Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir

By Deborah A. Miranda

Book Overview

Winner, PEN Oakland-Josephine Miles Literary Award

Winner, 2014 Independent Publisher Book Award, Gold Medal for Autobiography/Memoir

Shortlisted for the 2014 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing

"Bad Indians stands out as a classic quintessentially Indigenous memoir." --Joy Harjo

This beautiful and devastating book--part tribal history, part lyric and intimate memoir--should be required reading for anyone seeking to learn about California Indian history, past and present. Deborah A. Miranda tells stories of her Ohlone Costanoan Esselen family as well as the experience of California Indians as a whole through oral histories, newspaper clippings, anthropological recordings, personal reflections, and poems. The result is a work of literary art that is wise, angry, and playful all at once, a compilation that will break your heart and teach you to see the world anew.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1597142018
• ISBN13: 9781597142014
• Release Date: January 2013
• Publisher: Heyday Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Eye Opening

As someone who grew up in California and had the 'Mission' unit in school, this was an incredibly eye-opening read for me. It made me realize how white washed our education system is and history is seriously told by the victors. I recommend this book to everyone I know, especially if they also grew up in California. One of my favorite books of all time.