Every November, we celebrate Native American Heritage Month—a time to listen to, honor, and preserve the stories, languages, and traditions of Native American and Alaska Native communities.
We’re beyond grateful to partner with Indigenous-owned bookshops that champion Indigenous voices all year round.
Scroll down to discover some of our bookselling partners’ favorite audiobooks by Indigenous authors around the globe!
Most recommended audiobooks by Indigenous authors
Braiding Sweetgrass
“This book is so beautiful and made me cry multiple times. The author, who does a great job as the narrator, is both informational and poetic. She tells us about so many terrible things happening to the environment yet somehow she remains hopeful and uplifting at times. Just like the title says, this book is a beautiful weaving of interesting scientific knowledge, indigenous knowledge, and the author’s personal life experiences.”
— Gael, Page 2 Books
View the audiobookDiscover more audiobooks by Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter
“I love a good epistolary novel, especially when the narrator has a good sense of humor. What I didn’t expect: the mystery. A significant part of the suspense in this book comes from trying to piece together what the details, like the names for various animals, actually mean – and once you do know, you worry about what will happen next – and then it happens, and you can’t look away. The narrators are exceptional (Owen Teale especially brings both the laughter and the revulsion), and this author has a gift for choosing just the right details in a scene to evoke a complete world. Gory, historically accurate, and frequently hilarious.”
View the audiobookDiscover more audiobooks by Stephen Graham Jones.
Wandering Stars
“Beautiful, nuanced important. The ensemble voice cast does an incredible job with Orange’s characters, who have come to feel like old friends.”
— Rachel K., Tombolo Books
View the audiobookDiscover more audiobooks by Tommy Orange.
Award-winners
The Berry Pickers
“Heartfelt, tragic and hopeful, this is the story of a Mi’kmaq girl who was abducted as a young girl by a white woman yearning for a child of her own. Told alternately by the girl and one of her brothers, from the past to the present, this is a beautifully told story about grappling with grief and hope, about finding forgiveness and your own history.”
— Anne, Newtonville Books
View the audiobookDiscover more audiobooks by Amanda Peters.
Moon of the Crusted Snow
“Narrator Billy Merasty brings Rice’s characters to life and enriches the traditional Anishinaabe stories with his lyrical storytelling voice. The story itself, of a Canadian Anishinaabe band forced to contend with a new reality when the power goes out and deliveries halt to their Reserve just as winter sets in, is gripping and shockingly realistic and a damning take on reservation life.”
— Susan, Belmont Books
View the audiobookDiscover more audiobooks by Waubgeshig Rice.
Night of the Living Rez
“The twelve stories intersect creating more of a novel than a set of separate stories. I love the characters—Paige, Frick, Fellis, grandmother, mom, Tyson, and JP, all of them doing the best they can under the circumstances. I think what I love most is that the stories are told without judgment or snark but with compassion and understanding. And together they tell the story of a life, of a family, and of a community.”
— Julie, Honest Dog Books
View the audiobookDiscover more audiobooks by Morgan Talty.
Book club picks
The Mighty Red
“A fantastic read! Set over the course of 2008 and 2009, The Mighty Red is a novel rich with characters and sense of place. At its core, it is a book about choices and the repercussions of those choices over time. I’ll go out on a limb and say this is Erdrich’s best novel yet! The narrator was pitch perfect, too.”
— Rachel, Avid Bookshop
View the audiobookDiscover more audiobooks by Louise Erdrich.
Woman of Light
“Woman of Light is a beautifully written story of unity, adversity, and the struggles of the Lopez family in the 1920s and 1930s. Perfectly connecting the past and present up to a meeting point for the family. I 100% recommend this book!”
— Syrena Arevalo, Barrio Books
View the audiobookDiscover more audiobooks by Kali Fajardo-Anstine.
To the Moon and Back
“I’m not in a book club, but the whole time I was reading this, I thought, “This would be SUCH a great book club discussion pick!” I was completely hooked, and that’s rare for me with a contemporary novel. The characters are complex, and the journeys of all of them are challenging, but you are still engrossed at each stage of their life over the course of a decade. I loved this book, and the audiobook was so beautifully performed!”
— Lelia, One More Page
View the audiobookHorror
Never Whistle at Night
“From spine tingling creatures to monstrous humans, this collection of short stories covers so many different tales from a group of Indigenous voices that I’m excited to read more from.
Each new story had me on the edge of my seat with a variety of thrills, horrors and the constant reminder that darkness and evil exist in many shapes.”
— Jei, The Book Burrow
View the audiobookCheck out the sequel, Never Whistle At Night Part II.
Bad Cree
“If you love a good supernatural horror story AND you’ve ever wondered if, just maybe, your dreams may have a deeper meaning, you’ve GOT to read Bad Cree! This book had me overthinking every strange dream I’ve ever had, especially the one about a giant rat trying to eat my pet cat… This book touches on themes of grief, familial bonds, and indigenous culture and is the perfect read for this time of year.”
— Britt, Ruby’s Books
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Winter Counts
“Weiden’s book is a thriller with an important social and political message. Following a Lakota ‘enforcer’ who enacts extrajudicial punishment to fill the gaps in the legal system, Winter Counts is a twisty new addition to the growing Indigenous literature canon. Weiden’s exploration of the injustices of reservation life is vital.”
— Ashley Baeckmann, Briars & Brambles Books
View the audiobookDiscover other audiobooks by David Heska Wanbli Weiden.
Romance favorites
Love Is a War Song
“This book was absolutely addictive and so hilarious. […] I love the way this book highlighted the tight knit Muscogee nation and how welcoming and protective they became towards Avery, especially since she’s never felt like she completely belonged anywhere. This book was a warm hug and a MUST READ for all my cowboy romance lovers out there. You don’t know cowboy romance until you’ve read a Native cowboy romance!!! ”
— Meghan, Lark & Owl
View the audiobookCheck out more audiobooks by Danica Nava.
