The Librarian Recommends - November 2021
By Rebecca Strauss, Library Director
November 10, 2021
Our Library Director curates great reads for our students every day. Now, she's sharing some recommendations for the rest of our community to enjoy. Stay tuned every month for new suggestions!
Nonfiction
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Professor Kimmerer, botanist and enrolled member of the Potawatomi nation, also happens to be a talented writer. In poetic essays, Kimmerer explores the traditional relationship between indigenous peoples and nature, and how our modern culture can find our way back to care and gratitude for the earth.
The Language Warrior's Manifesto by Dr. Anton Treuer
While this book by the multi-talented Dr. Treuer - who is also a consultant for CDH - is geared toward those working to revitalize language programs in indigenous communities, anyone with an interest in Ojibwe culture, linguistics, and community activism will find a good read here.
Fiction
Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
In 1960s Vancouver, five survivors of a residential school strive to make their way in a volatile world. Bouncing between the five viewpoints, the experiences mirror many of those from Good herself.
Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden
This hard-hitting thriller follows Rosebud Indian Reservation hired enforcer Virgil Wounded Horse as he investigates the heroin problem destroying his community. Along the way, Virgil faces ugly truths about corruption on the reservation and what it means to be a modern Native American man.
* A similar thriller for Young Adults is the highly recommended Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley.