Decolonize Your Bookshelf; Celebrating Books by Indigenous Authors

From Strand Bookstore: Decolonize Your Bookshelf; Celebrating Books by Indigenous Authors

Decolonize Your Bookshelf

November is a time for us to reflect. Culturally, it has been a time when we give thanks, remembering the pilgrims and Native Americans, and mimicking their feast celebrating a bountiful fall harvest in a new land. Historically, though, that isn’t the whole story or even an honest one. As well as reflecting, let’s take the time to explore the origins of this holiday more in-depth, and specifically look at how it impacts Black and Indigenous Peoples of Color (BIPOC) across America. This year, decolonize your bookshelves with reads by these dynamic indigenous authors.

The Jailing of Cecelia Capture by Janet Campbell Hale
A 1985 classic, the Jailing of Cecelia Capture is as relevant today as it was back then. The story follows Cecelia, an indigenous woman who is forced to grapple with her identity when she gets thrown in a jail cell for a night for drunk driving. During her captivity, she confronts her difficult past and the discrimination she had to face as an indigenous woman traversing the United States in the eighties.

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell
This picture book is a celebration of Cherokee culture. Filled with rich and colorful illustrations, Traci Sorell opens our eyes to a severely underrepresented culture and opens a door for Indigenous children to connect to their heritage. Learn how to say “Otsaliheliga” and many other words throughout the book and its glossary.