SCPL Reads: National Indigenous History Month

It's been a year since Reanna's sister, Chelsea, went missing on her way home from school. Without any idea of what happened, Reanna and her family struggle to find closure. Driven from her home by memories, Reanna's mom moves to the big city. Left behind on the reserve, Reanna and her little brother go to live with their dad. Reanna is hurt and angry that her mom has run away. She feels lonely and abandoned... but she is not alone. Lights turn on in empty rooms, and objects move without being touched. There are little moons everywhere.

These intimate stories meld traditional storytelling with beautiful, spare prose that portray the dignity of the traditional way of life, the humiliations of systemic racism, and the resilient power to endure.

At times sad, sometimes disturbing, but always redemptive, the stories in Waiting for the Long Night Moon will remind you that where there is grief there is also joy, where there is trauma there is resilience and, most importantly, there is power.

One night, Métis cousins Ezzy and Grey hatch a plan to capture a herd of bison from a nearby national park and release the animals in downtown Edmonton. They want to be seen, to be heard, and to disrupt the settler routines of the city, yet they have no idea what awaits them or what the fateful consequences of their actions will be.

What starts off as a series of subtle connections between isolated characters quickly takes a menacing turn, as it becomes increasingly clear that someone--or something--is hunting them all. Taking tropes from the murder mystery, police procedural, thriller, and horror genres, Drew Hayden Taylor weaves a pulse-pounding and propulsive narrative with an intricate cast of characters, while never losing the ability to make you laugh.

This potent, practical book is a manual for allies for Indigenous Peoples. It presents a roadmap to creating better relationships, equity, and true reconciliation. It offers concrete steps individuals can take, in the organizations they work for and in their personal lives, to become powerful allies.