Themes & History
This city is described as “there there,” challenging the idea that Native people only exist in the past.
What is Oakland?
Tony believes he has this condition, caused by his mother’s drinking during pregnancy.
What is fetal alcohol syndrome (FASD)?
Dene applies for a grant to record Native stories for this purpose.
What is to document urban native stories?
Opal and Jacquie Red Feather are this to each other.
What are sisters?
Orvil secretly practices this cultural art form by watching YouTube videos.
What is powwow dancing?
In the Prologue, Native people are described as being confined to these government-designated lands before many relocated to cities.
What are reservations?
Tony calls his facial differences this ironic name.
What is “the Drome”?
Dene learns that his uncle Lucas is going to do this soon.
What is die?
As children, they briefly live on this island, site of Native activism.
What is Alcatraz?
Orville finds his Native American regalia in this part of Opal's house.
What is her closet?
This U.S. policy encouraged Native people to move to cities like Oakland with promises of jobs and housing.
What is the Indian Location Act?
Tony is recruited to help with this planned crime at the Oakland Powwow.
What is robbing the powwow?
As Dene presents his project proposal to the grant committee, he notices that this member of the committee seems the most skeptical of him.
What is the "Native-American guy?"
Jacquie lives in this city.
What is Albuquerque, New Mexico?
Orvil, Loother, and Loney visit this place on their bikes.
What is the Oakland Colloseum?
The title There There alludes to this writer’s famous statement about Oakland.
Who is Gertrude Stein?
Tony’s complicated friendship is with this character, who becomes central to the robbery plan.
Who is Octavio?
Dene’s project centers on this medium.
What is film/video interviews?
Opal becomes the guardian of these two boys.
Who are Orvil and Loother?
What does Orvil claim to be pulling from his leg.
What are spider legs?
Up to the Interlude, the novel builds tension around this impending event.
What is the Oakland Powwow (and the planned robbery)?
Tony often gets suspended from school because he is prone to do this.
What is get in a fight?
Dene’s narrative role reflects the novel’s larger concern with this theme.
What is storytelling as survival (or representation/voice/visibility)?
Jacquie struggles throughout her life with this addiction.
What is alcoholism?
What is great-aunt?