In the prologue, Tommy Orange discusses a history of colonial violence and assimilation. How did this affect how you approached the novel, if at all? In what ways do you think the prologue sets the stage for the rest of the book?

Book Clubs Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange Discussion
1

In the prologue, Tommy Orange discusses a history of colonial violence and assimilation. How did this affect how you approached the novel, if at all? In what ways do you think the prologue sets the stage for the rest of the book?

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Not all readers may bring this historical context to the novel, and I think the author wanted to be sure they knew it, so he could tell the history in a unique way, showing us what it felt like. How it shaped people’s lives, damaged their hearts and minds.

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3

The prologue set the stage for the stories that we would encounter. It forced me to imagine being a Native American and facing the trauma that they endured: land theft, resettlement on reservations, loss of language, God, myths, and rites of passage. America took their entire world. America forced a change they did not want or deserve.

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This was Orange’s way of informing or reminding the reader about historical events that impact the native people as well as his characters.

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5

The prologue detailed the attempt to ‘civilize’ Native/Indigenous Indian children by forceable or coercive removal from their homes into schools designed to strip them of their Native identities. These early traumas manifested themselves in adverse ways in the subsequent generational stories in the book.

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6

Much like slavery as the underpinning of the Black experience in America, modern Indigenous life cannot be understood with the background of genocide and forced assimilation they endured.

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7

The prologue reminded educated readers of the violence that Native Americans had to endure. It also educated those readers that were unaware of the extent of violence and racism that has existed and in some case still exists in this country.

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8

Four years ago I had the privilege of reading Louise Erdrich’s The Night Watchman with a community group. Discussions sessions were led by several Indigenous members that had direct ties to a local ( closed in the late 70’s) Indian Boarding school that either they or their family members had attended. It was an eye opener experience for me as well as one I felt privileged to attend and hear 1st hand of the generational impacts to these families.
Later reading There There and now Wandering Stars my thoughts are continuing to be solidified of the impacts to family and community history as depicted in this book has made.
The prologue sets the stage.

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9

My approach to the novel was not affected because I am familiar with the egregious history and the fake narrative in many history books about the white settlers “helped” the so-called Indians to get educated, etc. I really liked the fact that the author was a first-people/Native American person and had oral history that was passed down as well as tragic experiences within his own family and friends.