Welcome back to Back Shelf Saturdays, where I review backlist titles I didn’t get to read when they were first published. I do this (almost) every week to ensure I’m reading more than just newly released and forthcoming titles. For my purposes, a backlist title is at least one year past its release date. This week’s title is Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience by Rebecca Roanhorse.
Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience won the 2018 Hugo Award and the 2017 Nebula Award for best short story and was nominated for many others. Apex Magazine published the short story and has the story available to read for free on their website.
| Title: Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience | Author: Rebecca Roanhorse |
| Release Date: August 8, 2017 | Genre: Speculative Short Story |
Apex Magazine (Read the Story Free) / Goodreads / Lavar Burton Podcast
Synopsis:
A tour guide leads virtual reality “experiences” for tourists who want to know what it’s like to be Native American. Think Black Mirror meets Westworld.
Review:
Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience follows Jesse Turnblatt, an Indigenous American who works at Sedona Sweats selling virtual “authentic” experiences to tourists. Only, Jesse can’t sell truly authentic experiences – tourists aren’t interested in those. Instead, he’s stuck selling fake Vision Quest simulations. When a customer stops by and is interested in the real stories Jesse can tell, a friendship develops outside of Sedona Sweats, one that will fundamentally change Jesse’s life.
This story was exactly the right length with exactly the right amount of tension. Roanhorse has a lot to say about white people in America, the experiences of Indigenous people, and the authenticity of indigenous experiences. Themes of colonization, appropriation, and gentrification lurk under the surface, just waiting to crawl out. The ending is unexpected, chilling, and so well done. Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience is whole-heartedly worth a read, especially if you enjoy speculative fiction or eerie short stories.
Give me a second while I google other Rebecca Roanhorse short fiction…
Rating: 5/5 Stars
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