There There, by Tommy Orange

What year was this book published?

2018

Guns

3D printer guns were used as weapons at the powwow, it could symbolize modernism and how native could be destroyed by these types of weapons and have no chance.

Harvey

A Native American boy that Jacquie meets and he rapes her on the Island of Alcatraz. He has changed as he grew older and wants to make up for his wrong doings.

Powwow

A North American Indian ceremony involving feasting, singing and dancing.

Dene Oxendene

Conflicted about his identity and sad about his uncle's death. He gets sponsored to make a documentary about Native American stories told by Native Americans.

Tensions between Urban and Native Americans From reservations

Native Americans felt they were more authentic than others that have relocated into Urban society.

David Gonzales

Robs the powwow with Octavio, he made the 3D guns used for the powwow robbery.

Part III: Return

This is when all the characters come together at the powwow and we learn a bit more about each character and what going to the powwow means for them.

What is the narrative Arc, including the climax?

The arc was to show how many of the characters seem to intertwine with one another, and how many of them struggle with their identities of whom they really are and their authenticity, of being native Americans, the climax is when many of these characters learn about each other and meet at the powwow and it ends in tragedy with no real ending.

Part 1: Remain

This section of book is about characters who are struggling with their self identity and want to learn more about themselves and their heritage.

Interlude

This section provides more details about Native American life, and explains what a powwow is and a little bit more about how they use songs and dances to come together.

Importance of story telling

To keep traditions and stories about a culture alive by passing these stories down to the next generation

Who is the Author?

Tommy Orange What

The Drome

Tone Loneman (recognizable traits or symptoms that tend to occur together and represent a specific disease.

American Indian Boarding School

Tried to change native American youth by sending them to these boarding schools that would not allow them to practice their native traditions and language. Tried to assimilate them into white America.

Drum

A sacred tool connecting heaven and earth, and for maintaining the rhythm of the world order.

Indian Termination Policy Period

A series of laws and practices with the intent of assimilating Native Americans into mainstream American Society.

Badger Medicine

Badger Medicine was the only thing that could break a curse according to Fina.

Blood Quantum

Blood quantum laws or Indian blood laws are laws in the US that define Native American Status by fractions of Native American Ancestry.

Bad Blood

Blood serves as a representation of a good or bad unifying force.

Lens

Dene Oxydene (an amateur graffiti artist in his youth, has tagged the name Lens throughout Oakland. Dense does indeed see himself as a kind of lens meant to spotlight the stories of others

Who is the main protagonists?

Dene Oxydene and Tony Loneman

Bill Davis

He is Jacquie's boyfriend and he was a Vietnam vet. He thinks his girlfriend Karen babies her son Edwin.

Sixto

He is Ocatvio's uncle who has caused the deaths of most of Octavio's family.

Octavio Gomez

He is an alcoholic and drug dealer who loses his brother and mother in a car accident. He is the planner of the powwow robbery.

Calvin Johnson

He is living with his sister and is struggling to pay back Octavio and works for him.

Edwin Black

He loves technology and is overweight, he lives with his mother and is a momma's boy. He gets a job at the Indian Center as a grant writer.

Blue

Head of the powwow and Jacquie's daughter, she was adopted by a rich white family.

Opal Victoria Bear Shield

Her sister is Jacquie and she is taking care of Jacquie's grandchildren

Jacquie Red Feather

Her sister of Opal. She gave up her daughter (Blue) and is struggling with substance abuse, she is newly sober and is now a substance abuse counselor. She gets raped by Harvey while on the Island of Alcatraz.

Part II: Reclaim

In this chapter, we learn a little bit more about how some of the characters are interconnected and how some things have happened to them either by coincidence or by chance.

What is the main message that the author is trying to convey?

It's about all of us trying to make sense of ourselves, our roots, in this day and age and to educate people more on how it is to be native American.

Orvil Red Feather

Jacque's grandson, Opal's great nephew who finds spider legs in his leg, which was a symbol of his coming of age. He learns more about his native heritage and dances at the powwow.

Tony Loneman

Nickname (Drome), he becomes a Native American dancer.

Dene Oxendene

Nickname (Lens) he is filming a documentary

Where does the story take place?

Oakland, California

Who are the main antagonists?

Octavio Gomez

Indian Reorganization Act of 1930

Offer federal subsides to tribes that adopt the constitution like that of the United States and replace their governments with city council-style governments.

Fina

Orvil's grandmother who tells him that she thinks that she was cursed as well when she was eighteen and found spider legs in her too.

Systemic Vs Individual Racism

Racism that exists across a society within, and between institutions/organizations across society.

The saying there, there

Spending part of one's childhood in a certain part of Oakland, then leaving and coming back years later to find it developed over, and unrecognizable

Spider

Spiders represent things that are both homes and traps, but by for Orvil it is a symbol for him becoming a man.

Thomas Frank

Struggles with addition and his identity, is a janitor and feels like people look down on him, until he joins a drumming group and feels like he belongs, he drums at the powwow.

What is the basic plot?

The complexity and struggles with self identity and authenticity

Two Shoes

The name of Opal's teddy bear

What is the changes after the climax?

There seems to be no real ending, just the thought that are in the heads of the people dying and the ones who are looking for their loved ones. Tony Loneman when he is dying seems to make peace with himself at the end.

What is the title of the book?

There, There

Indian Head Test Pattern

Was a black and white television test pattern which was introduced in 1939.

Voice

We learn how voice and native language has meaning and when voices sing together, how powerful it can be to unite people.