Hearts Unbroken

Okay, wow. I don’t even know where to start with this review. First, I’ll start by saying this book is a must read. I give it six out of five stars!I learned about this book because it appeared on a Native romance by Native writers list, and that’s currently my obsession. I want to read all the Native romance, y’all! However, to me, this book isn’t a romance. It’s a YA coming-of-age story. Still, I loved it so much I didn’t even care.The story follows Lou, a Muscogee Creek girl, who is a high school senior. She’s relatively new to the school and joins the school paper to explore her interest in journalism and perhaps make some friends.The drama really begins in this suburban Kansas high school when the new theater director decides to do a production of Wizard of Oz (a Kansas favorite) and casts the play based solely on the talent of the actors. As a result the play will feature a Black student playing Dorothy, a Latino student playing Scarecrow, and a Muscogee Creek student (Lou’s brother) playing Tin Man.Some (white) parents and students complain, they start a group (PART - Parents Against Revisionist Theater) calling for a return to the “traditional” method of casting. They petition, they pressure the school, they threaten the jobs of the teachers, and some resort to far worse tactics of intimidation.It’s in this environment where Lou finds herself trying to finish high school, fall in love, stay close with her friends, support her family, confront bullying, and fight racism using her platform with the school paper.Cynthia Leitich Smith masterfully handles the politics of race, the realities of racism, and the emotional toll it takes or people of color. Throughout the story, we see so many instances of casual racism, needling microaggressions that, while not as brutal as the acts of overt racism, take a huge and cumulative emotional toll.Our main character is a smart young woman who witnesses every one of these offenses, often silently absorbing them, knowing she’s expected to grin and bear it. So she chooses her battles, letting some things go while taking a stand on others.One of my favorite things about the book is that none of the characters are perfect. Even as Lou holds people accountable for their racism toward Natives, she puts her foot in her mouth and says some racist things about others.But she learns from that experience, and she grows. And so do many in this Kansas community, when their eyes are opened to the racism that their friends and neighbors face every day.In the end, the book is about hope for a future where we will listen, learn, and grow as individuals and communities to fight bullying and racism. It’s a message of hope that a new generation will see the world with eyes wide open to the things their parents didn’t want to see.It’s a beautiful message, wonderfully written. If you’re looking for something to read this week, this is the perfect Thanksgiving read.

If you're looking for a YA romance (high school) with a non-white or mainstream protagonist, this is your book. Because if you're looking for that kind of experience, you're not likely to be put off by the foregrounding of Lou and her brother's Muscogee heritage in every relationship.But be forewarned, the harassment they experience seems to go a bit too far to someone like me growing up white in a big city suburb in the midwest-- things like the graffiti on their house or the level of influence a small band of parents wreak on the school don't ring true.But maybe in other parts of the country it would ring true. Also throughout the book Lou keeps info about her heritage from her love interest-- himself a mixed race person potentially at risk for harassment due to ethnic background-- and it was very hard to suspend disbelief he didn't know or couldn't figure it out.Very hard.So their conflict felt way manufactured.However, this book isn't one to read if you're looking for a juicy YA romance. It's one to read to be exposed to how First Nations folks might encounter ways in which mainstream culture is complicated-- like Lou's brother having to decide how to come to terms with being cast in a play by L. Frank Baum when Baum had a terrible history of outspoken anti-Native American sentiments.I do wish for a little more of the YA emotional development in terms of relationships to balance the main harassment conflicts, but a good book for young readers.

When I talk with Native readers about HEARTS UNBROKEN, their love for it is front and center. Adults tell me they wish they had it with they were in school because the things Louise experiences are ones they went through, too. Teen readers hold it close because they feel seen--and loved--by Cynthia Leitich Smith's novel.With that in mind, it is unsettling to see reviews that cast doubt on the quality or content of the book.Some think it has "too much" and that makes it not realistic. That sort of response reflects an ignorance or unawareness of Native life. When I think about popular and classic books where the writer provides details of life of a white girl/family, and how readers cherish those details, I am dismayed that a similar embrace isn't extended to books about the lives of kids from underrepresented populations.That rejection may also reflect a rejection of who we are--for real--and a wish for romantic, inaccurate, and stereotypical stories that don't discomfort a readers expectations.Stories like HEARTS UNBROKEN are crucial to the well-being of Native and non-Native teens!So--let's take a look at it.We can start with these facts:1) Native peoples live across the US, not just on reservations.2) Your local school may have Native students in it--but because they don't "look like an Indian" (stereotypical way of thinking about us), you may not know they're there.3) We have culture (languages, stories, traditions, etc) that are unique to our specific nations--but another thing most people do not know is that we are NATIONS. The US government did not make treaties with other minority populations -- but they did with Native peoples because we were nations before the US was a nation.4) Because we're nations, we have jurisdiction over some crimes that happen on our lands (complicated, but important info!) and we are citizens of our nations. That's a sticky one for most people who tend to conflate the identity of ones parents with the person's tribal identity. Who your parents matter is important. It plays a role, for sure, but think about it this way. If you have a parent who was born in the US and a parent who was born in France, and YOU are born in the US, you are a citizen of the US. According to your family tree, you are "half French" but that means nothing when we're talking about your citizenship.All of that is known to Native kids.For them, Smith reflects their knowledge right away. In HEARTS UNBROKEN, Lou, is a citizen of the Muscogee Creek Nation. When the story opens, she's with her boyfriend, Cam, who declares that he's part Cherokee. That right there is something Native people hear all the time. Once we note our identity to someone, that someone often replies with "Oh! I am part Cherokee!" They aren't really--that's a family story that ultimately has no meaning (think about, for example, Elizabeth Warren).I've got more to say but this review is getting a bit long. In short: if you're interested in Native people--listen to Native readers. This book is a big hit with us.