Where the Dead Sit Talking by Brandon Hobson (Cherokee Nation)

Brandon Hobson (Cherokee Nation) writes about Sequoia, a 15 year old from Cherokee Nation, and his experience in foster care in 1989. When Sequoia moves to a new foster home, he meets 17 year old Rosemary, a Kiowa Native. The two share a deep bond. Hobson expertly shares the closeness Natives can feel when meeting other Natives in non-Native environments, but Rosemary is adept at manipulation and Sequoia is easily swayed because of their connection. Though their foster home has caring parents, the children are troubled. I cannot speak to what it is like to be a Native kid in foster care, but I do know the separateness that can be felt as a Native in non-Native spaces. Hobson writes with honesty that is sometimes brutal. This is a difficult story to read. I recommend this book to adult readers and older teens who like realistic fiction with sharp edges.

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Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Eliezer Yudkowsky
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