Welcome to Litsy!

https://youtu.be/HwCJdv7CGk4

Books and stuff:

Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Issues in Canada by Chelsea Vowel

Rickshaw Boy by Lao She Howard Goldblatt (Translator)

My Tender Matador by Pedro Lemebel Katherine Silver (Translation)

Company in the Evening by Ursula Orange

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
...

Another must-read for settler Canadians. Vowel, an educator and lawyer, cuts right to the heart of the issues, but she eschews the academic tone so many legal writers adopt. Reading this book feels like having an intense conversation with her.

It's very much a survey text, so be prepared to get lots of info AND many suggestions for further, deeper reading. My library list is a hell of a lot bigger than it was a week ago. #canada150

I've settled in for a few more essays from INDIGENOUS WRITES. #canada150

Lots of 4-star reads this month & only six 5-stars. It's noteworthy that three out of my six favourite books this month are by Indigenous authors: short stories by Norma Dunning (Inuit), nonfiction by Chelsea Vowel (Métis), and poetry by Billy-Ray Belcourt (Nehiyawak). Belcourt's new collection, This Wound Is a World, is not in the Litsy database yet. (I submitted a request that it be added a couple of weeks ago, so maybe it will be soon.)

This week's library haul. More Indigenous nonfiction, a bunch of comics, my first cozy mystery, and S2 of THE MAGICIANS because I missed the last two or three episodes as they aired.

Marie Wilson, Commissioner of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada, describes Chelsea Vowel's outstanding narrative voice as "passionate, intellectual and populist." "With facts, examples, patience and sardonic humour, she takes us on a guided tour of the legal, political and social wrangling that has torn at the founding relationships of this country." I loved it so much that I've ordered a copy to give as a gift.

"What this novel [Crossfire by Nancy Kress] did for me was to highlight some of the more problematic stereotypes out there about Indigenous peoples. I cannot avoid confronting these portrayals when they are presented to me, and I'm hoping the next time you come across an Indigenous character in a book you're reading, you give more than a cursory thought to the image the author creates."
A reasonable challenge for us Littens to undertake, right?

I'm hanging out in my backyard with my book, enjoying the birds, the squirrels and the end of summer.

I had seen old photos of Inuit wearing dog tags but I had no that they were government identification issued for ease of colonial administration. Inuit didn't use surnames in the past, so from 1941-1978 they were forced to wear these, and official correspondence referred to individuals only by their number. More here:https://thediscoverblog.com/2016/06/22/the-inuit-disc-numbers-and-project-surname/

While there are certainly people claiming a First Nations identity based on blood myths (long-lost or imagined ancestors), it tends to be a less common phenomenon in Canada than in the United States. Part of that, at least where I come from, is a deep-rooted racism against Indigenous peoples that makes being Indigenous in no way an enviable or sought-out identity.

[image: http://canadianart.ca/features/sakahan-national-gallery-of-canada/]

"Some of them focus on the theme of reconciliation."

I can live with that as my inspiration for 2017. Thanks to @arlenefinnigan for bringing this prompt to my attention. ?

I've just signed up for a free 12-week online course on Indigenous issues that starts tomorrow. Let me know if any of you decide to do the same, ok? 🤓
https://www.coursera.org/learn/indigenous-canada

I just got to this article of books by indigenous Canadians and my TBR has increased by several. There are books both for adults and children here. A thoughtfully curated list.

http://bookriot.com/2017/07/01/books-to-read-by-indigenous-authors-in-canada/?ut...

Must buy for all my peeps, from a incontrovertable Métis thinker.

This is a very recent book containing essays outlining Indigenous issues in Canada. I think everyone should read this book. Not only is Vowel's sarcasm hilarious, but Indigenous Writes is incredibly accessible and debunks many myths about Indigenous peoples. But most importantly, Vowel helped me figure out how to bring reconciliation into my future classroom. #historyofpolicies #mandatoryread

What's with all these important indigenous Canadian titles coming out all of a sudden, and particularly out of Winnipeg? How wonderful…