Thursday, December 14, 2017

Review: #Notyourprincess: Voices of Native American Women

#Notyourprincess: Voices of Native American Women #Notyourprincess: Voices of Native American Women by Lisa Charleyboy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Strong collection of artwork, poetry, quotations, and snippets of writing about Native American women. I was saddened when I realized that I didn't even recognize the names of some of the Nations--because they are Canadian, I hope? (and if not, what's that say about my own acquiring of knowledge?) As with any collection, there are strong pieces that speak to me, and some that don't. However, the artwork chosen is tremendously strong--I could see an art teacher using this book in a high school classroom.

The collection hits on so many important topics--the pipeline in the Dakotas, physical and sexual abuse of women and children, costumes, being too "white" to be native, native portrayal in media, and, over and over, stereotypes. "The Things We Taught Our Daughters" by Helen Knott made me tear up and if I still taught American Lit, that poem would be included in my curriculum. "When I Have a Daughter" by Ntawnis Piapot made me cry, too, in my own experience as a mother of a daughter that I hope to raise to be strong and defiant. The inclusion of modern sports athletes and how the power of social media is influencing modern native policies was awesome and a real draw for young people.

These stories need to be told. And it saddens me that it takes the help of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council to make sure that books like this get published. I've read two of the YALSA Nonfiction finalists so far, and this one is a winner for me right now. On to read the others!

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