There ThereThere There
Score Modern
What it's about
Twelve Native Americans living in Oakland, California, each with their own struggles and secrets, are all headed for the Big Oakland Powwow: a young man with fetal alcohol syndrome, a woman returning to her estranged family, a boy who has taught himself to dance by watching YouTube, and others. Some of them are planning to rob it.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Pulitzer finalist and won the PEN/Hemingway Award. It's a powerful portrait of urban Native life, and the ending is shattering.
You'll love it if you liked
The Round House
Love Medicine
Let the Great World SpinGood to know
It has many narrators and takes time to connect. It ends in violence.
By the numbers
- Readers38 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics32 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller63 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz10 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #72 of the 116 historical novels we rank
- #140 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #653 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1235 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
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Quick answers
Is There There worth reading?
Yes. It was a Pulitzer finalist and won the PEN/Hemingway Award. It ranks #1,235 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 70.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is There There about?
Twelve Native Americans living in Oakland, California, each with their own struggles and secrets, are all headed for the Big Oakland Powwow: a young man with fetal alcohol syndrome, a woman returning to her estranged family, a boy who has taught himself to dance by watching YouTube, and others. Some of them are planning to rob it.
How long does it take to read There There?
About 7 hours (292 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after There There?
If you liked it, try The Round House by Louise Erdrich, Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich or Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann.