If you’re looking for some fantastic books written by Native authors, we have two new titles to share with you.
#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale
Annick Press
Summary: Whether looking back to a troubled past or welcoming a hopeful future, the powerful voices of Indigenous women across North America resound in this book. In the same style as the best-selling Dreaming in Indian, #NotYourPrincess presents an eclectic collection of poems, essays, interviews, and art that combine to express the experience of being a Native woman. Stories of abuse, humiliation, and stereotyping are countered by the voices of passionate women making themselves heard and demanding change. Sometimes angry, often reflective, but always strong, the women in this book will give teen readers insight into the lives of women who, for so long, have been virtually invisible.
Recommendation: This is a phenomenal collection of essays, interviews, poetry, and various forms of art created by Native women. They share the past, the present and hopes for the future. They also share pain, anger, connections, triumphs, hope, and so much more. We heartily recommend this book.
More to note:
In October we each read the book and had a discussion you may find here.
You may also find Crystal’s Review here.
For even more about the book, visit Dr. Debbie Reese’s site, American Indians in Children’s Literature (AICL), to read her review.
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
Dancing Cat Books
Summary: In a futuristic world ravaged by global warming, people have lost the ability to dream, and the dreamlessness has led to widespread madness. The only people still able to dream are North America’s Indigenous people, and it is their marrow that holds the cure for the rest of the world. But getting the marrow, and dreams, means death for the unwilling donors. Driven to flight, a fifteen-year-old and his companions struggle for survival, attempt to reunite with loved ones and take refuge from the “recruiters” who seek them out to bring them to the marrow-stealing “factories.”
Mini-Review & Recommendation: The Marrow Thieves is a powerful book of survival, love, family, and all that matters. What made the book intense for me was how this dystopian story felt very much like it could happen in the near future. Sometimes dystopias feel like they are way off in the future, but this felt horribly close. It drew from the recent past with the many connections to residential schools and the new version of them rapidly multiplying seemingly everywhere. This book may lead readers to question what they are willing to do for their loved ones and future generations. A quote that stood out to me was, “Sometimes you risk everything for a life worth living, even if you’re not the one that’ll be alive to live it.” I highly recommend The Marrow Thieves. These are characters nobody should miss.
More to note:
Dr. Debbie Reese has also posted a thorough review at her blog.
An interview with Cherie Dimaline at School Library Journal “Cherie Dimaline on Erasure, the Power of Story, and The Marrow Thieves”
If you’re interested in more titles by Native authors or about Native characters, here are a few book lists we’ve posted in the past: