Events: In Conversation with Deborah Jackson Taffa, Author of Whiskey Tender

About the Event

This event, sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, builds on the tremendous success of book discussion lecture series which has focused in the past on Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents; Robert Livingston’s The Conversation: How Seeking & Speaking the Truth About Racism Can Radically Transform Individuals & Organizations; Wajahat Ali’s Go Back To Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American; and Benjamin Herold’s Disillusioned: Five Families and the Unraveling of America’s Suburbs. For Spring ’25 semester, our lecture event centers around Whiskey Tender by Deborah Jackson Taffa. Here is a brief synopsis of the book:

Longlisted for the National Book Award and an Oprah Daily “Best New Book”, this is a memoir of family and survival, coming-of-age on and off the reservation, and of the frictions between mainstream American culture and Native inheritance; assimilation and reverence for tradition.

Deborah Jackson Taffa was raised to believe that some sacrifices were necessary to achieve a better life. Her grandparents—citizens of the Quechan Nation and Laguna Pueblo tribe—were sent to Indian boarding schools run by white missionaries, while her parents were encouraged to take part in governmental job training off the reservation. Assimilation meant relocation, but as Taffa matured into adulthood, she began to question the promise handed down by her elders and by American society: that if she gave up her culture, her land, and her traditions, she would not only be accepted, but would be able to achieve the “American Dream.”

Whiskey Tender offers a sharp and thought-provoking historical analysis laced with humor and heart. As she reflects on her past and present—the promise of assimilation and the many betrayals her family has suffered, both personal and historical; trauma passed down through generations—she reminds us of how the cultural narratives of her ancestors have been excluded from the central mythologies and structures of the “melting pot” of America, revealing all that is sacrificed for the promise of acceptance.

Join us on May 8th to attend a lecture by author Deborah Jackson Taffa and a reception to celebrate the wonderful conversations spurred by this book.

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This event will take place on the Mt. Washington Campus in McAuley Hall (5801 Smith Ave, Baltimore, MD 21209) in the Pullen Plaza. Event guests can park complimentary in the Hotel Guest & Conference Center Parking Lot or the D Garage.

Agenda