The Beadworkers, now in a beautiful new paperback edition, is a genre-defying reader and a welcome and moving addition to the swelling canon of Native American writing-and of American writing at large.Longlisted for the Aspen Words 2020 Literary Prize, The Beadworkers also received strong support from contemporaries like Louise Erdrich, Tommy Orange, and othersFor fans of Terese Marie Mailhot's Heart Berries, Graywolf's New Poets of Native Nations anthology, and Tommy Orange's There There, as well as for fans of Rachel Cusk and Amy HempelPiatote is an associate professor at UC Berkeley, and hails from the Nez Perce Chief Joseph Band (inland Pacific Northwest); tour will focus on the PNBA and NCIBA regions and include bookstores, libraries, cultural centers, and reservations (WA, OR, ID, MT, CA, and NV)Praise from Librarians and Booksellers
"Beth Piatote's collection is a stunning debut. The variety of forms that her writing takes is audacious, and the skill with which she pulls it all off is enviable. Each story is filled with insight and empathy, and the book as a whole is both moving and invigorating. This is a writer to watch. The Beadworkers is the best short story collection I've read this year." -Keith Mosman, Powell's Books (Portland, OR) "Piatote's stories seem to somehow tenderly pull no punches. There are people who seem to think Native Americans and their cultures are something of the past, but they'd be incorrect-Natives are alive and well, rightly reclaiming their traditions and challenging the effects of colonization. The Beadworkers shows just a few examples of that, whether quiet or loud, and so much more-unbreakable family ties as well as untethered ones, strained friendships, and unpredictable romances. This collection feels like a warm, tough (yet soft) rebellion, and each story speaks volumes all on its own." -Andrew King, University Book Store (Seattle, WA)
