The most recommended Navajo books

Who picked these books? Meet our 24 experts.

24 authors created a book list connected to the Navajo, and here are their favorite Navajo books.
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Fiction Nonfiction New books
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Native American Indigenous Mystery Detective Police procedural History Biography & autobiography Western Mining Military War American Thriller Foreign language study Nuclear warfare
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Indian tribal police Joe Leaphorn Native Americans in the United States New Mexico Jim Chee Police Code talker Health Navajo Nation Radiation Marines Criminal investigation World War II Southwestern United States Cryptography
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New books Fiction Nonfiction Native American Indigenous Mystery Detective Police procedural Indian tribal police Joe Leaphorn Native Americans in the United States Adult Children Middle school

Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code

By Joseph Bruchac, Liz Amini-Holmes (illustrator),

Book cover of Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker's Story

Mara Rockliff Author Of Doctor Esperanto and the Language of Hope

From the list on picture books about languages.

By Mara Rockliff Author

Who am I?

I am a children’s author best known for digging up fascinating, often funny stories about famous people—and forgotten people who deserve to be famous again. But only one of them inspired me to take up a whole new hobby: L. L. Zamenhof, creator of the international language Esperanto. Learning Esperanto turned out to be fun and easy. It helped me make friends all over the world, and got me interested in how language works.

Mara's book list on picture books about languages

Book cover of The Book Rescuer: How a Mensch from Massachusetts Saved Yiddish Literature for Generations to Come Book cover of Moses Goes to School Book cover of The Language of Angels: The Reinvention of Hebrew Book cover of Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker's Story Book cover of The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story

Why did Mara love this book?

If I had to recommend just one picture book about languages, I’d choose this one, because it does so much. First, of course, it shares a long-secret episode in American history—the triumph of the Navajo “code talkers” in World War II. (Not the first time bilingual heroes came to our country’s rescue: see my own picture book Gingerbread for Liberty! How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution.)  But this book also addresses language justice in a way that kids will find easy to understand. Through Chester, we feel the pain and confusion of being told one’s own language is “bad” and worthless, and the pride of having it finally treated with respect. We also see how language isn’t just a set of words, but carries culture, tradition, religion, a whole way of life.   

Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code

By Joseph Bruchac, Liz Amini-Holmes (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A Junior Library Guild Selection April 2018
2018 Cybils Award Finalist, Elementary Non-Fiction
BRLA 2018 Southwest Book Award
2019 Southwest Books of the Year: Kid Pick
2020 Grand Canyon Award, Nonfiction Nominee
2020-2021 Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award Master List

STARRED REVIEW! "A perfect, well-rounded historical story that will engage readers of all ages. A perfect, well-rounded historical story that will engage readers of all ages."―Kirkus Reviews starred review

As a young Navajo boy, Chester Nez had to leave the reservation and attend boarding school, where he was taught that his native language and culture were useless. But Chester refused…

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Dineh

By Ida Maze, Yermiyahu Ahron Taub (translator),

Book cover of Dineh: An Autobiographical Novel

Ellen Cassedy Author Of Working 9 to 5: A Women's Movement, a Labor Union, and the Iconic Movie

From Ellen's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

By Ellen Cassedy Author

Who am I?

Author Women’s rights activist Memoirist Translator from yiddish Reader

Ellen's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Book cover of Knocking on Labor's Door: Union Organizing in the 1970s and the Roots of a New Economic Divide Book cover of Dineh: An Autobiographical Novel Book cover of When I Grow Up: The Lost Autobiographies of Six Yiddish Teenagers

Why did Ellen love this book?

Dineh took me inside the experience of a young girl growing up in the “Fiddler on the Roof” world at the turn of the 20th Century.

Like James Joyce’s Dubliners, it begins in the mindset of a very young child whose world gradually opens up and opens out as she grows up. The book is chock-full of everyday life -- details about household tasks, farm animals, and country landscapes --  and also teeming with family drama and the pressures of the larger world.

My favorite scene is reflected on the book’s cover. A tree growing beside the girl’s bedroom is so close that in summer, the branches grow right into the room, bringing the natural world right into her dreams.

