Search This Blog

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

American Indian Heritage Month

Most every month has been dedicated to a certain population in order to spread awareness and understanding through information. You can learn so much about different cultures and groups of people by checking to see what group is being represented in each month. It has been eye-opening diving deeper into each culture as I explore the heritages and histories of different people. 

November is dedicated to Native Americans. What better way to share their cultural significance than through the power of their stories? Native Americans have long interwoven tales and stories throughout their every day lives, making it an integral part of their worlds, which makes books about their heritage, history, and lives all that more profound.

Take a look at some books (and a brief summary) that will help you understand more about American Indians. 


In this classic book, readers will find insight into how Native Americans fought for their lands on the ever-shrinking American frontier. Being betrayed by the white nation of the East over and over again as they slowly lose their hold on the land they had once inhabited.


A book that opens your eyes to the deep spiritual lives of Native Americans, it follows Black Elk (a Lakota medicine man and visionary) and the religious traditions of the Ogala Sioux. 


Following a novelized non-fiction account by Kent Nerburn, the adventure through a Lakota reservation haunts you as you learn more about Indian Boarding Schools, revealing dark truths of the Native American experience. 


A true story about one of the most recognized Native American names in history, through firsthand research and oral tradition Marshall recounts the life of a genius strategist, commander, and leader.


A nonfiction book about the America's systematic destruction of Native American culture, religion, and way of life in the late 19th century. This book uses firsthand descriptions from Dakota, Ute, Sioux, Cheyenne, and other tribes (as well as more official records) to tell the story of betrayal and broken treaties.


A riveting, engrossing nonfiction account of the Osage murders and its following trials. Set in Oklahoma in the 1920s, white settlers and local political bosses were said to have taken advantage of the Osage's vulnerability in order to steal their wealth from oil deposits on their land.


Tells two stories about the rise and fall of the Comanches as well as Cynthia Ann Parker and her son Quanah. Being that Crazy Horse hailed from Comanches and Parker was his wife while Quanah was his son, this makes for an interesting read about his tribe.


Following a 13-year-old Native American boy named Joe, this story takes place in North Dakota during the 1980s and follows the aftermath of a terrible crime. Erdrich wanted to highlight the atrocities against Native American women as well as draw attention to the fact that many perpetrators are not brought to justice. 


Taking place in a small town on an Ojibwa reservation, this story follows Daunis, a bi-racial Native American teenager, who becomes involved in a murder investigation. It explores identity, community, and standing up for what is right while simultaneously reflects on trauma by colonization and the Indian residential school system.


Set in 1953 in the Chippewa Reservation called Turtle Mountain Band, this complex story follows two characters with their recounting of the fight against a bill that would end tribal sovereignty. 


A story about a World War II veteran returning from Japanese internment camps to his Laguna Pueblo reservation in New Mexico. It follows his path to healing from his psychological and spiritual wounds brought on by the war.

Thursday, October 31, 2024

Happy Halloween!

I could write a blog about the origin of Halloween, but that's been done all too much. Rather, I think to properly celebrate this holiday I would rather mention some good stories instead.

Horror



Thriller



Mystery



Gothic




Paranormal




Suspense





Have a boo-tiful, spooky night! 👻


Friday, October 4, 2024

Through the Power of MEL

I have long been a fan of Michigan Electronic Library (MEL) for several reasons:

  1. It connects you with so many resources within and outside a drivable distance from where you live.
  2. You can find all sorts of things on their website (mel.org).
  3. It is a great option if you cannot find what you are looking for at your library and/or you don't want to spend the money buying that material.
Yes, it has the power to get you many materials within 2-4 weeks time, but perhaps you are unaware of MEL's other resources. Powered by MEL, you can do so much more than simply request materials for you to pick up at your local library. If you visit our website pdl.michlibrary.org, and select the "eResearch and Research" tab at the top of the page, you can explore more options that are supported by MEL.

Options such as MyHeritage allows you to look up historical documents associated with a person, or you can look for an old, obscure newspaper with Newspaper Source Plus. Additionally, EBSCO eBooks Public Library Collection can be used to find full-text magazines and reference books. This is particularly handy because you can pull up an interesting magazine or reference from anywhere that has internet!

I found the Auto Repair Source to be particularly helpful as I have always bought used cars and doing maintenance or troubleshooting them has not been my forte. MasterFILE is an interesting resource for finding businesses or individuals using specific criteria, so if you have been searching for something or someone, this might be a handy tool to take advantage of.

Novelist Plus is a resource similar to GoodReads as a source for finding your next great read. Simply by typing keywords, title, author, or anything similar you can find a book you've read and enjoyed in the past. Once you have found that book, you can choose between similar titles or authors, and Novelist will give you a concise list of books for you to try based on that search criteria.

If you're into researching or looking for another way to find information or particular materials, then try MEL's list of resources. It's powerful and free!