#NotYourPrincess

 Bibliography: Leatherdale, M. B., & Charleyboy, L. (2017). #NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women. Annick Press Ltd.   ISBN: 978-1-549--00586-2

Plot Summary: An anthology of Native American Women's stories. The stories include poems, quotes, short stories and interviews by Native American women. The stories are a collection that deal with the struggles of Native American women. Struggles with things such as identity, abuse, discrimination, sexism and addiction are among those discussed.  Each contribution includes a relevant artwork created by the author or another Native American woman. 

Critical Analysis: The authors do an excellent job of taking the theme of each writing and grouping them into 3 subtopics with narratives that relate to each other on some level. Each is unique in its style and language but most reference a struggle of some type. Helen Knott recounts instances of sexual abuse, how girls were encouraged to keep quiet, but ends with an uplifting message of their value and worth (44-45). She doesn't follow traditional rules of capitalization and punctuation, and it gives weight to her words. Near the end are quotes by various Native American female athletes who emphasize how adversity helped them gain focus and confidence through their abilities. The book gives a perspective not often heard, and it is an important read.  It would be great for reluctant readers as one doesn't need to read all of the stories to understand the theme running throughout.

Rev    Reviews:

           Social Justice Books: "#NotYourPrincess is one of those books that is so stunning in so many ways, it is kind of hard to decide where to start!"

         Kirkus Reviews: "Both testament to the complexity of Indigenous women’s identities and ferocious statement that these women fully inhabit the modern world."

         Awards:

         ALA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, 2018

  • Joint winner, Kirkus Reviews Best Books List, 2017

Connections: 

Use in a middle or high school US History class when studying Native American policy in 18th and 19th century.  Read some of the contributions together and discuss how these actions still affect modern Native American populations. 

Use in a high school Sociology class. Read various contributions together and discuss identity, stereotypes and discrimination.

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