Transatlantic Agency is proud and excited to recognize National Indigenous Peoples Day here in Canada, by sharing a small list of some of our clients books as recommended reads for this important day!
June 21st of each year marks National Indigenous Peoples Day, a time to celebrate the history, resilience, diversity and cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples across Canada.
It also falls at the time of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, with events across the country that include ceremonies, dancing, food and music. The day also forms part of National Indigenous History Month, held each June.
Canada’s Governor-General proclaimed the June 21st day of celebration in 1996. Formerly called National Aboriginal Day, the name was changed to National Indigenous Peoples Day in 2017.
“We are a product of the immense torque that propels this universe. We are not individuals but a great accumulation of all that lived before.” – Tanya Tagaq
INDIAN BURIAL GROUND by Nick Medina (PRH)
A man lunges in front of a car. An elderly woman silently drowns herself. A corpse sits up in its coffin and speaks. On this reservation, not all is what it seems, in this new spine-chilling mythological horror from the author of Sisters of the Lost Nation.
SISTERS OF THE LOST NATION by Nick Medina (Berkley)
A young Native girl’s hunt for answers about the women mysteriously disappearing from her tribe’s reservation leads her to delve into the myths and stories of her people, all while being haunted herself, in this atmospheric and stunningly poignant debut.
Nick Medina is represented by Amanda Orozco.
KUSKTUKA: A Short Story by Mathilda Zeller featured in NEVER WHISTLE AT NIGHT: AN INDIGENOUS DARK FICTION ANTHOLOGY.
Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms: for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai’po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear—and even follow you home.
Mathilda Zeller is co-repped by Amanda Orozco and Laura Cameron.
BURN YOUR SH*T by Lori Dyan (Collins)
Rituals are routines infused with loving intention. The empowerment and unburdening they provide is immense and undeniable. Whether you’re releasing something (or someone) with a Full Moon ritual, elevating your morning skincare routine with a ceremony of self-love or celebrating a milestone moment, rituals can enrich—and even transform—your life.
Lori Dyan is represented by Alexandra D’Amico.
A SEASON IN CHEZGH’UN by Darrel McLeod (Douglas & McIntyre)
James, a talented and conflicted Cree man from a tiny settlement in Northern Alberta, has settled into a comfortable middle-class life in Kitsilano, a trendy neighbourhood of Vancouver. He is living the life he had once dreamed of—travel, a charming circle of sophisticated friends, a promising career and a loving relationship with a caring man—but he chafes at being assimilated into mainstream society, removed from his people and culture.
Darrel McLeod is represented by Carolyn Forde.
MY INDIAN SUMMER by Joseph Kakwinokanasum (Tidewater Press)
For Hunter Frank, the summer of ’79 begins with his mother returning home only to collect the last two months’ welfare cheques, leaving her three “fucking half-breeds” to fend for themselves. When his older sister escapes their northern BC town and his brother goes to fight forest fires, Hunter is on his own, with occasional care coming from a trio of elders—his kohkums—and companionship from his two best friends.
Joseph Kakwinokanasum is represented by Carolyn Forde.
AN ORDINARY VIOLENCE by Adriana Chartrand (House of Anansi)
A chilling horror novel about a young Indigenous woman haunted by the oppressive legacies of colonization. What unfolds is an eerie, incisive, and at times darkly funny horror novel about a young Indigenous woman reckoning with trauma and violence, loss and reclamation in an unsettling world where spirit realms entwine with the living—and where it is humans who carry out the truly monstrous acts.
Adriana Chartrand is represented by Laura Cameron.
OUR VOICE OF FIRE by Brandi Morin (House of Anansi)
Brandi Morin is known for her clear-eyed and empathetic reporting on Indigenous oppression in North America. She is also a survivor of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls crisis and uses her experience to tell the stories of those who did not survive the rampant violence. From her time as a foster kid and runaway who fell victim to predatory men and an oppressive system to her career as an internationally acclaimed journalist, Our Voice of Fire chronicles Morin’s journey to overcome enormous adversity and find her purpose, and her power, through journalism. This compelling, honest book is full of self-compassion and the purifying fire of a pursuit for justice.
Brandi Morin is co-represented by Samantha Haywood and Laura Cameron.
REAL ONES by Katherena Vermette (Hamish Hamilton) Publishing September 3, 2024.
From the author of the nationally bestselling Strangers saga comes a heartrending story of two Michif sisters who must face their past trauma when their mother is called out for false claims to Indigenous identity. In prose so powerful it could strike a match, real ones is written with the same signature wit and heart on display in The Break, The Strangers and The Circle. An energetic, probing and ultimately hopeful story, real ones pays homage to the long-fought, hard-won battles of Michif (Métis) people to regain ownership of their identity and the right to say who is and isn’t Métis.
THE BREAK by Katherena Vermette (House of Anansi)
Winner of the Amazon.ca First Novel Award and a finalist for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and the Governor General’s Literary Award, The Break is a stunning and heartbreaking debut novel about a multigenerational Métis–Anishnaabe family dealing with the fallout of a shocking crime in Winnipeg’s North End.
Katherena Vermette is represented by Marilyn Biderman.
THE BERRY PICKERS by Amanda Peters (HarperCollins)
A four-year-old girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, sparking a tragic mystery that remains unsolved for nearly fifty years. A stunning debut novel, The Berry Pickers is a riveting story about the search for truth, the shadow of trauma, and the persistence of love across time.
WAITING FOR THE LONG NIGHT MOON by Amanda Peters (HarperCollins) Publishing August 13, 2024.
In her debut collection of short fiction, Amanda Peters describes the Indigenous experience from an astonishingly wide spectrum in time and place—from contact with the first European settlers, to the forced removal of Indigenous children, to the present-day fight for the right to clean water.
Amanda Peters is represented by Marilyn Biderman.