Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Angeline Boulley is passionate about bring the stories of Indigenous women into contemporary literature, and she started with her debut novel, Firekeeper's Daughter, in 2021. A member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in northern Michigan, Angeline has spent much of her life advocating for Indigenous Americans, including on the national level as the Director for the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education. This book deals with addiction and child abuse, bullying, body shaming, death, domestic abuse, gun violence, misogyny, infidelity, racism, rape and sexual assault, violence, toxic relationships, kidnapping, medical content, grief, car accidents, death of a parent, murder, pregnancy, cultural appropriation, abandonment, colonization, injury, and classism. It deals with a lot of serious topics, but it is a young adult book so everything is handled delicately.

Daunis Fontaine just finished high school and is looking forward to what comes next. The daughter of an Ojibwe man and a white woman, she loves both sides of her family and her extensive Ojibwe community, but she's never felt like she completely fits anywhere. She's recently changed her plans, deciding to go to the local university for the first year, because her family has already experienced a lot of upheaval recently and she wants to stay close to her mom for a little while longer. Which is okay, because now she gets to start college with her best friend! Things get interesting when she meets the new member of her brother's hockey team and is asked to show him around town. But there's more to this new hockey player than meets the eye and when tragedy strikes Daunis again, hard, she's thrown into an undercover investigation that leads her to uncover the secrets of her community and the people that she loves.

I've had this book on my list for so long! I've been trying to get my book club to read it for months until I finally grew impatient and decided to read it on my own. Joke's on them, it was delightful. A coming of age story that is chock full of information about the Anishinaabe lore and history, I found it informative and always entertaining. Daunis is a very loveable character who feels the weight of the world on her shoulders and is only trying to do her best, she was very relatable. She speaks of the people in her community truthfully but with compassion, which I really appreciated. The book was well written, well paced, and full of characters that I wanted to see thrive while shining a light on the very real struggles of a community that has been consistently under served or worse. And it takes place in my home state of Michigan, which is an added bonus.

I'm giving Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley 4.5 stars out of 5. An excellent read and one that is appropriate for younger readers. I'm excited for the sequel, Warrior Girl Unearthed, following Daunis' younger cousin. I will be reading it soon so stay tuned!

For more information about Angeline Boulley, check out her website at https://angelineboulley.com/

Pairs well with macaroni soup and listening to the stories of your elders.