Book description
As war overtakes the frontier, Emma's family farmstead is attacked by Dakota-Sioux warriors; on that same prairie, Oenikika desperately tries to hold on to her calling as a healer and follow the orders of her father, Chief Little Crow. When the war is over and revenge-fueled war trials begin, each…
Why read it?
1 author picked Dovetails in Tall Grass as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
I loved the way the author alternates from the points of view of two young women in Minnesota, Oenikika, a Dakota Indian, and Emma, a white settler, giving me new insight into the limitations imposed on women by two very different patriarchal cultures. I identified with the heroines’ struggles to find a mission in life beyond marriage and motherhood, sympathizing with Emma’s desire to become a teacher and Oenikika’s quest for recognition as a healer.
Although the terrible events of the 1862 war between native Indians and white settlers were deeply disturbing, I was inspired by the way in which…
From Barbara's list on The best books about courageous women facing seemingly insuperable odds.
If you love Dovetails in Tall Grass...
December on 5C4
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…
Want books like Dovetails in Tall Grass?
Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Dovetails in Tall Grass.
Share your top 3 reads of 2026!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
181
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like Dovetails in Tall Grass, you might also like...
Sexy Selfie Nation
The problem is not with the actions young women take but with the toxic, sexist conditions they are responding to.
Tanenbaum found, based on six years of interviews with young people ages 14-30, that young women are navigating a culture littered with gendered dress codes, revenge porn, and sexually explicit…
In This Together
In This Together explores how we can harness our social networks to make a real impact fighting the climate crisis. Against notions of the lone environmental crusader, Marianne E. Krasny shows us the power of "network climate action"—the idea that our own ordinary acts can influence and inspire those close…
