Book Club- Firekeeper’s Daughter
Our last read for book club was Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley. It is now one of my favorite of all the books we’ve read. It was just such an exceptional read!
Fire Keeper’s daughter takes place in Sault Ste. Marie (aka “The Soo”), which is really fun because my close friend and fellow Book Club lady, Betsy, is from there. It was neat to hear from her how much of the book mentioned actual landmarks and places around town. The main character is 18-year-old Daunis, a Native American teenager from the Chippewa tribe that’s intelligent, vulnerable, and self-reliant. I’ve seen this book characterized as YA Thriller and I wish we saw more female characters in YA and adult fiction like Daunis! She is confident in her intelligence, rather than trying to hide it.
Not my best photo lol
The book get its thriller categorization because it’s basically a mystery. Someone close to Daunis is killed and it has to do with the a drug dealing ring around town. The book follows her as she tries to solve the mystery.
I loved this book because it really showcased so many of the issues going on in the Native community like the prevalence of missing and murdered indigenous women there, what does it really mean to be Native, and how to make sure the culture isn’t lost. It also really emphasized the community she is part of as a Native. All of this was done in a way that felt really organic, it was obvious Boulley is Native herself.
This book also made me feel so many things. I was proud of Daunis and it made me proud to be a woman. We deal with a lot of crap as woman and still manage to thrive. This book really showed that and showed how woman create bonds with each other so we always have a support network. I also found myself laughing at times and definitely teared up too.
I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone! I have to admit that it seemed a little dark for YA, so I might not actually recommend it to “youth”. It also feels like the kind of book where you would notice something different each time you read it. I definitely hope to read it again!
I would also like to give a trigger warning for this book, as there are some sexual assault scenes.
This book came on my radar a few months ago when I learned it’s going to be adapted for TV on Netflix and the Obamas are involved. After seeing Waffles & Mochi, I know this means it’s going to be an incredible series!
The next book we’ll be reading is One Life by Megan Rapinoe. As always, you can check out all the other books we’ve read on my Book Club Pinterest board.
Have any of you read Firekeeper’s Daughter or One Life? I’d love to know what you thought!