Books by Native, First Nations and Indigenous Authors: Read Harder 2020

Hopefully your humming right along with your Read Harder Challenge. I thought I would update you on some brand new books that fit task #24 for a book in any genre by a Native, First Nations or Indigenous author.

A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliot: The Mohawk phrase for depression can be roughly translated to “a mind spread out on the ground.” In this urgent and visceral work, Alicia Elliot explores how apt a description that is for the ongoing effects of personal, intergenerational and colonial traumas she and so many Native people have experienced. Elliot is an award-winning Haudenosaunee (part of the Iroquois Confederation) writer. She uses her own experiences as well as a broader narrative to explore a wide range of topics such as race, parenthood, love, mental illness, poverty, sexual assault, gentrification, writing and representation. She makes connections between the past and present, the personal and political. This was published August 4, 2020.

A History of My Brief Body by Billy-Ray Belcourt: This is a small but power packed book exploring love, joy and beauty in the face of unbelievable violence directed toward the indigenous-queer body. Belcourt uses the story of their body, indigeneity and queerness to tell the interdisciplinary story of grief that trails the marginalized. The book is categorized as a memoir but it’s also equal parts poetry, essay and indeginous theory. Billy-Ray Belcourt is a poet, scholar and author from the Driftpile Cree Nation in Northern Alberta. The publication date for this book was July 14, 2020.

A History of Kindness by Linda Hogan: With an eye (and a hope) toward a better and more sustainable future, Hogan examines history and the current state of the natural world using poetry through the lens of her Chikasaw heritage. Hogan is a Native American poet, storyteller, academic, playwright, novelist, environmentalist and writer of short stories. She is currently the Chickasaw Nation’s Writer in Residence. June 2, 2020 is when this was published.

Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline: Joan’s husband disappeared after they had an argument and she has been searching for him for almost a year when she thinks she finds him at the center of a revival tent. At least it looks like him but with shorter hair and in a suit but he insists he doesn’t know her. He claims his name is not Victor, but Eugene Wolff. This story is based on the mythology of the “rogarou,” a werewolf-like creature. Has he taken over the body of Joan’s husband? Joan has to find help from an old Metis card-shark who knows about the old ways. This book is billed as a grown up Red Riding Hood. Cherie Dimaline is an author and editor from the Georgian Bay Métis community and became the first Aboriginal Writer in Residence for the Toronto Public Library. The publication date for this book was July 28, 2020.

When the Light of the World was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry by Joy Harjo: This book begins with a blessing from Pulitzer Prize winner N. Scott Momaday and contains works from more than 160 poets, representing nearly 100 indigenous nations. The book is broken down into five different sections based on geographical location. Each section begins with an introduction by one of the contributing editors and then starts with a poem from oral history and continues through to works from emerging artists. Joy Harjo was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and is a member of the Mvskoke Nation. She has released four award-winning CD’s of original music and won a Native American Music Award (NAMMY) for Best Female Artist of the Year. She currently has authored seven books of poetry. It was published August 25, 2020.

If none of these feel right for you, I have created another list with these and many more. Happy reading, and I hope to see you at the next Read Harder Zoom meet-up on September 16 from 6:30-7:30 p.m.!