November is Native American Heritage Month, which is a great excuse to read and buy books by Indigenous authors. Below, I’ve highlighted a few books by Indigenous authors that check off tasks in the 2026 Read Harder Challenge, including Indigenous books about resistance, a Native American cookbook, and a Two-Spirit picture book.
(I’ve included authors from either side of the Canada/U.S. border, given how many Indigenous nations cross over that arbitrary colonial line.)
Task #4: Read a novel with a main character who uses they/them pronouns
Rabbit Chase by Elizabeth LaPensée and K.C. Oster
This is a nonbinary, Anishinaabe graphic novel take on Alice in Wonderland! When Aimée wanders off during a school trip to avoid the bullying they’ve faced since coming out, they are transported into another world full of traditional Anishinaabe figures. To get back home, Aimée has to help Trickster hunt down dark water spirits and avoid the land-grabbing Queen and her robots. —Danika Ellis
Task #5: Read a nonfiction book about resistance
We Survived the Night by Julian Brave NoiseCat
Julian Brave NoiseCat grew up with a Secwépemc and St’at’imc father and a non-Native mother. But when his father disappeared, NoiseCat threw himself into studying Native history. In We Survived the Night, NoiseCat presents the history of First Peoples across the centuries as they face ongoing colonization and press forward toward a better future. —Kendra Winchester
All Access members, read on for more.
Task #12: Read/try a recipe from a cookbook about a culture whose food you’ve never eaten
The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman and Beth Dooley
Sherman is an Oglala Lakota man who goes by the name Sioux Chef. (Get it?) He leaves all European ingredients out—no flour, sugar, or dairy; frybread is deliberately not featured. Instead, Sherman provides recipes that modernize traditional food from the Dakotas and Minnesota region. Highlights include cedar-braised bison, amaranth crackers with smoked white bean paste, roasted corn sorbet, and hazelnut-maple bites. —Aimee Miles
Task #13: Read a nonfiction comic
500 Years of Indigenous Resistance by Gord Hill
When 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance was first published in 2010, it was regarded as groundbreaking. Now, in the revised and expanded edition, this history of activism and resistance is more powerful than ever. Author and artist Gord Hill explores everything from Spanish conquest in South America to the Oka Crisis. With strong illustrations, this book is a testament to the strength of Indigenous resistance. —River H. Kero
Task #16: Read a queer picture book
47,000 Beads by Koja Adeyoha, Angel Adeyoha, and Holly McGillis
As far as I can tell, this was the first picture book with a Two-Spirit main character, and it’s written by Two-Spirit authors. Peyton used to love dancing at pow wows, but has become uncomfortable wearing the traditional dress. Her family recognize this struggle and come together to prepare a gift to show Peyton that she’s accepted and to teach her about what being Two-Spirit means. Nine years after 47,000 Beads was published, there are still very few Two-Spirit children’s books, but this one is a gem. —Danika Ellis
Task #20: Read a book set in space
Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction edited by Joshua Whitehead
Love After the End is a collection of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer speculative fiction stories. Joshua Whitehead’s introduction is thought-provoking and informed by the theory he studies. Love After the End is also focused much more on dystopias, especially the idea of humans evacuating a dying Earth. This is a fascinating read, because space travel is often written from an uncritical colonial perspective. This collection has a very different approach to travel and to leaving Earth. Also, there’s a love story between a genius cyborg rat and a human teenager, so there’s that! —Danika Ellis
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