High School

The Berkeley Unified School District honors and celebrates the history, contemporary issues and culture of the Indigenous People of the Americas.  In November 2020, the BUSD Board of Education passed a resolution to annually recognize the month of November as Indigenous People’s Heritage Month.  


These reading lists, organized by grade level, represent books published in the last 5 years that are devoted to celebrating, representing, and affirming Indigenous heritage, featuring Indigenous authors, characters and the North American Indigenous experience.


All of these books are available through Berkeley school libraries as a physical and/or digital book. If an ebook is available through Sora, you can access it by clicking the cover of the book. For more information about any of these books, or to check one of them out, ask your school librarian.

Apple: Skin to the Coreby Eric Gansworth
Genre: Memoir in Verse
Audiobook available
The Barren Grounds: The Misewa Saga #1by David Alexander Robertson
Genre: Fantasy
Audiobook available
Black Sunby Rebecca Roanhorse
Genre: Fantasy


Bordersby Thomas King
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Format: Graphic Novel

Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adultsby Robin Wall Kimmerer
Genre: Nonfiction

Elatsoeby Darcie Little Badger
Genre: Fantasy
Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask: Young Readers' Editionby Anton Treuer
Genre: Nonfiction
The Firekeeper's Daughterby Angeline Boulley
Genre: Thriller
Audiobook available
Funeral Songs for Dying Girlsby Cherie Dimlaline
Genre: Paranormal Fiction
Give Me Some Truthby Eric Gansworth
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audiobook available
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee (Young Readers Edition)by David Treuer
Genre: Nonfiction


Hopeless in Hopeby Wanda John-Kehewin
Genre: Realistic Fiction


Hunting By Stars (The Marrow Thieves #2)by Cherie Dimaline
Genre: Dystopia
Living Nations, Living WordsEdited by by Joy Harjo
Genre: Poetry Anthology
Explore the poetry map



Man Made Monstersby Andrea L. Rogers
Genre: Horror
My Good Manby Eric Ganworth
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Postcolonial Love Poemby Natalie Diaz
Genre: Poetry


Rez Ballby Byron Graves
Genre: Sports Fiction
Audiobook available
A Snake Falls to Earthby Darcie Little Badger
Genre: Fantasy
The Summer of Bitter and Sweetby Jen Ferguson
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audiobook available


Surviving the Cityby Tasha Spillett
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Format: Graphic Novel

This Indian Kid: A Native Memoirby Eddie Chuculate
Genre: Memoir

This Place: 150 Years Retoldby Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm
Genre: Short Stories
Format: Graphic Novel
Those Pink Mountain Nightsby Jen Ferguson
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Warrior Girl Unearthedby Angeline Boulley
Genre: Thriller
Audiobook available