Dineh

By Ida Maze, Yermiyahu Ahron Taub (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dineh as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Available in English translation for the first time, Dineh, posthumously published, is an autobiographical Yiddish-language novel by Ida Maze (1893-1962). Dineh is a pastorale laced with beauty and sorrow and a bildungsroman told from the point of view of a young girl. Living in what is now Belarus, Maze's eponymous heroine is fuelled by her hunger for learning, connection to family and community, and love of the natural world.

Maze interweaves Dineh's story with portraits of others, chiefly women and girls, in her community. We meet the mysterious seamstress Shprintse; Beyle, who leaves home to work as a maidservant in…

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Wastelanding

By Traci Brynne Voyles,

Book cover of Wastelanding: Legacies of Uranium Mining in Navajo Country

Bruce E. Johansen Author Of Resource Devastation on Native American Lands: Toxic Earth, Poisoned People

From the list on Native Americans and lethal uranium mining.

By Bruce E. Johansen Author

Who am I?

I retired in 2019 after 38 years of teaching journalism, environmental studies, and Native American Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. About half of my employment time was set aside for writing and editing as part of several endowed professorships I held sequentially between 1990 and 2018. After 2000, climate change (global warming) became my lead focus because of the urgency of the issue and the fact that it affects everyone on Earth. As of 2023, I have written and published 56 books, with about one-third of them on global warming. I have had an intense interest in weather and climate all my life.

Bruce's book list on Native Americans and lethal uranium mining

Book cover of Wastelanding: Legacies of Uranium Mining in Navajo Country Book cover of Yellow Dirt: A Poisoned Land and the Betrayal of the Navajos Book cover of Oil Sparks in the Amazon: Local Conflicts, Indigenous Populations, and Natural Resources Book cover of The Navajo People and Uranium Mining Book cover of If You Poison Us: Uranium & Native Americans

Why did Bruce love this book?

While several other books describe uranium’s effects on the Navajos and other Native American peoples from individual effects of exposure and death, Wastelanding is strongest in building a strong case that all of these individual efforts constitute a clear case that environmental racism, as well as colonization, and gender discrimination, combine with the United States’ hunger for uranium in a new atomic age to make victims of people who had lived in the areas for millennia while leaving the uranium in the ground, which is exactly where the people decided it should stay.

Wastelanding

By Traci Brynne Voyles,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Wastelanding as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Wastelanding tells the history of the uranium industry on Navajo land in the U.S. Southwest, asking why certain landscapes and the peoples who inhabit them come to be targeted for disproportionate exposure to environmental harm. Uranium mines and mills on the Navajo Nation land have long supplied U.S. nuclear weapons and energy programs. By 1942, mines on the reservation were the main source of uranium for the top-secret Manhattan Project. Today, the Navajo Nation is home to more than a thousand abandoned uranium sites. Radiation-related diseases are endemic, claiming the health and lives of former miners and nonminers alike.

Traci…

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Skinwalkers

By Tony Hillerman,

Book cover of Skinwalkers

R Lawson Gamble Author Of The Other

From the list on paranormal and Native American mysticism mystery.

By R Lawson Gamble Author

Who am I?

I am, and always have been, stimulated by a spiritual connection to my world beyond the laws of physics and men. My hiking, climbing, and trail running have taken me to breathless places imbued with auras and presences I don’t understand but readily accept. And I am filled with the same spirituality when performing or listening to music. I have no ego to shun that which I don’t understand, for I know there is so much beyond me. Some authors describe this intangible better than others in their stories; I hope I am among the former.

R Lawson's book list on paranormal and Native American mysticism mystery

Book cover of Riders of the Purple Sage Book cover of The Round House Book cover of The Californios: A Novel Book cover of Skinwalkers Book cover of Magpie Speaks

Why did R Lawson love this book?

