Based on the life of the author’s grandfather, the novel stars Thomas Wazhashk, the night watchman at a jewel bearing plant in North Dakota in 1953. The book unfolds around the “emancipation” bill, in which the government was attempting to terminate treaties with the Indigenous peoples and threaten their livelihoods. However, the story explores the individual lives of the characters with tenderness, elegance, and sly humour. Erdrich crafted an exquisite world where the characters grapple with the best and the worst of human nature. After being released from residential school, the five protagonists have hardly any life skills to speak of. They soon find their way to the seedy Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. The five of them each take a different route through their adult lives, from joining the American Indian movement, to struggling with addiction, to motherhood. The heroes are forced to come to terms with their past and are ultimately able to find their way to the future. The core of Beardslee’s work is inherent love towards Indigenous peoples. She emphasizes that Indigenous people are competent, wonderful, and worthy. Words Like Thunder is unapologetic and a celebration of her identity as a woman of colour. Native connects Curtice’s faith with her heritage in a positive way. Through poetry and imagery, she reveals how her faith and cultural identity are intertwined. Ultimately, she encourages listening to each others’ stories and embracing a diverse future. The novel features four Indigenous men who were once childhood best friends. After a disturbing event from their youth comes back to haunt them, an entity bent on revenge forces them to flee for their lives. Simultaneously blending classic horror and social commentary, this novel is a spine-tingler that also reveals the cost of breaking traditions. Belcourt situates his life amongst a landscape of queer texts. Simultaneously emotional and eye-opening, this book is definitely a must-read. In this novel, married protagonists Bird and Mimi attempt to trace Mimi’s long-lost uncle. Following a trail of postcards left by Uncle Leroy, Bird and Mimi take a jaunt through Europe to find him and his missing medicine bag. King’s book is delightfully postmodern and wonderfully funny. Moreover, it blends emotional awareness into the sardonic humour, revealing the positive and negative layers behind it. Winter Counts is a twisting and turning crime fiction in which the hero is forced to confront his own Indigenous identity. A ship launches for the holy city of Tova and arrives on the day of a solar eclipse. The captain is Xiala, an outcast whose voice can calm the waters and warp the mind. Her ship only carries one passenger. Although described as “harmless”, Xiala does not trust the blind and scarred man aboard. Soon, she learns that her instincts were correct. A rich world with unforgettable characters, Rebecca Roanhorse crafted a fantastic epic adventure.
