Here's A Pretty Good Selection To Start Off With.

Here's a pretty good selection to start off with.

10 Books by Indigenous Authors to Stock Your Shelves

Last week I needed to skip a post in favor of getting my classwork done for my deadline--so I'm back for this list!

Like last time, this list has summaries and cover pics from the book's publisher's or author's sites. Unlike last time, I ended up choosing a variety of demographics so I didn't just rip off other lists of indigenous authors/books. We've got books for adults, young adults, small children, chapter book readers--a book for all the readers in your life!!

If any of these interest you and if you are able, please support your favorite independent bookstores when purchasing these and other books!

I will say that if you're interested in an Indigenous author who talks a lot of fun stuff, has more recs, and has an incredible book out it '23--check out @/AriTison on twitter!!

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

From New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones comes a novel that is equal parts psychological horror and cutting social commentary on identity politics and the American Indian experience. Fans of Jordan Peele and Tommy Orange will love this story as it follows the lives of four American Indian men and their families, all haunted by a disturbing, deadly event that took place in their youth. Years later, they find themselves tracked by an entity bent on revenge, totally helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.

Rain is Not My Indian Name by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Cassidy Rain Berghoff didn’t know that the night she decided to get a life would be the same night that her best friend would lose his. It’s been six months since Galen died, and up until now Rain has succeeded in shutting herself off from the world. But when controversy arises around Aunt Georgia’s Indian Camp in their mostly white midwestern community, Rain decides to face the outside world again—at least through the lens of her camera. As the new photographer for her town’s newspaper, Rain soon has to decide how involved she wants to become in Indian Camp. Does she want to keep a professional distance from her intertidal community? And, though she mourns, will she be able to embrace new friends and new beginnings?

Fire Keeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team. Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug. Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But the search for truth is more complicated than Daunis imagined, exposing secrets and old scars. At the same time, she grows concerned with an investigation that seems more focused on punishing the offenders than protecting the victims. Now, as the deceptions—and deaths—keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

I Sang You Down from the Stars by Tasha Spillett-Sumner; Illustrated by Michaela Goade

As she waits for the arrival of her new baby, a mother-to-be gathers gifts to create a sacred bundle. A white feather, cedar and sage, a stone from the river . . . Each addition to the bundle will offer the new baby strength and connection to tradition, family, and community. As they grow together, mother and baby will each have gifts to offer each other. Tasha Spillett-Sumner and Michaela Goade, two Indigenous creators, bring beautiful words and luminous art together in a resonant celebration of the bond between mother and child.

As We Have Always Done by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson locates Indigenous political resurgence as a practice rooted in uniquely Indigenous theorizing, writing, organizing, and thinking. She makes clear that the goal of Indigenous resistance can no longer be cultural resurgence as a mechanism for inclusion in a multicultural mosaic, calling for unapologetic, place-based Indigenous alternatives to the destructive logics of the settler colonial state.

Murder on the Red River by Marcie R. Rendon

A murdered man in a field. The sheriff calls on Cash—an almost-twenty-something tough, smart Indian woman with special seeing powers. Cash and Sheriff Wheaton make for a strange partnership. He pulled her from her mother's wrecked car when she was three. He's kept an eye out for her ever since. It's a tough place to live—that part of the world where the Red River divides Minnesota and North Dakota.Cash navigated through foster homes, and at 13 was working farms. She's tough as nails—barely over five feet, jeans and jean jacket, smokes Marlboros, drinks Bud Longnecks. Makes her living driving truck. Playing pool on the side. Wheaton is a big lawman type. Scandinavian stock, but darker skin than most. Something else in there? Cash hasn't ever asked. He wants her to take hold of her life. Get into junior college. So there they are, staring at the dead Indian lying in the field. Soon Cash was dreaming the dead man's HUD house on the Red Lake Reservation, mother and kids waiting. She has that kind of knowing. That's the place to start looking. There's a long and dangerous way to go to find the men who killed him. Plus there's Jim, the married white guy. And Long Braids, the Indian guy headed for Minneapolis to join the American Indian Movement.

