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Indigenous

Forged in Fort Simmer, NWT

With “each new offering, Van Camp reminds us of his remarkable gift for storytelling. ‘Beast’ is no exception.” —Zoe McKenna reviews Beast, by Richard Van Camp (Madeira Park: Douglas & McIntyre, 2024) $24.95 / 9781771624145

Excellent addition to the backpack

“On a recent summer hike along Vancouver Island’s Cowichan River, we enjoyed referring to Collin Varner’s flora pocket guide to keystone species, “keystone” being organisms that define and support an entire ecosystem thus filling a vital ecological niche.” Isabel Nanton reviews 50 Keystone Flora Species of Coastal British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest: A Pocket Guide & 50 Keystone Fauna Species of Coastal British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest: A Pocket Guide by Collin Varner (Victoria: Heritage House, 2024) $19.95 / 9781772034776 / 9781772034943

‘Finding truth for Indigenous people’

“…by the end of Mohawk elder Taiaiake Alfred’s book of talks, speeches, interviews, and podcasts, as a non-native person I understood the meaning of decolonization and what he calls the transformative potential of the ‘Resurgence of Indigenous power’ to revitalize cultures, traditions, laws, and value systems.” Kenneth Favrholdt reviews It’s All About the Land: Collected Talks and Interviews on Indigenous Resurgence by Taiaiake Alfred (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2023) $29.95 / 9781487552831

An exercise in futility

Former government lawyer and author Richard Butler writes that there must be a better way than trying to implement the principles of the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) through law reform. He sees it an exercise in futility and potentially risky for reconciliation. Richard Butler presents his essay The Futility of Aboriginal Law Reform.

War experiences, recovery from them

Vancouver Island author’s sophomore novel is “a tightly plotted, ambitious work of historical fiction that has fast-paced thriller elements and, at other times, the makings of a slow burn romance.” —Jessica Poon reviews The Last Secret, by Maia Caron (Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2024) $25.00 / 9780385688826

‘Spiritual meaning, form, and function’

“Arnett integrates cultural and technical aspects of rock art and rock art sites from start to finish. He insists the paintings in many settings are an interaction between the rock formation, the setting, the paint, and the artist, including the artist’s songs and stories about the site.” Wendy Burton reviews Signs of the Time: Nłeʔkepmx Resistance through Rock Art by Chris Arnett (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2024) $39.95 / 9780774867962

‘Mysterious, difficult, and wondrous’

Reissued edition of the acclaimed, award-winning volume also reflects on the pandemic and MAID.—Jodi Lundgren reviews In the Slender Margin: The Intimate Strangeness of Death and Dying, by Eve Joseph (Vancouver: Anvil Press, 2023) $22.00 / 9781772142150

‘Redefining the Canadian Mosaic’

“In clearly laid out chapters from Prospect to Policy to Partnership, Schouls describes the steps taken in many negotiations to articulate the positions of numerous peoples, all with different land claims, cultures, languages, and histories.” Linda Rogers reviews The Spaces In Between: Indigenous Sovereignty within the Canadian State by Tim Schouls (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2024) $74.95 / 9781487587406

Where ‘TV isn’t an option’

A boldly illustrated kids book in memoir form is “a simple, heartwarming story that offers life lessons to the young—and perhaps to older readers as well.” —Ron Verzuh reviews Adventures in Desolation Sound, by Grant Lawrence (illustrated by Ginger Ngo) (Madeira Park: Harbour Publishing, 2024) $24.95 / 9781990776878

‘A dialogue respecting traditional objects’

“They seem to be talking about a kind of respectful and meaningful community belonging. That is really where the power lies.” Richard Butler reviews Where the Power Is: Indigenous Perspectives on Northwest Coast Art by Karen Duffek, Bill McLennan, Jordan Wilson (eds.) (Vancouver: Figure 1 Publishing, in collaboration with the Museum of Anthropology, UBC, 2021) $65 / 9781773270517

