Debbie Reese | |
|---|---|
 Reese at 2016 Association of Children's Librarians Institute | |
| Born | |
| Nationality | Nambé Pueblo Nation |
| Occupation(s) | Scholar, educator |
| Known for | American Indians in Children's Literature |
| Notable work | An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People (2019) |
Debbie Reese is aNambé Pueblo scholar and educator. Reese founded American Indians in Children's Literature, which analyzes representations ofNative and Indigenous peoples in children's literature. She co-edited a young adult adaptation ofAn Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States with Jean Mendoza in 2019.[1][2]
Reese was raised on a reservation inNew Mexico and is a tribally enrolled member of theNambé Pueblo nation.[3]
She received a PhD in education fromUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.[4] She later received herMLIS fromSan Jose State University through a grant that funded 20 Native students to complete the degree.[3]
Prior to obtaining her PhD, she was a school teacher and taught at two American elementary schools, and at two schools forNative Americans: Riverside Indian School inAnadarko, Oklahoma, andSanta Fe Indian School inSanta Fe, New Mexico.[5] She previously taught atUniversity of Illinois at Chicago.[5]
In 2006, Reese founded American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL), an organization and website that offers critical analysis of Native and Indigenous peoples in children's literature.[4][6][7] She frequently discusses the inaccuracy of depictions of Natives in classic American children's literature likePeter Pan andLittle House on the Prairie series, and suggests that they lead readers to believe that Natives are no longer present.[4][6]
Reese advocates for teachers and parents to select books written for and by Native Americans as the best way to engage their narratives.[6] She has repeatedly spoken against the publication of Native stories by white writers from the"big five" publishers.[4] Reese was one of several writers who spoke out against the publication of children's bookA Birthday Cake for George Washington and used AICL to track the publisher's response to the campaign.[8]
In 2019, she and Jean Mendoza co-wroteAn Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People, based onAn Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States.[3] The book was named a 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Young Adult Honor Book.[9]
Reese lives in New Mexico. She is married and has one daughter.[3]
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