Whereas

Whereas is a poetry collection by Layli Long Soldier that responds to the 2009 Congressional Resolution of Apology to Native Americans, which was never formally presented to tribal leaders or indigenous peoples. The book examines both personal experience and political reality through the lens of Long Soldier's Oglala Lakota heritage. The collection garnered major literary recognition upon its release in 2017, winning the National Book Critics Circle Award and the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award. It was also selected as a finalist for both the National Book Award for Poetry and the Griffin Poetry Prize. The work navigates between English and Lakota languages while exploring themes of identity, history, and official governmental language versus lived indigenous experience. Through innovative poetic forms and precise linguistic choices, Long Soldier creates spaces where past and present, personal and political intersect. The collection stands as a vital contribution to contemporary American poetry, challenging how language can either obscure or illuminate truth in the context of Native American history and modern indigenous life. The poems raise essential questions about power, responsibility, and the role of official versus personal narratives.

Readers note the book's innovative structure and its examination of language, treaties, and Native American history. Many highlight Long Soldier's ability to deconstruct official government statements and expose their underlying meanings. Readers appreciated: - The creative formatting and typographical experiments - Personal narratives woven with historical analysis - Sharp critique of government language - Exploration of identity and motherhood Common criticisms: - Dense and challenging to follow at times - Some experimental sections feel disconnected - Academic tone can be distancing Ratings: Goodreads: 4.3/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (190+ ratings) One reader commented: "The way she breaks apart language makes you question every word choice." Another noted: "Sometimes the experimental format gets in the way of understanding." The book resonates particularly with readers interested in poetry that examines political language and Indigenous perspectives.

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine This hybrid poetry collection examines racial politics and language through documentary-style fragments that mirror Long Soldier's interrogation of official versus lived experiences.

Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey The collection weaves personal history with broader historical narratives about race and identity in America, focusing on untold stories and erasures in official records.

Blood Run by Allison Hedge Coke These poems about an indigenous burial site in Iowa connect past and present through archaeological and personal lenses while exploring themes of land, heritage, and documentation.

When My Brother Was an Aztec by Natalie Diaz The poetry collection addresses indigenous identity, family relationships, and cultural history through innovative forms that blend English with indigenous language elements.

Sand Opera by Philip Metres This work deconstructs official government documents and language to expose power structures and silenced voices, using experimental poetic forms to challenge institutional narratives.

✦ The title "Whereas" refers to the bureaucratic language commonly found in U.S. government documents, particularly the "whereas statements" that appear in legal resolutions and treaties with Native American nations ✦ The book won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry in 2017 and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Poetry in the same year ✦ Layli Long Soldier wrote much of the collection while living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, which is one of the largest Native American reservations in the United States ✦ The author incorporates Lakota words and concepts throughout the text, often without translation, as a deliberate challenge to English language dominance and to preserve Indigenous linguistic sovereignty ✦ Some poems in the collection physically break apart on the page, using white space and unconventional formatting to represent the fractures between official government communication and Native American experiences