Anton Treuer

teen/adult fiction - set in NE Minneapolis, and in Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation (Red Gut), Couchinching First Nation and Chief's Ridge (fictional remote trapping area) in Ontario, Canada, published June 2024.

Ezra Cloud (of the wolf clan from Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation) becomes the primary suspect in a suspicious fire that burned down school bully Matt Schroeder's house, so he's sent to a remote area of Ontario to learn about trapping from his grandfather while the police continue to investigate; his friend/crush Nora will also see if they can clear his name.

Rather than a story about werewolves or shapeshifters (fortunately, or else the whole premise might seem awfully Twilight, though Ezra does have a connection to the wolves but mostly in his dreams), this is a coming of age story where Ezra and Grandpa Liam learn a lot from each other, and the reader gets to learn some cool stuff about trapping traditions.… (meer)

An accessible Q&A format means readers can jump in anywhere. For those who read cover to cover, there is a small amount of repetition, but this serves to reinforce the information and considered opinions within.

See also: Lies My Teacher Told Me

Quotes

Because we are so often imagined and so infrequently understood, I was...an ambassador for my people. (5)

There were a lot of humans in the Americas before contact with Europe. The idea that the Americas were populated by a few scattered bands of roaming nomads is simply a myth designed to alleviate White guilt about the genocide and theft required to take the land. (30)

Here in the United States, very little effort has been made to voice formal apologies, make reparations, or pass political mandates about education. Yet this country was founded in part by genocidal policies directed at Native Americans and the enslavement of Black people. (52)

Columbus did not create the age of discovery. The Doctrine of Discovery created Christopher Columbus. (72)

We are modern people, but we are ancient too. (87)

All cultures change over time....Many things inform identity, including heredity, connection to tribal communities, traditional lifeways, and tribal languages. (91)

We all need affinity space - places where we can go and be accepted for exactly who we are and where we don't have to explain everything in order to be understood. (107)

Many Indians believe that we do not have souls. Rather, we are souls. WE have bodies, which are just temporary houses for our souls....The body is a container. (122)

It hurts when non-Native people don't see you for who you are, and it sometimes hurts worse when your own people don't accept you. (184)

The idea of the [residential boarding] schools had less to do with giving children an education than with taking away their culture. (257)

We need to transform the schools that educate Indian youth from places designed to assimilate into places that enable people to learn about themselves and the rest of the world. This approach is a big part of the success for tribal schools that are making the grade on state-mandated tests. (265)

Resistance [to changing public art, statues, place names, etc.] is real and significant and tied up with the fear that many Whites have that they, after erasing so many tribes, languages, and cultures, will somehow experience their own erasure. (304)

The world is not a fair place. The past cannot be changed, but there are many things in the present that are also not just that we can do something about. While it is not right to hold individuals entirely responsible for the sins of their ancestors, it is fair to expect our society to remedy the current effects of historical trauma and injustice and iniquity. (319)… (meer)

Fifteen-year-old Ezra Cloud is an Ojibway boy grieving the death of his mother and living in Minneapolis with his professor dad. Unfortunately, Ezra hates the city, the dirty snow, and, most of all, school and the bullies there. When Matt, the worst of these bullies, starts picking on Nora George, Ezra’s friend, fellow Indigenous, and first crush, Ezra intervenes. That night, Matt’s house burns down and Ezra becomes the main suspect. To protect him, his dad takes him to the Reserve across the border in Canada where his grandparents live. His father returns to the city while his grandfather takes him with him on his trap-line and teaches him about Indigenous life and culture.

Told in the first-person by Ezra, Where Wolves Don’t Die by Anton Treuer is a thoughtful YA tale combining coming-of-age, first love, family and grief with an interesting mystery. But this is also a story of Indigenous culture, showing its vibrancy through the myths and stories passed down through generations and the reverence and respect for nature including the dangers inherent to it. There is also a nice portrayal of romance, not only for the young but for seniors as well.

Although I am way way outside the age of the intended audience, I found the story compelling and enjoyed it immensely. I read the novel while listening to the audiobook narrated by the author who does a wonderful job of giving voice to Ezra’s story.

Thanks to Netgalley. Levine Querido, and RB Media for both the ebook and audiobook in exchange for an honest review… (meer)