Read, Listen, Tell: Indigenous Stories from Turtle Island

This strong anthology of stories by Indigenous authors covers a broad variety of topics—land and language, story cycles, transformations, and even genre work—and questions why labeling certain works as “genre” can itself be an act of colonialism. Critical essays with each themed chapter provide discussion points for each story, inviting readers to question and dig beneath the surface. Sometimes this involves accepting a new twist and critique of an old story, as with the creation myth in Thomas King’s “ ‘You’ll Never Believe What Happened’ Is Always a Great Way to Start”. Others, such as Alexina Kublu’s “Uinigumasuittuq/She Who Never Wants to Get Married,” present a new way for readers to approach Indigenous literature by alternating lines of English and the original Inuktitut. The strength of this anthology isn’t just in its breadth of content or the high quality of the selected stories; it’s first and foremost in the prioritization of the voices included—their complexities, their complications, and their identities, all wonderfully and honestly presented. (June)