Angeline Boulley picks 10 books to read this Native American Heritage Month
In celebration of Native American Heritage Month this November, Angeline Boulley shares her top 10 book recommendations.
Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, writes about her Ojibwe community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
A former Director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education, Boulley now lives in southwest Michigan, though she still considers Sugar Island her true home. Her debut novel, "Firekeeper's Daughter," introduces readers to her powerful storytelling.
Read along to find a fresh November read.
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'The Mighty Red' by Louise Erdrich
I feel like this is a given but it should not be underestimated. This might sound corny, but when I read Louise Erdrich, I feel like ancestors are looking over my shoulder and we're all nodding along. Her gorgeous prose reveals timeless truths about ourselves and our families, sweetness and sorrow, and chaos and constancy.
'The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World' by Robin Wall Kimmerer
This book is deceptively simple; it's just this small book but with a profound impact. She writes about reciprocity and interconnectedness in the natural world, sharing these teachings as a model for our own actions. The author is donating her book advance, in a demonstration of reciprocity, to benefit land restoration efforts, which is very cool.
'The Sky Was Once a Dark Blanket' by Kinsale Drake
I had the pleasure of meeting Kinsale, one half of the creative force behind the NDN Girls Book Club. Through their nonprofit organization, they delivered over 10,000 donated books (by Native authors) across the Navajo and Hopi Nations. They drove a truck filled with new books–every age category from babies to young adults. She's also such an amazing poet that other Native authors and I have joked that we need to start a GoFundMe so that Kinsale Drake can do nothing but write poetry all day!
'Where They Last Saw Her' by Marcie R. Rendon
For me, no list of recommended books would be complete without something from Marcie R. Rendon. I'm such a fan of her Cash Blackbear mystery series but this book is a standalone. My dad says Marcie is 'the real deal.' She writes the way Ojibwe people see the world–descriptive and infused with teachings. I think she's the most underrated Indigenous author today.
'The Indian Card: Who Gets to Be Native in America' by Carrie Lowry Shuettpelz
Native identity is a complicated issue with political, racial, and cultural elements. Author Lowry Schuettpelz interviews people impacted by the ways each tribal nation, band, rancheria, village, or community enrolls its citizens; and the ways the Federal government has interfered with this sovereign right. Bureaucratic obstacles have led to 'Indians without a Tribe,' while blood quantum posits an eventual 'Tribe without Indians'. The author's own family story illustrates the ways people define Native identity for themselves.
'Elatsoe' by Darcie Little Badger
This clever debut novel is about an Apache teen solving her cousin's murder aided by her ghost dog (Kirby!) while fending off vampires. It has the single greatest #LandBack scene that I've ever read. l want a Tik Tok that I can watch on a loop of the scene where Ellie outsmarts a vampire. It's epic.
'A Council of Dolls' by Mona Susan Power
Nearly thirty years ago, I read Power's debut, The Grass Dancer. It was the first time I recognized the difference when a story featuring a Native protagonist is told by a Native author. Her latest novel, A Council of Dolls, again weaves stories of Dakota women interconnected across generations. It is powerful, beautiful, and heartbreaking. It's everything to me.
'Where Wolves Don't Die' by Anton Treuer
I was honored to read an advance copy of this book, which is now available. Anton Treuer is known for his nonfiction books about Ojibwe history, language, and identity. His talent clearly extends to fiction, with this impressive debut novel of a young man fleeing the city and seeking refuge with his grandparents in their Native community. Treuer conveys the push and pull of our reservations, and the way we feel when we're on that land. I really enjoyed this. He needs to write more novels!
'The Mason House' by T. Marie Bertineau
This quiet treasure came out in 2020. It's a beautiful memoir of grief and reconnecting with family. I love stories where the location transcends setting to become something like a character. In this instance, it's the safe haven of the author's grandmother's house in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
'The Art Thieves' by Andrea L. Rogers
A Cherokee teen working at a museum meets a boy who says he's from the future and he's there to save significant works of art before an imminent apocalypse. Woah! What a compelling premise! Wait…why are you taking time to reread the pitch? Get. This. Book. Now.
