A Thrilling And Jaw-dropping Indigenous Tale You’ll Love

I want to talk to you about a book, a really, really good book called Firekeeper’s Daughter. 

Firekeeper’s Daughter is the debut novel by author Angeline Boulley. 

Angeline Boulley is an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of the Chippewa Indians and has worked in Indigenous education at every level. According to her website, her father is a “Traditional firekeeper which means he strikes ceremonial fires at spiritual activities in the tribal community and ensures protocols are followed while providing cultural teachings through stories told around the fire” 

Firekeeper’s Daughter is a YA thriller about a native teen named Daunis Fontaine who must root out the corruption in her community and the mystery that surrounds her family and friends. 

Daunis Fontaine’s journey is one full of humor, heartbreak, and discovering her identity, and is also a story that centers on Indigenous people in the present. 

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book.

“Love honors your spirit. Not just the other person’s but your own spirit too.”

“People say to think seven generations ahead when making big decisions, because our future ancestors—those yet to arrive, who will one day become the Elders—live with the choices we make today.”

“Kindness is something that seems small, Daunis, but it’s like tossing a pebble into a pond and the ripples reach further than you thought.”

Published in 2021, Firekeeper’s Daughter will soon be adapted by Netflix with former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground. 

Angeline Boulley has another book available called Warrior Girl Unearthed. 

Warrior Girl Unearthed is set in the same community as Firekeeper’s Daughter and includes many of the same characters. 

Warrior Girl Unearthed is a heist thriller that gives way to a complex and compelling mystery and a book that is on my must-read list after reading Firekeeper’s Daughter.