A student recently asked me for a list of "other stuff like the stuff we're reading in class." This inspired me to devise my own suggested reading list of "Native American literature" texts. Many of the following are among the most famous and/or the most talked & written about in this now burgeoning sub-genre; a few are my own personal/idiosyncratic favorites, including some anthologies.
        The (seeming over-)emphasis on poetry (though there are important reasons why this genre has been privileged among Native writers)—and on polemical/political nonfiction—may also be considered idiosyncratic on my part, although I tried my best to give more popular genres like the novel their due. I was more selective regarding the "myth & folklore (retold)" genre, considering both the interests of a general audience and the fact that many of these books are retellings by those with somewhat tenuous connections to their tribal roots. Also, juvenile fiction has been omitted, for the most part, but for a few texts that might be said to have transcended the genre. Conversely, I have tried to give some due to earlier (19th-c. & early-20th-c.) authors, despite the fact that their texts are almost entirely by mixed-blood authors who abundantly "appreciated" the glories of assimilation & Christianity. But of course, the vast preponderance of the list dates from the Native American literary Renaissance of the late 1960's on. Finally: authors who have been part of false-Native-identity claims and scandals have been omitted.
        I've also designated a (quite subjective) "Honor Roll" of the more "essential" books: these selected titles are in bold. The list is in chronological order: