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.
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