From truthful nonfiction, beautiful childrens’ stories and thoughtful poetry, we think there’s no better way to honour Indigenous Peoples Day than by uplifting stories from Indigenous voices and imaginations in all of their diversity. So celebrate Indigenous joy, learn Indigenous history and support Indigenous authors and artists by picking up one of these valuable books!
Poetry and Prose
A Family of Dreamers by Samantha Nock (Talonbooks)
In this debut poetry collection, Samantha Nock redefines where and what “home” is. A Family of Dreamers delves into the complexities of growing up in rural northeast British Columbia and the love and grief that blooms there. In this debut collection, Samantha Nock weaves together threads of fat liberation, desirability politics, and heartbreak while working through her existence as a young Indigenous woman coming of age in the city. The result is a love song to northern cuzzins, dive bars, and growing up.
Out now!
All the Quiet Places by Brian Thomas Isaac
This acclaimed debut novel by Brian Thomas Isaac is the coming-of-age story of Eddie Toma, an Indigenous (Syilx) boy, told through the young narrator’s wide-eyed observations of the world around him.
Out now!
Nonfiction
Lha yudit’ih We Always Find a Way: Bringing the Tŝilhqot’in Title Case Home by Lorraine Weir with Roger William (Talonbooks)
Eight years in the making, Lha yudit’ih (We Always Find a Way) is a community oral history of Tsilhqot’in Nation v. British Columbia, the first case in Canada to result in a declaration of Aboriginal Rights and Title to a specific piece of land. Told from the perspective of the Plaintiff, Chief Roger William, joined by fifty Xeni Gwet’ins, Tŝilhqot’ins, and allies, this book encompasses ancient stories of creation, modern stories of genocide through smallpox and residential school, and stories of resistance including the Tŝilhqot’in War, direct actions against logging and mining, and the twenty-five-year battle in Canadian courts to win recognition of what Tŝilhqot’ins never gave up and have always known.
Out now!
One Second at a Time: My Story of Pain and Reclamation by Diane Morrisseau with Elisabeth Brannigan (UBC Press)
This true story of horrific abuse and exceptional resilience is the account of Ojibway-Anishinabe woman Diane Morrisseau, who survived the seemingly inescapable violence of colonialism, and has thrived against all odds.
Diane Morrisseau fled Fort Alexander Indian Residential day school at age fifteen, and by sixteen, had given birth to her first child. A childhood of trauma and abuse led her into an eighteen-year marriage with her abuser Edgar Olson. Notoriously violent, her abuser was aided and abetted by the systems of colonialism that failed to protect Diane during her childhood.
What could have been a chronicle of unrelenting hardship instead becomes a narrative of how, in horrific circumstances, Diane found the strength to survive, reclaim her life, and eventually thrive. Today she draws meaning from her painful past, counseling women, children and men experiencing similarly difficult circumstances.
Out now!
The Fire Still Burns: Life In and After Residential School by Sam George with Jill Yonit Goldberg, Liam Belson, Dylan MacPhee & Tanis Wilson (UBC Press)
Set in the Vancouver area in the late 1940s and through to the present day, this candid account follows Sam from his idyllic childhood growing up on the Eslhá7an (Mission) reserve to the confines of St. Paul’s Indian Residential School and then into a life of addiction and incarceration. The Fire Still Burns is an unflinching look at the horrors of a childhood spent trapped within the Indian Residential School system, the long-term effects on survivors, and illustrates the healing power of one’s culture.
Out now!
Books for Kids
Brave Like the Buffalo by Melissa Allan, illustrated by Jadyn Fischer-McNab (Rocky Mountain Books)
Written by Melissa Allan and illustrated by Cree artist Jadyn Fischer-McNab, this story uses a powerful animal, the buffalo, as a symbolic message and connection to Indigenous ways of knowing and being that helps to create a wonderful narrative rich with Indigenous ties and a heartwarming message around facing adversity.
Out now!
The Seventh Direction: A Legend of Creation by Kevin Locke,
illustrated by Kristy Cameron (Medicine Wheel Publishing)
In this enlightening legend shared by Lakota Elder Kevin Locke, Wak?a? T?a?ka (The Great Spirit) created the entire world in seven days; leaving the most precious creation for last. In order to protect this precious creation, Wak?a? T?a?ka needed to hide it where it would always be safe and turned to our animal relatives for help. Together, they found the perfect place.
Illustrated by Métis artist Kirsty Cameron.
Out now!
Teachings of the Drum by Ren Louie, illustrated by Karlene Harvey (Medicine Wheel Publishing)
The drum is a special symbol in many Indigenous cultures. In this rhyming picture book, young Ren is given a handmade drum by his mother that help to teach him many things about himself and his culture. An adaptation of best-selling book, Drum from the Heart, by Indigenous author Ren Louie for ages 4-6.
Out now!
Crow Helps a Friend by Andrea Fritz (Orca Book Publishers)
Written and illustrated by Indigenous artist and storyteller Andrea Fritz, who udied with Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw artist and master carver Victor Newman. She shares Coast Salish stories, both traditional ones learned orally and new ones created from modern experience, with school children throughout British Columbia.
The illustrations follow the Coast Salish art tradition of combining four basic shapes in both positive and negative spaces. The book also includes a glossary and pronunciation guide, an introduction to the Coast Salish traditional art style and a brief discussion of cultural appropriation.
Out now!
Raven Gets Tricked by Andrea Fritz (Orca Book Publishers)
Raven Gets Tricked tells a tale of a greedy raven and the little deer who makes sure they both have enough food for the winter. In this Traditional Story set in Coast Salish Traditional Territory, author and illustrator Andrea Fritz uses Indigenous storytelling techniques and art to share the culture and language of the Hul’q’umi’num’-speaking Peoples.
Coming soon! September 2024