Indigenous Reads
Titles released in 2023/2024.
The circle
Vermette, Katherena, 1977- author
2023
The day that Cedar Sage Stranger has been both dreading and longing for has finally come: her sister Phoenix is getting out of prison. The effect of Phoenix's release cascades through the community. Amid accusations and plots for revenge, past grievances become a poor guide in a moment of danger, and the clumsy armature of law enforcement is no match for the community. Cedar and her mother continue down different paths of healing, while everyone in their lives form a circle around the chaos, the calm within the storm, and the beauty in the darkness.
The end of this world : climate justice in so-called Canada
2023
The climate crisis is here, and the end of this world--a world built on land theft, resource extraction, and colonial genocide--is on the horizon. In this compelling roadmap to a livable future, Indigenous sovereignty and climate justice go hand in hand. Drawing on their work in Indigenous activism, the labour movement, youth climate campaigns, community-engaged scholarship, and independent journalism, the six authors challenge toothless proposals and false solutions to show that a just transition from fossil fuels cannot succeed without the dismantling of settler capitalism in Canada. Together, they envision a near future where oil and gas stay in the ground; where a caring economy provides social supports for all; where wealth is redistributed from the bloated billionaire class; and where stolen land is rightfully reclaimed under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of Indigenous peoples.
Every child matters
Webstad, Phyllis, author
2023
Learn the meaning behind the phrase, 'Every Child Matters.' Orange Shirt Day founder, Phyllis Webstad, offers insights into this heartfelt movement. Every Child Matters honours the history and resiliency of Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island and moves us all forward on a path toward Truth and Reconciliation. If you're a Residential School Survivor or an Intergenerational Survivor - you matter. For the children who didn't make it home - you matter. The child inside every one of us matters. Every Child Matters.
A flock of gulls, a chorus of frogs
Vickers, Roy Henry, 1946- author, illustrator
2024
Have fun learning the names for animal groups of the West Coast with a sturdy board book featuring the illustrations of Indigenous artist Roy Henry Vickers. Bright blocks of colour and tactile embossed pages bring the natural world of the wild West Coast to life. Accompanied by a rhythmic, rhyming text, this board book will entertain babies, toddlers, and adults alike as they discover that orcas leap and dive in a pod, a bunch of sea lions are called a bob, geese make up a wedge, a swamp full of croaking frogs form a chorus, a jumble of jellies are called a bloom--and more! A Flock of Seagulls, A Chorus of Frogs is a vibrant addition to the award-winning First West Coast Book series, perfect for storytime and supporting language development in babies and toddlers.
Grand Chief Salamoo Cook is coming to town!
Highway, Tomson, 1951- author.
2023
From Tomson Highway, acclaimed author and playwright, best known for his plays "The Rez Sisters" and "Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing", is a laugh-out-loud riot of a tale, interspersed with eight jazzy songs performed in Cree. This musical picture book includes a QR code to access the narrated story and songs online and a glossary of Cree words used throughout the tale.
Held by the land : a guide to indigenous plants for wellness = Wa ch'ích'istway ta temixw : spén̉em txwnam̉ ta ha7lh sḵwálwen
Joseph, Leigh, author
2023
I am a rock
Qilavaq-Savard, Ashley, author
2023
"Pauloosie loves his pet rock, Miki Rock. Pauloosie's Anaana, his mother, tells him a bedtime story about what Miki Rock sees, hears, and feels in his Arctic home. As part of the land, Miki Rock sees char and beluga, listens to chirps and howls, and feels the snow and sun. Through lyrical text and ethereal landscape illustrations by Pelin Turgut, readers are taken on an Arctic journey from the point of view of a most unlikely object--a child's pet rock."-- Provided by publisher.
Indigiqueerness : a conversation about storytelling
Whitehead, Joshua (Writer), author
2023
Beginning with memories of his childhood poetry and prose and travelling through the library of his life, Joshua Whitehead contemplates the role of theory, Indigenous language, queerness, and fantastical worlds in all his artistic pursuits.
JAJ : a Haida manga
Yahgulanaas, Michael Nicoll, author, illustrator
2023
With gorgeous imagery, visual artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas brings to life the tumultuous history of first contact between Europeans and Indigenous peoples and the early colonization by the Europeans of the northern West Coast. The story follows several historical figures, including Johan Adrian Jacobsen (JAJ), who comes to the Haida village of Masset to collect specimens for a German museum, through a time span that includes first contact, the devastation of the smallpox epidemic, and the mass resettlement of disenfranchised peoples, both Indigenous and European.
Just like grandma
Rogers, Kim, author
2023
"Becca loves spending time with Grandma. Every time Becca says, "Let me try," Grandma shows her how to make something beautiful ..."
