When I think of armchair travel, my mind often turns to far-off destinations. My relocation to New Mexico earlier this year reminded me of the cultural and environmental richness of the Navajo Nation right here and inspired me to seek out additional reading to expand my knowledge and understanding.
If you’ve had the good fortune to travel in the American southwest, you’ve likely driven through or adjacent to the Navajo Nation, the largest reservation in the U.S. Set across northwestern New Mexico, northeastern Arizona, and southeastern Utah, the land spans over 27,000 square miles (which the internet tells me is approximately the size of West Virginia.) One of the most famous vistas is Monument Valley, which you’ve possibly seen on the big (or small) screen, too.
In my search for books by Diné authors—while this community is often called Navajo, this label originated with Spanish missionaries: traditionally they called themselves Diné, which means “the people”—I was excited to discover a range of programs and resources supporting emerging writers and creators.
At the 2024 Santa Fe International Literary Festival, which I was lucky to attend earlier this year, Diné author Ramona Emerson and award-winning novelist Tommy Orange spoke of their positive experiences with the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), whose low residency MFA program “emphasize[s] the importance of Native writers offering voice to the Native experience. The program and the literature we read carries a distinct Native American and First Nations emphasis.” I’ve since used the IAIA website and online literary journal as a starting point to identify new-to-me Native authors. In addition to today’s book list, I’ve also included below a handful of other resources which introduced me to voices writing from the Diné perspective.
Whether you’ve traveled to this part of the country yourself or you’d like to experience it on the page, today’s selection of titles includes everything from memoir to non-fiction, Middle Grade to mystery. Please tell us about your favorite books by Diné authors or set in the Navajo Nation by leaving a comment below.
Resources for exploring Navajo Nation literary scene:
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Holly says: It’s a well-known fact in MMD-land that Rebecca Roanhorse is one of my must-read authors; the book that started it all for me was this fantasy, Roanhorse’s debut. Set in a post-apocalyptic Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation), this story follows Maggie Hoskie, a monster hunter, who is tasked to track down a missing girl. She reluctantly partners up with a medicine man and travels the reservation in pursuit. They encounter more than they expected and find myths and legends have come to life. This title received numerous awards including the 2019 Locus Award for Best First Novel.
Holly says: I discovered author Emerson, a Diné writer and filmmaker, at the 2024 Santa Fe International Literary Festival, where she moderated a fantastic conversation with Tommy Orange. Shutter, her first novel, tells the story of Rita, a forensic photographer who also sees ghosts—and they often want revenge. It artfully blends flashbacks to Rita’s youth and her current struggle to identify the rotten cops behind recent deaths she’s been assigned to photograph. I recommend a strong stomach as content warnings apply: this book starts with a frank description of a woman’s violent death. However, I really enjoyed Rita’s story and look forward to the sequel, Exposure.
Holly says: This warm-hearted middle grade novel introduced me both to Navajo myth and to publishing imprint Heartdrum, which features intertribal voices and young Native heroes. The story follows Nathan, who spends the summer with his grandma and uncle Jet on the Navajo reservation. When he gets lost in the desert one night, Nathan unexpectedly meets a Water Monster from the Navajo Creation story. Needing the Water Monster’s help to return home, Nathan agrees to help heal the Water Monster in exchange for this assistance. I appreciated how this story wove together Diné myth and legend with modern-day concerns from access to safe drinking water to climate change.
Holly says: It feels impossible to discuss Navajo & New Mexico fiction without referencing Tony Hillerman. His widely known Leaphorn & Chee mystery series follows Navajo Tribal Police officers Joe Leaphorn (introduced in the first title) and Jim Chee (first introduced in book four of the series). The series counted 18 titles at the time of Hillerman’s death, and his daughter Anne has since continued writing it. To be honest, I didn’t love The Blessing Way, and jumped ahead to book seven, Skinwalkers, where Leaphorn & Chee first work together. That book was much more enjoyable, but I did find it helpful to read a few of the earlier books to have a sense of each character before they began to work together. All told, my experience with the Leaphorn & Chee series was similar to Louise Penny’s series, which I found stronger in the later titles. While Hillerman is a white man of European descent, my research indicated that his approach to this series and writing both fiction and nonfiction set in and around the Navajo Nation is regarded as respectful. He’s been compared to William Kent Krueger in terms of writing about an indigenous character.
Holly says: This debut collection of stories published by Torrey House Press (one of my favorite publishers for authors writing in and about the west) captured my attention from the first page. Spanning the Navajo Nation and beyond, each story delivers a strong sense of place and sharp writing. I kept finding myself repeating lines aloud and admiring how Denetsosie weaves words together to paint a vibrant picture. Her stories grapple with everything from colonial legacy to fertility, gender fluidity to family and heritage. There’s something here for nearly any reader.
Holly says: I was fascinated by this sobering investigation of how the Diné were impacted by years of exposure to uranium mines, ore, and radioactive dust across the reservation, fueled by the nuclear arms race, the Manhattan Project, and the Cold War. Having grown up in the west and spent quite a bit of time in this corner of the country, I was also shocked at how little I knew about this tragic history that still influences modern day events. While Pasternak’s book was published in 2011, the dialogue about uranium continues: as recently as July 2024, the Navajo Nation planned to block federal highways to prevent the transport of uranium across reservation lands.
Holly says: While I enjoy poetry, it’s not something I often prioritize in my reading life, so this collection from Tapahonso—which incorporates both poems and short stories—was an unexpected delight. Centered around the cycle of a woman’s life, the author invites us to explore traditions passed down, holy and everyday experiences, and experience both the history and myth of the Diné people and how these facets of life are blending with modernity. I especially enjoyed ‘Dust Precedes the Rain’, ‘Above the Canyon Floor’, and ‘Daané’é Diné’. While it’s an entirely different type of book, I think this collection would appeal to fans of Braiding Sweetgrass
Holly says: I suspect I’m not the only one who first learned of the Navajo Code Talkers from the 2002 Nicolas Cage movie; reading this memoir was a much more enjoyable and educational experience! Chester—not his name by birth, but the English name assigned to him—shares his story of childhood abuse and discrimination. Despite these early struggles, he later joined the military and was one of the pivotal marines who helped the U.S. achieve victory during World War Two in the Pacific. I learned so much not only about the code talkers, but about the history of the Diné people during this tumultuous time in U.S. history. Content warnings apply.
Holly says: So many books I encounter written by and about the Diné people and culture either look back, or are informed by, the wealth of history and mythology of this community and culture. This collection offered a unique and fascinating perspective of what now lies ahead of us and some of the struggles encountered in this moment in time, including the unique experience of the Navajo Nation during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. Encompassing both Diné voices and those of other BIPOC writers, I found these essays and poems to be inspiring, confronting, thought-provoking, and unlike anything else I’ve recently read. Content warnings apply.
Do you have any favorite books by Diné authors? Please share in the comments.
About the author
Holly Wielkoszewski is our What Should I Read Next Media Production Specialist. Her go-to genres are Fantasy and Sci-Fi. You can find Holly on Instagram @hollyfromthebigsky.
