Ginny Frost
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley fulfills
the category “Book Written by an Indigenous Person” for the PopSugar 2021
Reading Challenge. This novel was written by a member of the Sault Ste. Marie
Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan.
The title was not my first
choice for the category. I’ve
read a couple of other books by Native Americans recently, including There
There and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I liked
one, didn’t like the other, and I think I’ve already blogged those for you for
the challenge.
I also read Johnny Appleseed
by Joshua Whitehead. The book was interesting. I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t sure
how to put it together in the blog. Talking about a gay, male Native American
who is a sex worker was just a little too much for me this week. I still
recommend the title. It is a unique perspective about being queer and being
native, but it’s
explicit. Be aware.
Now let’s talk about Firekeeper’s
Daughter, an amazing book. It wasn’t just a slice of life of a Native American. It was a
suspense novel, using their tribe and Daunis, the heroine, as the base. And she
was a true champion—brave, smart, and vulnerable when needed. I love the fact
that she was a female hockey player.My friend’s daughter is a hockey player.
But being an athlete is not her only attribute. She’s smart and studies. She
cares for her family by taking time out for them and assisting them. She was a
great daughter of the tribe.
The author did a fantastic job
interspersing cultural information with suspenseful action. It never felt like
an information dump. Daunis explained things without being boring or dogmatic.
It was a perfect blend. Especially since most of the book involved suspense,
murder, and drugs. Poor Daunis gets caught up in it.
She ends up becoming an
informant for the FBI. Ms. Boulley went all 21 Jump Street and had one
of the FBI officers infiltrate the high school. Daunis and Jaime have serious
sparks. So now we have a Native American romantic suspense novel… maybe… Honestly, it’s more
traditional suspense, with a building of tension until the end. Through without
knowing our bad guy, I guess I have to classify the novel as a mystery.
Without spoiling, I will say
that I think the author jumped the shark a tiny bit with conflict and tension toward
the end. Spoiler! Daunis is sexually assaulted—raped—near the end of the book.
In my opinion, the scene and action are not necessary for the story. In fact,
the plot becomes less believable because of it. Too many bad things happen to Daunis
on her journey to find the person who killed her friend and is spreading drugs
in her community. She has little reaction to the sexual assault. I understand
why the author added that horrible event, but I think rape went too far.
Enough ranting… because spoiler. I was not
happy about the identity of the bad guy. Too much baggage was left with that
villain. I won’t say more. Read the book!
I give Firekeeper’s Daughter Five Pinches of Tobacco to
honor a brilliant book.