Bird Songs Don't Lie - Writings from the Rez

Essays and short stories from a celebrated Cupeñntilde;o/Cahuilla journalist.
"Johnson is by turns tender and hilarious-as ever. This book is a welcome addition to his loving history of the world as he knows it." —Susan Straight, author of Sacrament
In this moving collection of short stories and essays, Gordon Lee Johnson (Cupeño/Cahuilla) cements his voice not only as a commentator on American Indian reservation life but also as a master of fiction writing. From the noir-tinged mystery of "Unholy Wine" to the gripping intensity of "Tukwut," Johnson effortlessly switches genre and perspective, vividly evoking people and places that are fictional but profoundly true to life. Johnson's nonfiction is equally revelatory in its exploration of connections between past and present. Whether examining his own conflicted feelings toward the missions as a source of both cultural damage and identity or sharing advice on cooking for eight dozen cowboys and -girls, Johnson plumbs the comedy, catastrophe, and beauty of his life on the Pala Reservation to thunderous effect.

About the author

Gordon Lee Johnson (Cahuilla/Cupeño) lives and writes on the Pala Indian Reservation. A former newspaperman, he was last a columnist and feature writer for the Press-Enterprise, covering Southern California's Inland Empire. He is also the author of Rez Dogs Eat Beans and Fast Cars and Frybread.
Deborah A. Miranda is an enrolled member of the Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen Nation of the Greater Monterey Bay Area in California, with Santa Ynez Chumash ancestry. In addition to Bad Indians, she is the author of four poetry collections and coeditor of Sovereign Erotics: A Collection of Two-Spirit Literature.

Product details

• Authors: Gordon Lee Johnson
• Assisted by: Miranda Deborah A. (Foreword)
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 06.11.2025
• EAN: 9781597147170
• ISBN: 978-1-59714-717-0
• No. of pages: 240
• Illustrations: Color and B&W photos and illustrations throughout
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > General, dictionaries; Media Studies, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Journalism, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Media Studies, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Industries / Media & Communications, Press & journalism, Indigenous Peoples, Anthologies (non-poetry), News media and journalism, Media studies: Journalism, LITERARY COLLECTIONS / Indigenous, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Native American Studies, Anthologies, Indigenous peoples / Indigeneity, Relating to Native American people / First Americans