Greensboro's One City, One Book selection for 2021 is There There by Native American author Tommy Orange. Save the date! Tommy Orange will talk about his book in-person on Thursday, November 18, 2021. The location for this author visit will be at The Terrace, Greensboro Coliseum Complex 1921 West Gate City Boulevard Greensboro, North Carolina 27403.

There There is a stunning debut novel that follows twelve characters from Native communities as they all travel to the Big Oakland Powwow. With a common history these voices share the plight of the urban Native American with unflinching focus.

Tommy Orange was born and raised in Oakland, California and is a graduate of the MFA program at the Institute of American Indian Arts. He is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, the son of a white mother and Native father. Like many of the characters in his book, the author considers himself an “urban Indian.”

There There serves to dispel the historical image of Native Americans as headdress wearing, Reservation dwellers by including modern technologies and contemporary behavior. Readers will see that there are many ways to be authentic, displaying a dynamic range of ways to be that are still acceptable as “Native.”

Praised by media and fellow authors alike, There There is one of the New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Winner of the Pen/Hemingway Award. For most readers the depiction of modern day Native Americans will be a stark departure from traditional stereotypes.

One City, One Book is supported and funded by the Greensboro Public Library Foundation. The Foundation provides funding beyond public funds to enhance the facilities, services, book collections, and other materials of the Library.