The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer by Traci Sorell; Illustrations by Natasha Donovan

Mary Golda Ross designed classified airplanes and spacecraft as Lockheed Aircraft Corporation’s first female engineer. Find out how her passion for math and the Cherokee values she was raised with shaped her life and work. Cherokee author Traci Sorell and Métis illustrator Natasha Donovan trace Ross’s journey from being the only girl in a high school math class to becoming a teacher to pursuing an engineering degree, joining the top-secret Skunk Works division of Lockheed, and being a mentor for Native Americans and young women interested in engineering. In addition, the narrative highlights Cherokee values including education, working cooperatively, remaining humble, and helping ensure equal opportunity and education for all.

Healer of the Water Monster by Brian Young

When Nathan goes to visit his grandma, Nali, at her mobile summer home on the Navajo reservation, he knows he’s in for a pretty uneventful summer, with no electricity or cell service. Still, he loves spending time with Nali and with his uncle Jet, though it’s clear when Jet arrives that he brings his problems with him. One night, while lost in the nearby desert, Nathan finds someone extraordinary: a Holy Being from the Navajo Creation Story—a Water Monster—in need of help. Now Nathan must summon all his courage to save his new friend. With the help of other Navajo Holy Beings, Nathan is determined to save the Water Monster, and to support Uncle Jet in healing from his own pain.

Jo Jo Makoons: The Used-to-be Best Friend by Dawn Quigley; Illustrated by Tara Audibert

Hello/Boozhoo—meet Jo Jo Makoons! Jo Jo Makoons Azure is a spirited seven-year-old who moves through the world a little differently than anyone else on her Ojibwe reservation. It always seems like her mom, her kokum (grandma), and her teacher have a lot to learn—about how good Jo Jo is at cleaning up, what makes a good rhyme, and what it means to be friendly. Even though Jo Jo loves her #1 best friend Mimi (who is a cat), she’s worried that she needs to figure out how to make more friends. Because Fern, her best friend at school, may not want to be friends anymore…

Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine

Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s magnetic story collection breathes life into her Latina characters of indigenous ancestry and the land they inhabit in the American West. Against the remarkable backdrop of Denver, Colorado—a place that is as fierce as it is exquisite—these women navigate the land the way they navigate their lives: with caution, grace, and quiet force. In “Sugar Babies,” ancestry and heritage are hidden inside the earth but tend to rise during land disputes. “Any Further West” follows a sex worker and her daughter as they leave their ancestral home in southern Colorado only to find a foreign and hostile land in California. In “Tomi,” a woman leaves prison and finds herself in a gentrified city that is a shadow of the one she remembers from her childhood. And in the title story, “Sabrina & Corina,” a Denver family falls into a cycle of violence against women, coming together only through ritual. Sabrina & Corina is a moving narrative of unrelenting feminine power and an exploration of the universal experiences of abandonment, heritage, and an eternal sense of home.

Sorry for such a wide range of books, but I've been really excited about these titles and wanted to share them will y'all! Next week I'll try to do a specifically kidslit list.... maybe for Asian authors?!!

While I haven't heard of the last show here (not even from my editor), these all seem like good shows. Sometimes, adult animation really does live up to its name beyond crassness & am quite glad this is happening more outside of the 'western world' & my mother's home country (where it's long been done in seinen & jousei form).

adult animation appreciation post bc we've got some good shows lately

Bojack Horseman

a lot of us know it and love it, but for the ones who never got around to it, PLEASE watch it at some point in your life. it has so many good storylines centered around depression, addiction, sexism, repercussions of child abuse, and the daily struggles of living in this messed up world that we all know and can relate to. it'll punch you in the gut with some of the most unique storytelling you'll see in your life

Tuca & Bertie

created by the lead character designer of Bojack, this show may seem like a spinoff from the look but it isn't in the slightest. created and starring amazing women and letting women be funny in their own unique way that feels so genuine and following the story of these two crazy bird friends, I cannot tell you the emotional rollercoaster this one took me on. our mains struggle with anxiety and sexual harassment, with some great queer rep, and the stories are so fun and inventive that you can't help but have a blast

Final Space

I could talk about this show for DAYS, but I already have in this post so I won't go on a massive rant rn. it may look like a normal little scifi comedy show at the beginning, but this show'll blow you away with plot for days. if you want an action show that has consistent storylines, here ya go. it's so heartfelt, and it has stories revolving around coping with loss and loneliness by building new connections and new families, and it rips your heart out while leaving you shook over how great the animation and the soundtrack is