Terror at the Gates
“Come for the pretty prose, stay for the rage. Terror at the Gates by Scarlett St. Clair is beautiful, brutal, and unputdownable. Scarlett has an extraordinary talent for placing the reader squarely in the protagonist’s shoes, creating an immersive narrative that reimagines Lilith from Mesopotamian mythology, highlighting her strength, defiance, and refusal to be subservient. The themes of feminine rage, familial conflict, and the longing to be truly seen resonated deeply with me.”
— Michelle, Mysterious Galaxy Books
View the audiobookCheck out other audiobooks by Scarlett St. Clair.
Fantasy reads
To Shape a Dragon’s Breath
“This fantastically imagined alt-historical fantasy is full of fierce and lovable dragons, with a steampunk academia setting, a wise and courageous young indigenous woman at the helm, queer and neurodivergent rep, and so much to say about colonialism, knowledge, story-telling, and resistance! Fans of R. F. Kuang’s Babel and Rachel Hartman’s Seraphina, you simply must read this immersive, inventive, and powerfully truth-telling debut novel next.”
— Megan, Underground Books
View the audiobookCheck out the entire Nampeshiweisit series.
VenCo
“Lucky St James may be new to this witch thing, but she suffers no fools even to the ancient magic working against her. This wild ride from cold Canada to luscious Louisiana follows Lucky, her uber cool Grandma Stella, And the women of Venco who are bound to stick together. Definitely a driveway moments book!”
— Angie, The Country Bookshop
View the audiobookNonfiction recommendations
We Survived the Night
“A beautiful work of narrative non-fiction from one of the most powerful young Native American writers at work today – prepare yourself for exquisite investigative journalism, poignant folklore, and a deeply personal father-son journey across a searing portrait of community fighting for self-determination in a fractured nation.”
— Cece, Fred & June’s Books
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We Will Be Jaguars
“Nemonte Nenquimo’s memoir begins with her indigenous Waorani childhood in Ecuador, continues into her traumatic education from Christian missionaries, and takes the reader along on a tremendous transformation from a damaged and displaced young adult to becoming one of the world’s most prominent activists, whose work has saved half a million acres of the Amazon rainforest. I’ve been recommending We Will Be Jaguars to everyone I know.”
— Zoe, Bookshop Santa Cruz
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By the Fire We Carry
“I loved Rebecca Nagle’s writing style. It is so well researched, and the organization kept me interested and engaged, ensuring readers feel the weight and understand the importance in a way that encourages action and activism rather than an emotional spiral. This book needs to be added to everyone’s library.”
— Kalli, Rediscovered Books
View the audiobookYoung adult
Firekeeper’s Daughter
“Firekeeper’s Daughter is a wonder! We so rarely hear YA through an Indigenous people’s voice and this book does it so very well. […] Angeline Boulley seamlessly incorporates the Ojbiwe language and lifeways that both inform and educate the reader in this amazing story that will stay with me long after I have moved onto other books. A MUST-read (or listen)!”
View the audiobookExplore more audiobooks by Angeline Boulley.
A Snake Falls to Earth
“This book truly transported me to another world. I was swept away by world building and so charmed by each of the characters. Nina and Oli both having their own talents and struggles with translation was such a wonderful way to tie these characters together until they met. A Snake Falls to Earth was a breath of fresh air, wholly original, and a story I will treasure forever.”
— Gina, BookPeople
View the audiobookSee all audiobooks by Darcie Little Badger.
Legendary Frybread Drive-In
“I love multi-author anthologies because they are like literary speed dating, and this one is terrific. The stories represent Native cultures across North America, emphasizing their unique qualities and their cross-tribal bonds. Sweet stories of first crushes are interwoven with stories of loss and hardship, and all emphasize the support of family – especially elders. The cast of narrators gives each story its own voice.”
— Sara, Book People Richmond
View the audiobookKids picks
The Star That Always Stays
“Interesting perspective for this YA/teen historical fiction read. The main character is part native and white, but society and her family don’t want her to speak of her estranged father’s heritage. She has to navigate her new blended family when her mother remarries a wealthy and kind man. She attends a new school and faces the challenge of not exactly looking like the other girls and what it takes to be popular, to be in a romantic relationship and the like. This is a sweet read and I think most people will empathize with the main character’s struggles and ideals.”
— Kelly, Beyond Words Bookshop
View the audiobookCheck out other audiobooks by Anna Rose Johnson.
Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids
“This insightful book of short stories weaves together experiences from young Native kids as they attend the intertribal Dance for Mother Earth Powwow in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Middle Grade kids to adults can recognize something relatable with each character and enjoy the ‘Easter eggs’ in each story that hold the tapestry together.”
— Liz, Caprichos Books
View the audiobookCheck out other audiobooks by Cynthia Leitich Smith.
The Barren Grounds (The Misewa Saga, Book 1)
“Morgan and Eli are two foster siblings who just can’t seem to get along, or fit in at school, home, or really anywhere except for Morgan’s fantasy novels and Eli’s sketchbooks. When Morgan invites Eli to her hideout in the attic, they find that his drawings create a portal to another world of cold and ice even more intense than their home of Winnipeg, Canada. So many questions arise: Who–or what–are the creatures lurking in the frozen world beyond? Is this where Morgan comes from? Can they save Askí from an everlasting winter? and will they get back home before their foster parents notice they’re missing? Their thrilling, funny, and heartwarming adventure serves not only as a way to maybe save Misewa, but too to reconnect to their culture, their past, and to one another.”
— Cat, Oxford Exchange
View the audiobookCheck out other The Misewa Saga series.