My Place Among Them - by J Stanion

Book Synopsis

2024 Silver Medal Global Book Award for Cultural Heritage Fiction

2024 Pencraft Award for Best Book for Fiction - Cultural

Finalist, 2023 Laramie Book Awards novel competition for Americana Fiction

Finalist, 2023 Goethe Book Awards novel competition for Post-1750s Historical Fiction

2023 BREW Fiction Book Excellence Awards for Political Fiction of the Year

2023 NYC Big Book Award Winner for Cultural Heritage

2023 Outstanding Creator Awards Top 25 Ranked Non-Fiction Books

Second Place, 2023 Incipere Book Award for Historical Clean category

2023 HFC "Highly Recommended" 5-Star Award

Found alive after the massacre at Wounded Knee, twelve-year-old John Iron Horse is determined not to end up like so many others of his people. Then he learns the motto of the school he's required to attend: "Kill the Indian, save the man."

Carter Heath teaches in the government-run educational system and knows there's more to his position than what's happening in his classroom. He'll soon learn that, in bureaucracy, politics, money, and ulterior motives are always intertwined.

Can the bond between an extraordinary student and a dedicated teacher survive in a world that pits red man against white?

Review Quotes

"The novel's evocative prose and meticulous attention to detail create a vivid backdrop for a tale that is as compelling as it is thought-provoking. The content of the book is engaging and well-researched as well as offers readers a closer look into a period that is often romanticized yet seldom understood in its full complexity. The writing style is both lyrical and accessible, which is a pleasure to read." -Ivy Simms, The Chrysalis BREW Project

"My Place Among Them by J. Stanion is a beautiful story of resilience . . . that will move readers, and it is enhanced with the inclusion of pictures from the author's family. . . . Readers will find [the prose] easy to understand, and the style of writing combined with the plot line creates excellent pacing. . . . This book looks closely at the wrongs that many indigenous people . . . suffered at the hands of white bureaucracy. It is certainly difficult to address, but Stanion does so in a way that makes the reader feel as though it is getting the recognition and acknowledgment that it should receive in an honest way. . . .

"The beautiful story told within My Place Among Them, combined with the in-depth research and beautiful prose of the author, earns this book a five out of five rating. It is incredibly well done, and Stanion has . . . created a touching novel that [does] . . . indigenous history justice. Readers of all walks, not just those who enjoy historical fiction, will find My Place Among Them to be a worthwhile read." -The Historical Fiction Company Five-Star Review, Highly Recommended

". . .a riveting read of conflict and resistance, hardships and perseverance, acceptance, and the personal element of loves lost and found. A real page-turner!" -Madelyn Rohrer, Author of Numerous Books, including Children of the Edict

"Those readers who enjoy stories of Indians and the Old West will find this a well-written, most enjoyable read." -Bud Shapard, Retired from the Bureau of Indian Affairs after Twenty Years of Service, Author of Two Nonfiction Books about Apache Indians and Three Novels about the Old West

"Based on tales from the author's great-grandfather, this close look at Indigenous people, a concerned White teacher, and a promising Lakota student required to attend a government school shows history that isn't taught in schoolbooks." -B. Lynn Goodwin, Owner of Writer Advice, Author of Talent and Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62

". . . an intimate portrayal of a period in our history when good men believed they knew best, bad men did their worst, and naïve, proud men couldn't tell the difference. The tragic becomes provocative as we see how many shades of gray colored the true story behind the fate of the Indigenous people of America." -Fran Lebowitz, Editor