Old School Indian - Aaron John Curtis

With its profound exploration of identity, language, and cultural survival, Old School Indian is a novel of pure heart and mastery. Through the vivid and deeply human lives of a Mohawk family, Curtis weaves a narrative that is both urgent and timeless, drawing us into a world where every word, every action, carries the weight of history and the hope for the future. ―Morgan Talty, author of Night of the Living Rez and Fire Exit \n \nAn astonishing coming-of-middle-age debut about an Ahkwesáhsne man's reluctant return home, Old School Indian is a striking exploration of the resonance of love and family, culture and history. Abe Jacobs is Kanien'kehá ka from Ahkwesáhsne--that's People of the Flint, from Where the Partridge Drums--or, if you ask a white dude, a Mohawk Indian from the Saint Regis Tribe. Whichever way you cut it--and Dominick Deer Woods, our irreverent, wisecracking narrator, cuts it six ways to Sunday--at eighteen Abe left the reservation where he was raised and never looked back. Now forty-three, Abe is suffering from a rare disease--one his doctors in Miami believe will kill him. Running from his diagnosis and a failing marriage, Abe returns to the Rez, where he's convinced to undergo a healing at the hands of his Great Uncle Budge. But this ain't Sweet Home Ahkwesáhsne, as Dominick might say, and Budge--a wry recovered alcoholic prone to wearing band t-shirts featuring pot-bellied naked dudes--isn't the least bit precious about his gift. Which is good, because his time off Rez has made Abe a thorough skeptic. However, to heal Abe will have to undertake a revelatory journey, confronting the parts of himself he's hidden ever since he left home and learning to cultivate hope, even at his darkest hour. Delivered with crackling wit and wildly inventive linguistic turns, Old School Indian is a striking exploration of the power and secrets of family, the capacity for healing and catharsis, and the ripple effects of history and culture. \nA Brit + Co Most Anticipated Book of 2025 A novel of pure heart and mastery. ―Morgan Talty, bestselling author of Night of the Living Rez and Fire Exit An inspired novel by an author whose voice absolutely sizzles on the page . . . A moving story of self-discovery that journeys through the crucibles of sickness, history, identity, family, and loss--all told by one of the most inventive, funny, brash narrators you'll ever find. ―Nathan Hill, New York Times bestselling author of Wellness and The Nix \nA co