The Ghosts of Red Sands: A Memoir of Surviving the Bureau of Indian Affairs Residential Dormitory

A powerful memoir of survival, silence, and the spirit of a Navajo girl caught between worlds.

When Florence is taken from the comfort of her grandparents' home and placed in the Red Sands Residential Dormitory, she enters a system built to erase her language, culture, and identity. Isolated from family and forced to conform, she learns to navigate loneliness, prejudice, and the quiet, everyday trauma of being told who she cannot be.

But within the rigid walls of Red Sands, something unexpected happens. Florence finds pockets of light-whispers in the bunk beds, secrets shared in moonlit corners, the quiet strength of other girls like her. And in the shadows of abandonment, she begins to reclaim her voice.

The Ghosts of Red Sands is a haunting and deeply personal memoir that gives voice to the generations of Indigenous children impacted by federal residential programs. Told through vivid prose and poetry, it's a story of loss, memory, and the powerful will to survive-and rise.

Perfect for readers of Angeline Boulley, Louise Erdrich, and Kali Fajardo-Anstine, this debut memoir reminds us: even when forgotten by the world, we are still here.