I have long been intrigued by the concept of shapeshifters, particularly the Navajo Skinwalker, a practitioner of spiritual arts who can learn to transform into another species while in pursuit of a particular end. I am not alone,  judging from all the ancient legends around the globe. Even today, depictions of shapeshifters are found in literature and on film in many guises. Tony Hillerman takes a deep dive into Navajo lore in this early novel with a close encounter with a suspected “yee naaldlooshii”. Feel the hair rise on your neck!

Skinwalkers

By Tony Hillerman,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Skinwalkers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Don’t Miss the AMC television series, Dark Winds, based on the Leaphorn, Chee, & Manuelito novels, coming this summer! 

From New York Times bestselling author Tony Hillerman, Skinwalkers is the seventh novel featuring Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee—a riveting tale of sorcery, secrets, and murder.

Three shotgun blasts rip through the side of Officer Jim Chee’s trailer as the Navajo Tribal Policeman sleeps. He survives, but the inexplicable attack has raised disturbing questions about a lawman once beyond reproach.

Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn wonders why Chee was a target and what connection the assault has to a series of…

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A Thief of Time

By Tony Hillerman,

Book cover of A Thief of Time

Stephen Allten Brown Author Of Stealing Picasso

From the list on taking you to unexpected places.

By Stephen Allten Brown Author

Who am I?

I have always loved history and art. Combining the two makes perfect sense and provides the inspiration to keep writing. I can spend hours in a museum, just soaking up the magic in Impressionist paintings. I never get tired of researching the artists or their paintings, and I relish the unexpected discoveries. 

Stephen's book list on taking you to unexpected places

Book cover of 1984 Book cover of Gorky Park Book cover of Noble House Book cover of The Edge Book cover of A Thief of Time

Why did Stephen love this book?

I was inspired by his descriptions. He captures the ethos of a place, the unique attributes that elevate mere locations to sensory experiences. I use the five senses as a guideline when writing descriptions. Tony Hillerman can place the reader in the scene, and I’m inspired to accomplish the same thing.

A Thief of Time

By Tony Hillerman,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked A Thief of Time as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Don’t miss the TV series, Dark Winds, based on the Leaphorn, Chee, & Manuelito novels, now on AMC and AMC+!  

“All of Tony Hillerman’s Navajo tribal police novels have been brilliant, but A Thief of Time is flat-out marvelous.”—USA Today

From New York Times bestselling author Tony Hillerman, A Thief of Time is the eighth novel featuring Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee as they find themselves in hot pursuit of a depraved killer.

At a moonlit Indian ruin where "thieves of time" ravage sacred ground in the name of profit, a noted anthropologist vanishes while on the verge…

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Magpie Speaks

By R. Allen Chappell,

Book cover of Magpie Speaks

R Lawson Gamble Author Of The Other

From the list on paranormal and Native American mysticism mystery.

By R Lawson Gamble Author

Who am I?

I am, and always have been, stimulated by a spiritual connection to my world beyond the laws of physics and men. My hiking, climbing, and trail running have taken me to breathless places imbued with auras and presences I don’t understand but readily accept. And I am filled with the same spirituality when performing or listening to music. I have no ego to shun that which I don’t understand, for I know there is so much beyond me. Some authors describe this intangible better than others in their stories; I hope I am among the former.

R Lawson's book list on paranormal and Native American mysticism mystery

Book cover of Riders of the Purple Sage Book cover of The Round House Book cover of The Californios: A Novel Book cover of Skinwalkers Book cover of Magpie Speaks

Why did R Lawson love this book?

R. Allen Chappell’s novel resonates with me from the reality of his depiction of life among the Navajo, reflecting his personal familiarity with the people. His protagonists portray diverse, very human characters with all their inherent weaknesses and strengths, tested by the hard life on the Rez. In Magpie Speaks, Charlie Yazzie’s unflappably grounded outlook balances Paul T’Sosi ’s immersive belief in the old ways, a traditional way of thinking that permits the existence of witches who can cause him harm with their supernatural powers. His depiction of Harley Ponyboy, a sometime drunk (“just because I’m drinking now doesn’t make me a drunk”) is both sympathetic and alarming to me. Chappell’s characters are real.

