ANGELINE BOULLEY is a storyteller who writes about her Ojibwe community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Her latest novel Warrior Girl Unearthed returns to the same world as her beloved debut novel Firekeeper’s Daughter. Good Reading for Young Adults caught up with Angeline to discuss everything from books, reading habits to what she hopes readers will take away from her latest novel.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Perry Firekeeper-Birch has always known who she is – the laidback twin, the troublemaker, the best fisher on Sugar Island. Her aspirations won’t ever take her far from home, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. But as the rising number of missing Indigenous women starts circling closer to home, as her family becomes embroiled in a high-profile murder investigation, and as greedy grave robbers seek to profit off of what belongs to her Anishinaabe tribe, Perry begins to question everything.
In order to reclaim this inheritance for her people, Perry has no choice but to take matters into her own hands. She can only count on her friends and allies, including her overachieving twin and a charming new boy in town with unwavering morals. Old rivalries, sister secrets, and botched heists cannot – will not – stop her from uncovering the mystery before the ancestors and missing women are lost forever.
Sometimes, the truth shouldn’t stay buried.
WHAT’S ON ANGELINE’S BOOKCASE?
What are you reading now?
I’m reading Ari Tison’s debut YA novel, Saints of the Household, which launched yesterday. Ari is a Bribri (Indigenous Costa Rican) and African storyteller who combines poetry and prose.
If you were stranded on a desert island and you could only have five books– what would they be?
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Kimmerer
The Martian by Andy Weir
Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
Where is your favourite place to read?
I have an Eames lounge chair and ottoman in my home office, which has a view of Lake Michigan. My idea of heaven is reading all day in my chair, soothed by steady waves and a purring cat.
Do you read one book at a time or multiple?
I juggle two books at once – one that I read and an audiobook I listen to in my car.
Do you use a bookmark or fold the corners of pages?
I use a bookmark.
Your latest novel Warrior Girl Unearthed returns to the same world as Firekeeper’s Daughter – what can readers expect to see a return of in this book?
Readers can expect to see familiar faces from Firekeeper’s Daughter – fans of Granny June will be pleased. I hope readers love Perry as much as they loved Daunis.
What was the most enjoyable part of writing this novel?
I loved writing Perry Firekeeper-Birch! She is funny, loyal, and courageous. I especially loved that she doesn’t overthink things. It’s a joy to write a character who leaps first and thinks about consequences sometime later.
What do you hope readers will take away from this novel?
I hope readers are outraged by museums that hold onto the human remains and funerary belongings of our ancestors, which were taken without consent for profit, research, and as souvenirs of colonisation and Manifest Destiny.
What do you like to drink or eat while reading?
Tea and biscuits, or wine and cheese.
If you could meet one author (living or dead) – who would it be and why?
Roxane Gay – I love her undaunted, brilliant take on current events.
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