a novel by Mona Susan Power
recommended by Pam Joern

                  “The long-awaited, profoundly moving, and unforgettable new novel from PEN Award-winning Native American author Mona Susan Power, spanning three generations of Yanktonai Dakota women from the 19th century to the present day.” –Goodreads. 

                  Power tells the story of three women, each of whom has one or more dolls to accompany them. Serving as both metaphor and companion, the dolls embody undisclosed “selves” of their owners. Dealing with generational trauma from indigenous boarding schools, this novel probes deeply into the pain of separation and mistreatment, loss of identity, and creative resilience.       

                  Though I have read about the atrocities of Indian boarding schools, this novel helped me understand and feel the enormity of these experiences. Whether mistreated and punished or held up as shining examples of assimilation, young people are separated from their families, their histories, their languages and cultural identities. I am not typically drawn to “magic” in my reading, but the life given to the dolls by their owners (whether real or imagined) was necessary, creative, and deeply moving. Power is a gifted writer. I read a lot of books, but I won’t forget this one.