Castlevania

this one is insane. it is super gorey and violent with tons of swearing, but if you like that stuff you'll love this one. vampires and action with some stunning animation drags you in quickly, and the plotline is actually really good and you'll end up feeling for the characters so hard. their struggles are so investing and even if there's blood every second, it still manages to hook you quickly and wanna know what happens next. still haven't seen the new season yet, but I bet it's great

Primal

created by Genndy Tartakovsky, the legend behind Samurai Jack, so you already know this one is good. it's a short miniseries but whoo boy is it good. the animation is so nice, and this one is so unique. following the story of a caveman and a dinosaur becoming unlikely companions after loss, there is no dialogue. that makes it such a unique experience and it gets so emotional with some pure raw emotions that just crush you

The Midnight Gospel

the newest addition to the family, created by Pendleton War, the genius behind Adventure Time, this one messed me up in ways that I can't even put into words yet. it's an animated podcast with crazy trippy animation behind it and holy shit it is so unique. it takes time to process everything going on, but once in you get in the flow of it it hits you with emotions. following a guy who goes into a simulator to different worlds to interview people for his spacecast, expect for some great discussions of the struggles of hoping, coping with loss, and meditation. take your time with this one, it is so beautiful and funny

adult western animation is finally swinging up, and these are only some of the good ones. thought it would be good to advertise how not adult animation is ugly and just gross humor all the time, because people are finally telling stories that only adults can understand and relate to and feel, and I for one am absolutely here for it

Here’s to hoping they can pull off a good story even with diversity (both the inner & outer kinds) & inclusion in the equation, & it being done in a non-toxic way. Hopefully, it can pick up the slack of G4 in a meaningful way instead of taking the easy way out by doing all the team can to modernise MLP at the cost of nearly everything else. My editor most fears they may do the latter & I can see what he means (especially in doing some retcons and/or moving onto 3D formats, which likely could age pretty well anyway), but I’ll reserve further judgment until it actually comes.

What did you think of the article saying how MLP G5 will focus on themes of diversity and inclusion to appeal to Gen Alpha kids, and how the movie's main character is an activist? Everywhere I've looked, I've seen bronies crying "Ugh, I can't believe MLP is going woke, being political and pandering to SJWs! Ruined forever, not watching!"

If talking about inclusion makes bigots not want to watch, I can’t possibly see how that’s a bad thing.

Here’s some pieces to check out beyond shows, even my editor got good use from it.

17 Beautiful Indigenous Comic Books and Video Games For Kids | CBC Parents

These games and comics aim to eliminate the negative stereotypes of Indigenous peoples seen in popular culture.

One of BC’s news sites just posted this! Thought I’d share :-~] obvs mostly oriented for kids but if yr someone like me who will play / read whatever then you might love this + theres a lot of indigenous education aspects in these!

Polygon

Breakout tabletop RPG by Native designers imagines an uncolonized North America

Connor Alexander says his new world is for Native and non-Native audiences alike

Here's another promising effort to liven up the RPG gardens. Glad to see my editor gave me this one, as some updates on archaeological findings could definitely be used alongside the game-making especially in TTRPG in a helpful way. Some points inside could use some elaboration, like how Cahokia was likely one of the city-states in the Mississippian cultural complex & predecessors in a way not too unlike those of the Maya Civilisation, or how it was likely mainly ruled by those living closest to its range such as the Ofo people or others.

Some help for fellow denizens despite disparate backgrounds.

Good day everyone. Its me again, Maria. I will never get tired of asking help for my family, just a little recap: From the start of the pandemic I was laid off on work and because of all the people who helped me and my family, I was able to helped my brother in his last days, he is a dialysis patient but unexpectedly passed away last Nov 13, 2020. I was able to provide food for my family, my mother, brother and 8 kids, they're my nephews and nieces who is orphan. We were able to live in a safer house because of the donation i received from all the generous and kind people. Its 2021 and there is still no sign on when the pandemic ends. Im asking again your help for donations for food, medicines and bills. I promise to give back to people in need when I can. 😭🙏❤️

paypal.me/MariaTheresa03

Please send it as 'FRIENDS AND FAMILY' to avoid deduction on your donation 🙏🙏🙏