn English, read the Bible, train to be a military man; basically, to get rid of his indigenous essence to survive the new regime put on him and his people. His identity was only tolerated by white people so it could be capitalized. Then we move on to his son Charles and his story and so on following each generation and their personal struggles. After a certain number of chapters, we reach Opal. She’s doing the outmost to help Orvil process, cope with the traumatic situation he went through (she keeps a positive mindset, is less strict), but Orvil himself is struggling with facing the new reality, which makes painkillers a way to soothe his mind. My favourite stories were those told by a female point of view. Here I was finally able to get the feeling of knowing the characters. The pacing of the book is quick; everything that had happened, that would span over many days, months, was told to the reader through short sentences within one chapter. Which makes the novel easier to read, but at the same time we spent so little time with the characters, that they cannot grow into us. The second half is better. To sum it up, I do believe that Tommy Orange is a great storyteller and has many important messages to convey, nonetheless, the novel during the first half feels like it was made off snippets, rather than like a solid work. The writing style was not my cup of coffee. I did enjoy how race, being mixed, culture eradication, traditions being passed down, addiction among other themes, were discussed.