There, There Tommy Orange’s 2018 debut novel reminded me of True Biz by Sara Novic. With both, I entered worlds I knew nothing about. With Orange it was Native Americans conflicted about identity and family, living in modern day Oakland. In Novic’s book, I encountered deaf teens attending a residential public school in the midwest. I’ve said before I am hugely satisfied with a novel when I feel strongly for the characters. There are other elements that feel essential for me but the characters really matter. So when I learned Orange’s second book Wandering Stars would have the same characters as his first, a little drool escaped my mouth. Not gonna lie.
image of the book cover of Tommy Orange’s second book: Wandering Stars, a turquoise blue background with black letters and a few red/orange stars scattered in the middle.
Wandering Stars examines, in part, the dirty legacy of residential schools: the boarding schools that Native American children were forced to attend as a way to cut ties with their family and traditions and make them into “real Americans”. And a question may surface for the reader as they read Orange’s newest work (disclosure: I have not yet started it!): what silences are worth protecting? How much needs to be spoken or shared or disclosed?
What do you think? For you: what silences are worth protecting?
My own list is limited…even after thinking about this for a week.
words that I have been asked to keep confidential. (As as long as no one is being harmed or is in danger, of course.) Along those lines, shares from my daughter about her worries, ideas, dreams.
incidents or stories that would directly harm someone otherwise innocent if shared. Sometimes I need to say things. That’s fine. But I don’t always need to say those exact things to someone who would end up unnecessarily hurt by my share.
This is a different kind of silence, but your post made me think of what it means to remain silent when someone is sharing something important. No judgment, no commentary--just space for that person to expand into. That silence is precious, I think.
This is a different kind of silence, but your post made me think of what it means to remain silent when someone is sharing something important. No judgment, no commentary--just space for that person to expand into. That silence is precious, I think.
It is absolutely precious, Julia. I love that you noted this space as a different sort of silence. Thanks for sharing!