Read the West Book Club: Yellow Bird

When Lissa Yellow Bird was released from prison in 2009, she found her home, the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota, transformed by the Bakken oil boom. In her absence, the landscape had been altered beyond recognition, her tribal government swayed by corporate interests and her community burdened by a surge in violence and addiction. When Lissa learns that a young white oil worker, Kristopher “KC” Clarke, had disappeared from his reservation worksite, she became particularly concerned. Her pursuit of Clarke is also a pursuit of redemption, as Lissa atones for her own crimes and reckons with generations of trauma. Drawing on eight years of immersive investigation, Sierra Crane Murdoch has produced a profound examination of the legacy of systemic violence inflicted on a tribal nation and a tale of extraordinary healing.  

Read the West Book Club meets monthly. Select books available for purchase in The Museum Store (15% discount for Museum members). Refreshments provided. $9, $6 for Museum members. Register by July 15.