Image via Boswell Books
Along the shores of Lake Superior, a new heroine has emerged as the star of one of this year’s most anticipated young adult novels. Angeline Boulley’s debut, Firekeeper’s Daughter, was 10 years in the making and is soon to be adapted for TV by President and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground.
Eighteen-year-old Anishinaabe teenager Daunis Fontaine is an intelligent young woman with dreams of leaving her northern Michigan hometown to study medicine in college, but instead she finds herself caught up in a local mystery and working undercover as a confidential informant to the FBI. In Firekeeper’s Daughter, Boulley, herself an enrolled member of the Sault St. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, infuses Ojibwe culture and teachings as she beautifully tackles themes of spirituality, trust, resilience and self-discovery. A firekeeper is a protector, and Danius unexpectedly finds herself playing a similar role to the people she loves, her tribal community, and ultimately her own heart.
In Firekeeper’s Daughter, the Anishinaabe author has written a contemporary story of a strong iondigenous woman and the Ojibwe community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It is a powerful story perfect for social justice seekers of all ages. Prior to becoming a full-time author, Boulley served in a variety of roles in Indian education at the tribal, state, and national levels. She will appear in a virtual event at Boswell Books alongside UWM professor and indigenous poet Margaret Noodin (What the Chickadee Knows) 7 p.m., June 29.
