Oscar Hokeah's Calling for a Blanket Dance follows Ever Geimausaddle, whose family is part Mexican, part Native American, and determined to hold on to their community even as the world keeps trying to shake it loose. When Ever’s father is beaten and permanently injured by corrupt police at the border on a trip to visit family in Mexico, his mother is left trying to keep her job and care for her husband at the same time. Ever grows up angry and unsure, in a world that keeps undermining his sense of safety.

WHY WE PICKED IT: Because Hokeah builds a whole world around one boy and lets his family speak for themselves, showing how community care looks in real life: messy, insistent, and rooted in story and tradition. This is a perfect pick if you want Indigenous and Mexican representation, multivoice storytelling, and a novel that is honest about violence and poverty but ultimately about survival and love.

DETAILS: • Author: Oscar Hokeah
• Publisher: Algonquin Books
• Format: Paperback
• Publication Date: July 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9781643753911
• Ships direct from distributor in 3–7 business days