This Indian Kid: A Native American Memoir

Debut author Chuculate, who is Muscogee (Creek) and Cherokee, delivers a plainspoken memoir that chronicles critical moments during his childhood in Oklahoma in the 1970s and '80s. Because of his parents' divorce early in his life, Chuculate remembers spending most of his time being "shuttled between my mom and her mother." Granny and Grandpa's home was the only constant as he cycled through 14 schools in nine years and experienced much uncertainty throughout his mother's rocky second marriage. His participation on his local baseball team provided focus and community, particularly with other kids, and fishing with his friends and Grandpa helped him feel connected to his Native roots. Via anecdotal, slice-of-life vignettes peppered with sensorial references to period TV shows, music, and clothing, the author develops a keen sense of time and place that aids in grounding the free-flowing narrative. While Chuculate's experiences with racism are present throughout, the author establishes in a concluding q&a that this is not a memoir of trauma, but a transformative interpretation of the life of an ordinary boy in America endeavoring to become "known for grander things." Ages 12-up. Agent: Alex Glass, Glass Literary Management. (Sept.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 7 Up--This autobiography takes a full circle journey through the childhood of author Chuculate. It is a portrait of growing up Native American in Middle America during the 1970s and 1980s. Chuculate finds himself wandering the pastures of his grandparents' rural Oklahoma farm "in habitual solitude" for much of his childhood. His young life is split enjoying the space and freedom of the Muskogee countryside and in town with his mother and stepfather. A love of sports and good mentorship guide Chuculate through middle school and into high school. He excels at writing and finds his way into journalism at the Muskogee Phoenix. With help from his coach Branan, he is recruited to Oklahoma's Northeastern State University. Overall, the characters are described in everyday circumstances from fishing and baseball to library visits and church service. Reading this memoir feels like sitting around the dinner table hearing about a relative's day. It explores themes of racism, poverty, and bullying, helping connect young readers to a story set in the past. VERDICT A good addition to any teen nonfiction collection.--Meaghan Nichols

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Will make readers feel as if they’re sitting beside a relative, listening to stories and shared knowledge.