Awards

• Winner of American Indian Youth Literature Award (Middle School) 2020

Overview

American Indian Youth Literature Award Winner - American Indian Library Association When Regina's Umpqua tribe is legally terminated and her family must relocate from Oregon to Los Angeles, she goes on a quest to understand her identity as an Indian despite being so far from home. 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?

Full Product Details

9781620148396

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Reviews

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 Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis and Traci Sorell is 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 Notable Children's Book, Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Editors' Choices for Books for Youth, Booklist Notable Books for a Global Society, International Literacy Association (ILA) Amelia Bloomer Project - Feminist Task Force, American Library Association (ALA) American Indian Youth Literature Award for Best Middle Grade Book, American Library Association (ALA) Global Read-Aloud Choices: Upper Elementary/Middle Grade Best of the Best Books, Chicago Public Library Best Books of 2019, American Indians in Children's Literature

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? -- Reviewer Starred review, SLJ 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. -- Reviewer Starred review, Booklist

Author Information

The late Charlene Willing McManis (1953-2018) was born in Portland, Oregon and grew up in Los Angeles. She was of Umpqua tribal heritage and enrolled in the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. Charlene served in the U.S. Navy and later received her Bachelor's degree in Native American Education. She lived with her family in Vermont and served on that state's Commission on Native American Affairs. In 2016, Charlene received a mentorship with award-winning poet and author Margarita Engle through We Need Diverse Books. That manuscript became this novel, which is based on her family's experiences after their tribe was terminated in 1954. She passed away in 2018, knowing that her friend Traci Sorell would complete the revisions Charlene was unable to finish. Traci Sorell writes fiction and nonfiction books as well as poems for children. Her lyrical story in verse, At the Mountain's Base, illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre (Kokila, 2019) celebrates the bonds of family and the history of history-making women pilots, including Millie Rexroat (Oglala Lakota). Her middle grade novel, Indian No More, with Charlene Willing McManis (Tu Books, 2019), explores the impact of federal termination and relocation policies on an Umpqua family in the 1950s. Traci's debut nonfiction picture book We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga, illustrated by Frané Lessac (Charlesbridge, 2018), won a Sibert Honor, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Picture Book Honor and an Orbis Pictus Honor. It also received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, The Horn Book and Shelf Awareness. A former federal Indian law attorney and policy advocate, she is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and lives in northeastern Oklahoma where her tribe is located. For more about Traci and her other works, visit www.tracisorell.com.

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