Life in two worlds : a coach's journey from the reserve to the NHL and back
Nolan, Ted, 1958-, author
2023
Growing up on a First Nation reserve, young Ted Nolan built his own backyard hockey rink and wore skates many sizes too big. Playing the game meant spending his life in two worlds: one in which he was loved and accepted and one where he was often told he didn't belong. Nolan chronicles those controversial years. This is also an exploration of how a beloved sport can harbour subtle but devastating racism, of how a person can find purpose when opportunity and choice are stripped away, and of how focusing on what really matters can bring two worlds together.
Medicine wheel for the planet : a journey toward personal and ecological healing
Grenz, Jennifer, author
2024
Restoration ecology is grounded in an idea that we must return the natural world to an untouched, pristine state, placing humans in a godlike role--a notion at odds with Indigenous histories of purposeful, reciprocal interaction with the environment. This disconnect sent Dr. Grenz on a personal journey of joining her head (Western science) and her heart (Indigenous worldview) to find a truer path toward ecological healing. In Medicine Wheel for the Planet, building on sacred stories, field observations and her own journey, Dr. Grenz invites readers to share in the teachings of the four directions of the medicine wheel: the North, which draws upon the knowledge and wisdom of elders; the East, where we let go of colonial narratives and see with fresh eyes; the South, where we apply new-old worldviews to envision a way forward; and the West, where a relational approach to land reconciliation is realized.
The memoirs of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle : a true and exact accounting of the history of Turtle Island
Monkman, Kent, author.
2023
For decades, the singular and provocative paintings by Cree artist Kent Monkman have featured a recurring character - an alter ego of sorts, a shape-shifting, time-travelling elemental being named Miss Chief Eagle Testickle. Though we have glimpsed her across the years, and on countless canvases, it is finally time to hear her story, in her own words. And, in doing so, to hear the whole history of Turtle Island anew. Volume One, which covers the time period from the creation of the universe to the confederation of Canada, follows Miss Chief as she moves through time, from a complex lived experience of Cree cosmology to the arrival of European settlers, many of whom will be familiar to students of history.
Métis like me
Hilderman, Tasha, author
2024
"A picture book celebrating Métis culture."-- Provided by publisher.
Moon of the turning leaves : a novel
Rice, Waubgeshig, 1979- author
2023
It's been over a decade since a mysterious cataclysm caused a permanent blackout that toppled infrastructure and thrust the world into anarchy. Evan's people are in some ways stronger than ever. But resources in and around their new settlement are beginning to dry up, and the elders warn that they cannot afford to stay indefinitely. Evan and his fifteen-year-old daughter, Nangohns, are elected to lead a small scouting party on a months-long trip to seek new beginnings, and discover what kind of life - and what dangers - still exist in the lands to the south.
My powerful hair
Lindstrom, Carole, 1964- author
2023
After generations of short hair in her family, a little girl celebrates growing her hair long to connect to her culture and honor the strength and resilience of those who came before her.
Never whistle at night : an Indigenous dark fiction anthology
2023
"A bold, clever, and sublimely sinister collection of horror, fantasy, science fiction, and gritty crime by both new and established Indigenous authors that dares to ask the question: "Are you ready to be un-settled?" Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief ranges far and wide and takes many forms; for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai'po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls a Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl and snatch the foolish whistlers in the dark. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear-and even follow you home"-- Publisher.
Truth telling : seven conversations about Indigenous life in Canada.
Good, Michelle, author
2023
This is a collection of essays about the contemporary Indigenous experience in Canada. From resistance and reconciliation to the resurgence and reclamation of Indigenous power, Michelle Good explores the issues through a series of personal essays. Michelle Good delves into the human cost of colonialism, showing how it continues to underpin social institutions in Canada and prevents meaningful and substantive reconciliation.
Unbroken : my fight for survival, hope, and justice for Indigenous women and girls
Sterritt, Angela, author
2023
Unbroken is an extraordinary work of memoir and investigative journalism focusing on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, written by an award-winning Gitxsan journalist who survived life on the streets against all odds.
Wandering stars : a novel
Orange, Tommy, 1982-, author
2024
Colorado, 1864. Star, a young survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre, is brought to the Fort Marion Prison Castle, run by Richard Henry Pratt the evangelical prison guard who will go on to found the Carlisle Industrial School for Indians. Oakland, 2018. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield is barely holding her family together as she is equally adrift as she searches for a way to heal her wounded family. This novel traces the legacies of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Industrial School for Indians through to the shattering aftermath of Orvil Redfeather's shooting in "There There."
William Shakespeare's As you like it : a radical retelling
Cardinal, Cliff, author
2022
The title of William Shakespeare's As You Like It holds a double meaning that teasingly suggests the play can please all tastes. But is that possible? With his subversive updating of the Bard's classic, Indigenous creator and cultural provocateur Cliff Cardinal seeks to find out. The show exults in bawdy humour, difficult subject matter, and raw emotion; Cardinal is not one to hold back when it comes to challenging delicate sensibilities.