"Teenage drama 'Sisters in the Wind' derive suspense from concealed personas"
Angeline Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, has written her third thriller for teenagers, titled Sisters in the Wind. The book, set in Native American communities in northern Michigan, was released the first week in September.
Boulley, who grew up in New Buffalo, Michigan, has a rich background in advocating for indigenous narratives. She has worked for her tribe and served as director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education.
The protagonist of Sisters in the Wind is a young woman named Lily, who is on the run after a series of tragedies. Similar to Boulley's previous works, the book features conversations that include debates over tribal enrollment, issues around casinos, Ojibwe mythology, the preservation of ancient medical practices, and generational trauma from boarding schools.
Becky Hill, an educational consultant, attended a conference in August 2022 in Ann Arbor, Mich., where Boulley was the keynote speaker. Hill mentioned a 2018 study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Cooperative Children's Book Center that showed Native characters are only represented in 1% of children's literature. (In 2024, that number rose to 3%.) Boulley appreciated the land acknowledgement at the conference and encouraged the audience to buy a book by a Native author.
Boulley's first book, Firekeeper's Daughter, became an instant bestseller in 2021. The book, which delves into the life of a young Indigenous protagonist named Daunis, shares some characters and some of the tragedies with Sisters in the Wind and Boulley's second novel, Warrior Girl Unearthed, released in 2023.
Warrior Girl Unearthed is about an indigenous character who retrieves stolen ancestors and sacred items from museums and private collections. Similarly, Sisters in the Wind explores themes of identity, community, and the struggle for justice in Native American communities.
At the conference, a traditional honor song was performed for Boulley, celebrating her contributions to indigenous literature. Boulley's inspiring journey, from her humorous encounter with an undercover police officer in high school that sparked her imagination for storytelling, to her successful career as an author, serves as a testament to the power of storytelling in amplifying indigenous narratives.
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