Indigenous law and Canadian history

“Reynolds calls for more education about the history of colonialism in schools and universities, which is fair enough, although Canadian historians have been writing on the subject for, oh, about fifty years.” Robin Fisher reviews Canada and Colonialism: An Unfinished History by Jim Reynolds (Vancouver: Purich Books, 2024) $32.95 / 9780774880947

Staring down white privilege

“Crossing the River is the author’s personal journey of atonement – coming to terms with her birthright of white privilege. The book gives voice to a different narrative of Canada’s history and offers personal insight into the meaning of reconciliation.” Sage Birchwater reviews Crossing the River: An Unsettling Memoir by Sandra Hayes-Gardiner (Calgary: BixBooks, 2023) $20 / 9781777296759

Scorched memories

“The book suggests that future efforts should prioritize rebuilding Lytton with a strong focus on sustainability and resilience. This involves implementing policies that address the root causes of vulnerability, such as historical injustices and environmental degradation.” Amy Tucker reviews Lytton: Climate Change, Colonialism and Life Before the Fire by Peter Edwards and Kevin Loring (Toronto: Random House Canada, 2024) $36 / 9781039006157

Of Nature, and human nature

“As our current news media make painfully clear, claims and counter claims over national boundaries often lead to devastating violence. It is a prompt to reflection, therefore, to consider the border disputes in the past, distant world of this book.” Theo Dombrowski reviews Arctic Patrol: Canada’s Fight for Arctic Sovereignty by Eric Jamieson (Qualicum Beach: Caitlin Press, 2024) $28.00 / 9781773861333

Ancestry and legacy

The closing novel of the McBride Chronicles tetralogy mulls over past and future as it introduces a host of contemporary social issues. —Vanessa Winn reviews Tomorrow, by Valerie Green (Surrey: Hancock House, 2024) $24.95 / 9780888397843

Where salmon once swam

“Pearkes has issued an environmental warning…” Ron Verzuh reviews A River Captured: The Columbia River Treaty and Catastrophic Change by Eileen Delehanty Pearkes (Victoria: Rocky Mountain Books, 2024) $25 / 9781771605236

It was something you drank

“This book is a history lesson, required reading for those who come late to the struggle and wonder why nothing has been done.” Wendy Burton reviews Water Confidential: Witnessing Justice Denied – The Fight for Safe Drinking Water in Indigenous and Rural Communities in Canada by Susan Blacklin (Qualicum Beach: Caitlin Press, 2024) $24.95 / 9781773861319

This is a worrying book

“History is never simple and nor is the truth. The sooner everyone steps away from the rhetoric of genocide on the one hand and benign paternalism on the other, the better in terms of healing those who feel they need it, and their reconciliation with those whom they feel were responsible.” Richard Butler reviews Grave Error: How the Media Misled Us (and the Truth about Residential Schools) by C.P. Champion and Tom Flanagan (eds.) (Ottawa: True North/Dorchester Books, 2023) $21.00 / 9798867599317

‘Real stories are being told’

“We have waited long for this opportunity to hear this side of the conversation as poets and playwrights, fiction and non-fiction writers from Indigenous nations speak their truth…Good immortalises and memorializes ground breakers like Chief Dan George, Lee Maracle, and the gentle trickster Dan Moses, now gone to spirit, and a whole new generation of writers.” Linda Rogers reviews Truth Telling: Seven Conversations about Indigenous Life in Canada by Michelle Good (Toronto: Harper Collins, 2023) $29.99 / 9781443467810

Confronting industrial impact on environment

“In her work at The Narwhal, Victoria-based investigative reporter Sarah Cox has earned a well-deserved reputation as one of Canada’s foremost environmental journalists. Mixing cautious optimism with an urgent call to arms, her remarkable new book, Signs of Life: Field Notes from the Frontlines of Extinction, provides a sobering account of biodiversity loss in Canada, its root causes, tragic consequences, and potential solutions.” Kevin Hutchings reviews Signs of Life: Field Notes from the Frontlines of Extinction by Sarah Cox (Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions, 2024) $24.95 / 9781773102887

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