Magpie Speaks

By R. Allen Chappell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Magpie Speaks as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Dreams tell old man Paul T’Sosi he’s dying. So why is Navajo trickster, Magpie, trying to tell him a far more terrifying secret? Hungry for revenge, Ma’iitsoh Dine’, the Navajo Wolf, is out for blood. Summoning his darkest powers, the Witch of Ganado circles tribal investigator Charlie Yazzie’s young son. Some may survive the witch’s evil vendetta, but others will die to settle an old score. The unexpected happens when a woman from the past re-emerges to take control in this fast paced thriller critics now hail as the best yet of Chappell’s sensational new southwestern mystery series.

Critics describe…

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Healer of the Water Monster

By Brian Young,

Book cover of Healer of the Water Monster

Laura Shovan Author Of Welcome to Monsterville

From Laura's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

By Laura Shovan Author

Who am I?

Author Poet Avid reader Lifelong educator

Laura's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Book cover of Healer of the Water Monster Book cover of M is for Monster Book cover of The House in the Cerulean Sea

Why did Laura love this book?

This contemporary middle-grade novel is infused with Navajo culture. Protagonist Nathan is spending the summer out in the desert on his grandmother’s ancestral land.

It’s hot, dusty, and there is no running water. He’s miserable until he meets a Water Monster, whose mysterious illness is causing a decades-long drought.

This is a great quest/adventure story blended with contemporary themes about family dynamics. The storytelling is so rich that I was totally caught up in Nathan’s quest to save the Water Monster.

Healer of the Water Monster

By Brian Young,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Healer of the Water Monster as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

American Indian Youth Literature Award Winner: Best Middle Grade Book! Brian Young’s powerful debut novel tells of a seemingly ordinary Navajo boy who must save the life of a Water Monster—and comes to realize he’s a hero at heart.

When Nathan goes to visit his grandma, Nali, at her mobile summer home on the Navajo reservation, he knows he’s in for a pretty uneventful summer, with no electricity or cell service. Still, he loves spending time with Nali and with his uncle Jet, though it’s clear when Jet arrives that he brings his problems with him.

One night, while lost…

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Trail of Lightning

By Rebecca Roanhorse,

Book cover of Trail of Lightning

Brandon Crilly Author Of Catalyst

From the list on fantasy where the gods (maybe) can’t be trusted.

By Brandon Crilly Author

Who am I?

Pantheons and worship are elements of culture I’ve always found fascinating, partly from being a mostly secular person with relatives who are very religious. I read a lot of epic fantasy when I was younger that featured gods, like Erikson, and I love finding more recent works that play with how deities might affect a world, and vice versa. But I also picked some of the books below because they inject cli-fi or solarpunk into their worlds – something I’ve been adding to my second-world fantasy lately. Because why not create the same sort of aesthetic in other worlds? 

Brandon's book list on fantasy where the gods (maybe) can’t be trusted

Book cover of The Nine Book cover of Trail of Lightning Book cover of The Gutter Prayer Book cover of The Heretic's Guide to Homecoming: Book One: Theory Book cover of David Mogo Godhunter

Why did Brandon love this book?

This was the first novel by Roanhorse I ever read, after loving her short fiction. The godly aspects here are kept more to the side: this is a post-climate disaster novel with monsters and magic, and I’m a sucker for books where cli-fi aesthetics are part of the backdrop. Monster hunter Maggie carries a lot of darkness and tends to push her allies away, but that’s part of what makes her a fun and engaging character to follow. Especially when she’s bandying with a version of Coyote who’s definitely not to be trusted. 

Trail of Lightning

By Rebecca Roanhorse,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Trail of Lightning as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the Time 100 Best Fantasy Books Of All Time

2019 LOCUS AWARD WINNER, BEST FIRST NOVEL

2019 HUGO AWARD FINALIST, BEST NOVEL

Nebula Award Finalist for Best Novel

One of Bustle's Top 20 "landmark sci-fi and fantasy novels" of the decade

"Someone please cancel Supernatural already and give us at least five seasons of this badass Indigenous monster-hunter and her silver-tongued sidekick." -The New York Times

"An excitingly novel tale." -Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse and Midnight Crossroads series

"Fun, terrifying, hilarious, and brilliant." -Daniel Jose Older, New York Times bestselling…

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The Sacred Bridge

By Anne Hillerman,

Book cover of The Sacred Bridge

Tena Stetler Author Of A Witch's Journey

From the list on paranormal mystery with magic and animal rescue.

