I Am Nuchu
by Brenda Stanley
Cal Burton is half Ute Indian, but he hasn’t given much thought to his heritage until his parents suddenly divorce. When his Ute mother takes Cal and the rest of his family to Utah to live with their grandfather on the reservation where she grew up, Cal resents being taken away from everything that matters to him, especially his father. He’s also lost his all-star status as a basketball player, and trying to ignite the perpetually losing team at his depressing new school isn’t worth the trouble it causes him. Cal is angry about a lot of things, but he’s especially put off by the apathy of the local tribe members, particularly the teens, and by the poor standard of living on the reservation—far below what he’s always known. He’s shocked when confronted with blatant racism in town for the first time in his life. And here, people seem to back away whenever he mentions his name. Even worse, the racist local sheriff seems to have it in for him. As he tries to unravel these mysteries, Cal’s shocked to find his own father is a suspect in his Aunt Jackie’s murder on the reservation twenty years before. Determined to get at the truth, Cal reawakens decades-old bitterness, spurring so tragic an act of vengeance that he vows to let nothing stop him. Suspenseful and richly layered, I Am Nuchu is a coming-of-age story about a teen struggling with his own identity as he forges his rightful place between two drastically different worlds.
Praise for I Am Nuchu:
“I Am Nuchu is a moving story of a young man’s journey to accepting—and appreciating—who he really is. It’s a great read. I couldn’t put it down!”
—Tracie Potts, Washington Correspondent, NBC News Channel
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Pub Date: November 24, 2010