Where the Dead Sit Talking is the third book by Brandon Hobson, a writer and professor who is also an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation Tribe of Oklahoma. The novel tells the story of a 15-year-old Cherokee boy named Sequoyah, who entered the foster care system in the late 1980s after his single mother went to jail. Displaced and bearing both physical and emotional scars from his mother’s years of substance abuse, Sequoyah floated from home to home in rural Oklahoma. Eventually Sequoyah got placed with the Troutt family, who also fostered a troubled 17-year-old Native artist named Rosemary. The two teenagers connected over their Native heritage, and Sequoyah grew increasingly fascinated with Rosemary. But tragedy ultimately undercut his developing feelings, leaving Sequoyah lost in the world once again. Where the Dead Sit Talking powerfully explores themes related to home, identity, displacement, and intergenerational trauma. Many critics and writers lauded the novel when it appeared in 2018. Both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews gave the novel highly coveted starred reviews. In addition to winning the Reading the West Book Award, the novel was a finalist for several major awards, including the 2018 National Book Award for Fiction.

Purchase

Go to BN.com to get your copy of these helpful resources.

Where the Dead Sit Talking

 
Buy Now
  • View all Available Study Guides