By Tena Stetler Author

Who am I?

I've been captivated with legends of witches, vampires, faeries, fae, and most magical beings since childhood. Studied and wrote about them with a mysterious twist most of my life. I spent eighteen years as a paralegal in a criminal law firm. Also animal and wildlife rescue is my passion. Working with sanctuaries gives you an up close and personal understanding of why these institutions are necessary. The first book in my second series, A Witch’s Journey, documents a witch who is passionate about animal rescue, and her efforts to build a sanctuary on her family’s enchanted land with the help of her family, friends, and a former Navy SEAL.

Tena's book list on paranormal mystery with magic and animal rescue

Book cover of Ready Player One Book cover of The Awakening Book cover of The Sacred Bridge Book cover of How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf Book cover of A Discovery of Witches

Why did Tena love this book?

I love Native American legends and lore, especially when they are done well.

This book hits all the right notes, plus the characters are well written, plus Jim Chee, a Sargent of the Navajo police in the book takes on a quest to unravel a sacred mystery. Love mysteries.

The vivid descriptions of the locations in the southwest make you feel like you are there.

Life on the Navajo Nation is depicted well, as Anne Hillerman’s father, Tony Hillerman wrote before her.  

The Sacred Bridge

By Anne Hillerman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Sacred Bridge as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Don’t miss the TV series, Dark Winds, based on the Leaphorn, Chee, & Manuelito novels, now on AMC and AMC+!  

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“A fine legacy series . . .  in the spirit of her late father, Tony.”—Booklist 

An ancient mystery resurfaces with ramifications for the present day in this gripping chapter in the Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series from New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman.

Sergeant Jim Chee’s vacation to beautiful Antelope Canyon and Lake Powell has a deeper purpose. He’s on a quest to unravel a sacred mystery his mentor, the Legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, stumbled…

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Laughing Boy

By Oliver La Farge, Wanden Lafarge Gomez,

Book cover of Laughing Boy: A Navajo Love Story

Grant Carrington Author Of Down in the Barraque

From the list on non-sci-fi that a sci-fi writer likes.

By Grant Carrington Author

Who am I?

I was a computer programmer (BA and MA in math) for several organizations, including NASA and the Savannah River Ecology Lab before retirement, went to the Clarion and Tulane SF&F Workshops, and read the slush pile for Amazing/Fantastic. I’ve done a lot of theatre as actor and lighting tech, have always liked to hike in the woods, have written 11 novels (including 3 published SF novels), had 5 plays given full production, and have 2 CDs of my original songs. In my copious spare time, I sleep.

Grant's book list on non-sci-fi that a sci-fi writer likes

Book cover of You Can't Go Home Again Book cover of Darkness at Noon Book cover of Laughing Boy: A Navajo Love Story Book cover of Beggars of Life: A Hobo Autobiography Book cover of Siddhartha

Why did Grant love this book?

LaFarge’s first novel, Laughing Boy, about the love affair between a reservation Indian and one who had been raised in a religious school, won the 1930 Pulitzer Prize. LaFarge spent much of his life fighting for Native American rights, sometimes in the “dark of Washington.” I wanted to grow up to be an Indian. I still do.

Laughing Boy

By Oliver La Farge, Wanden Lafarge Gomez,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Laughing Boy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize: “A romantic idyll played out in the rhythms and meanings of a vanished Navajo world.” —The Denver Post

Laughing Boy is a model member of his tribe. Raised in old traditions, skilled in silver work, and known for his prowess in the wild horse races, he does the Navajos of T’o Tlakai proud. But times are changing. It is 1914, and the first car has just driven into their country. Then, Laughing Boy meets Slim Girl—and despite her “American” education and the warnings of his family, he gives in to desire and marries her.
 
As…

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