Michael Dorris Books In Order

Standalone Novels In Publication Order

  1. A Yellow Raft in Blue Water (1987)
  2. The Crown of Columbus (With: Louise Erdrich) (1991)
  3. Sees Behind Trees (1996)
  4. The Window (With: Ken Robbins) (1997)
  5. Cloud Chamber (1997)

Short Stories/Novellas In Publication Order

  1. Morning Girl (1990)

Collections In Publication Order

  1. Working Men: Stories (1993)

Non-Fiction Books In Publication Order

  1. Guide to Research on North American Indians (1983)
  2. The Broken Cord (1989)
  3. Route Two (With: Louise Erdrich) (1990)
  4. Rooms in the House of Stone: The “Thistle” Series of Essays (1993)
  5. Paper Trail (1994)
  6. Guests (1995)
  7. The Most Wonderful Books: Writers on Discovering the Pleasures of Reading (1997)

Standalone Novels Book Covers

Short Stories/Novellas Book Covers

Collections Book Covers

Non-Fiction Book Covers

Michael Dorris Books Overview

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water

Michael Dorris has crafted a fierce saga of three generations of Indian women, beset by hardships and torn by angry secrets, yet inextricably joined by the bonds of kinship. Starting in the present day and moving backward, the novel is told in the voices of the three women: fifteen year old part black Rayona; her American Indian mother, Christine, consumed by tenderness and resentment toward those she loves; and the fierce and mysterious Ida, mother and grandmother whose haunting secrets, betrayals, and dreams echo through the years, braiding together the strands of the shared past.

The Crown of Columbus (With: Louise Erdrich)

In their only fully collaborative literary work, Michael Dorris and Louise Erdrich have written a gripping novel of history, suspense, recovery, and new beginnings. The Crown of Columbus chronicles the adventures of a pair of mismatched lovers Vivian Twostar, a divorced, pregnant anthropologist, and Roger Williams, a consummate academic, epic poet, and bewildered father of Vivian’s baby on their quest for the truth about Christopher Columbus and themselves. When Vivian uncovers what is presumed to be the most diary of Christopher Columbus, she and Roger are drawn into a journey from icy New Hampshire to the idyllic Caribbean in search of ‘the greatest treasure of Europe.’ Lured by the wild promise of redeeming the past, they are plunged into a harrowing race against time and death that threatens and finally changes their lives. A rollicking tale of adventure, The Crown of Columbus is also contemporary love story and a tender examination of parenthood and passion.

Sees Behind Trees

The best adolescent fiction offers more than an escape from teenage turmoil; it instructs as it entertains, giving young readers a view into lives fictional though they may be outside their own. Without sentimentality or preachiness but with clear awareness of this power, Michael Dorris tells the story of Walnut, a young Native American boy. Because Walnut can t see well, he has difficulty meeting the challenges, especially feats of skill with bow and arrow, that prove he is ready to receive a new name and become an adult. When a sympathetic uncle invents a new contest to ‘ see what can t be seen,’ the boy’s other senses bring success and earn him the name Sees Behind Trees. Dorris could easily stop there, but he nudges the youngster onward through a series of trials that show adulthood is about more than getting there. Ages 8 and up

The Window (With: Ken Robbins)

In his first contemporary book for young readers, Michael Dorris introduces readers to 11 year old Rayona Taylor part black, part Indian and shows the events that shaped this unforgettable young woman. After being placed in foster care, Rayona goes to live with her Kentucky relatives, in this novel about betrayal, forgiveness, and the unbreakable bonds of family.

Cloud Chamber

Ten years after his ‘dazzling’ San Francisco Chronicle, ‘unforgettable’ Newsday bestselling debut novel, A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, Michael Dorris returns to the family at the core of that work to write the rich score of the ‘full blown, complex opera of his new novel, Cloud Chamber‘ Robb Forman Dew. Opening in late nineteenth century Ireland and moving to Kentucky and finally to the high plains of Montana, Cloud Chamber tells the extraordinary tale of Rose Mannion and her descendants. Over a period of more than one hundred years, Rose’s legacy of love and betrayal is passed down from generation to generation until it meets the promise of reconciliation in Rayona, the indomitable part black, part Native American teenage girl at the center of A Yellow Raft in Blue Water. Cloud Chamber is truly a tour de force, a powerful, rich tale about the energy and persistence of love.

Morning Girl

A peaceful, tropical world is the setting for Morning Girl, a simple yet rich glimpse into the lives of a young sister and brother. Morning Girl and Star Boy grapple with timeless, universal issues such as experiencing simultaneous anger and love toward family members and the quest to discover the true self. As all siblings do, these children respond to, play off of, and learn from each other. Precisely where Morning Girl and Star Boy are growing up is not revealed, but it’s clearly a place where the residents have no modern amenities. Living in harmony with nature is a necessary priority here, and given the descriptive names of the characters a Native Indian culture seems likely. But not until the epilogue do readers discover that the story takes place in 1492. Suddenly we realize that the strange looking visitors Morning Girl welcomes to shore are not as harmless as they may appear. The excerpt from Christopher Columbus’s journal provides an ominous footnote: these gentle people, who seem so very much like us, will not be permitted their idyllic existence much longer.

Working Men: Stories

A new collection of short fiction by the award winning author of The Broken Cord presents fourteen incisive stories that bring to life colorful, meticulously detailed characters who speak in a rich variety of voices.Tour.

The Broken Cord

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Michael Dorris’ story of his adopted son Adam, born with fetal alcohol syndrome FAS, explores the enormous scope of the disease and parallels one father’s endless battle to overcome the problem. From the author of A Yellow Raft in Blue Water.

Route Two (With: Louise Erdrich)

This book was a joint effort by a husband and wife who wrote marvelously together but their life as a couple ended in tragedy when Michael killed himself. Louise made original drawings for the book.

Paper Trail

A collection of essays by the author of The Broken Cord explores a diverse range of topics, including children’s rights, native American issues, multicultural scholarship, literature, and international affairs.Tour.

Guests

Introduce your students to these award winning books with these engagin teaching guides. Each guide includes an author biography, background information, summaries, thought provoking discussion questions, as well as creative, cross curricular activities and reproducibles that motivate students. For use with Grades 4 8.

The Most Wonderful Books: Writers on Discovering the Pleasures of Reading

Most people can remember the first book they really loved or the person a teacher, a parent, a librarian who showed them how words could make magic. These are the memories that 57 of today’s best writers share in The Most Wonderful Books the stories, the experiences, and the people that made them lifelong readers.

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