New York Times bestselling author Angeline Boulley is back this fall with her third novel.
She’s an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and many of her stories tap into Anishinaabe culture and experiences from her childhood home of Sugar Island in the Upper Peninsula. Her first book "Firekeeper's Daughter" won several national writing awards. Barack and Michelle Obama's production company bought the rights to adapt it with plans to release a series on Netflix.
Her latest "Sisters in the Wind" brings back some familiar characters from her other novels to tell a story about a young woman named Lucy caught in the foster care system in Michigan who later learns of her Indigenous heritage.
"For 'Sisters in the Wind,' what was different was that I was writing and playing with time, so I was going back for flashbacks of Lucy's life, kind of how she arrived at the point that the reader first meets her," Boulley explained.
"I really wanted to reflect that so many of our children and teens don't grow up on the reservation or in that tribal community, and so that made her a really great protagonist for a story that was focused on foster care and the Indian Child Welfare Act and what happens when the law is not followed."
Boulley says part of her goal in writing is introducing readers to contemporary Native American issues and giving them an opportunity to relate to her community.
"I just think it's amazing that I get to share stories about my tribe, about being Indigenous, and that people who have no connection to Michigan or to Native tribes are learning about it, maybe for the first time, and hopefully it sparks an interest to pick up a book by another Indigenous author and learn about another community," she said.
Some other books by Indigenous authors she recommends include "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline, Marcie Rendon's Cash Blackbear series and "Man Made Monsters" from Andrea Rogers.
Boulley is already working on her next novel which she says kicks off with a pipeline protest in St. Ignace.
Interview Highlights
On the protagonist of her new book
Each of my novels delves into Native identity and from a different lens. And so with Lucy, I really wanted to reflect that so many of our children and teens don't grow up on the reservation or in that tribal community, and so that made her a really great protagonist for a story that was focused on foster care and the Indian Child Welfare Act and what happens when the law is not followed.
On including federal policy and laws that impact Indigenous people in her stories
I think there is such a lack of information that's taught about Native Americans' contemporary issues. And so, through a novel you can tackle subjects that maybe never were covered in school or through the common conversation, but through the eyes of a character that hopefully readers love. You really get that personal sense of how these laws impact real people.
On sharing her culture to a wider audience
Firekeeper's Daughter, I have 22 foreign rights deals. And so, my stories that are set in Michigan, are being translated and published around the world. I just think it's amazing that I get to share stories about my tribe, about being Indigenous, and that people who have no connection to Michigan or to Native tribes are learning about it, maybe for the first time, and hopefully it sparks an interest to pick up a book by another Indigenous author and learn about another community.
Interview Transcript
Sophia Saliby: New York Times bestselling author Angeline Boulley is back this fall with her third novel. She’s an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and many of her stories tap into Anishinaabe culture and experiences from her childhood home of Sugar Island in the Upper Peninsula.
Angeline joins me now to talk about her new book "Sisters in the Wind." Thanks for joining us.
Angeline Boulley: Oh, miigwech, thank you.
Saliby: You've talked about how your first book "Firekeeper's Daughter" took years to write. Your second novel took less than two years to come out after that, and you're back again with another book in two years.
What have you learned about yourself as a writer over the course of this whirlwind half a decade?
Boulley: That I am a completely different writer for each book. Writing techniques that might have worked for me in the past, it feels like I have to reinvent myself all over again with each story.
Saliby: And what was different for "Sisters in the Wind?"
Boulley: For "Sisters in the Wind," what was different was that I was writing and playing with time, so I was going back for flashbacks of Lucy's life, kind of how she arrived at the point that the reader first meets her.
Saliby: And this protagonist, Lucy, in the book, is the first to not have grown up within an Indigenous community, and she later learns about her own heritage in the story.
Can you tell me about creating her and how that might have been different from Daunis or Perry, who are the protagonists of your first two books?
Boulley: Each of my novels delves into Native identity and from a different lens. And so with Lucy, I really wanted to reflect that so many of our children and teens don't grow up on the reservation or in that tribal community, and so that made her a really great protagonist for a story that was focused on foster care and the Indian Child Welfare Act and what happens when the law is not followed.
Saliby: Your books all feature a set of interconnected characters with ties to Sugar Island that pop up in each other's stories. Do you plan to continue to write in this universe, or are you thinking about maybe where you could go next?
Boulley: I'm working on my fourth book with Macmillan, and I'm about 150 pages into a first draft, so I feel really good about it. And following along with the elements, so we had element of fire, earth, air, and of course, that leaves water. And so my fourth book will open at a pipeline protest rally in St. Ignace.
Saliby: You mentioned the Indian Child Welfare Act. Your books aren't just about Indigenous characters but also touch on federal laws that impact Indigenous people. Why is it important to you to include these in your stories?
Boulley: I think there is such a lack of information that's taught about Native Americans' contemporary issues. And so, through a novel, you can tackle subjects that maybe never were covered in school or through the common conversation, but through the eyes of a character that hopefully readers love. You really get that personal sense of how these laws impact real people.
Saliby: When I was reading your second book, "Warrior Girl Unearthed," I kind of had a new realization about kind of the power of sharing information and knowledge itself.
So, what has it been like to bring Anishinaabe culture to a more mainstream audience that maybe has no connection to Michigan, has no connection to Indigenous folks that they can see directly?
Boulley: I am really proud of it. The author, James Joyce, there's a quote attributed to him, and it's "in the particular, we find the universal." Firekeeper's Daughter, I have 22 foreign rights deals. And so, my stories that are set in Michigan, are being translated and published around the world.
I just think it's amazing that I get to share stories about my tribe, about being Indigenous, and that people who have no connection to Michigan or to Native tribes are learning about it, maybe for the first time, and hopefully it sparks an interest to pick up a book by another Indigenous author and learn about another community.
Saliby: Do you have any recommendations for another book, whether fictional or nonfiction, that you think our listeners should check out?
Boulley: My favorite book in the world is "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline. I'll also read anything that Marcie Rendon writes, her Cash Blackbear mystery series is adult, I would not hesitate to hand it to a high school student. Andrea Rogers, "Man Made Monsters," oh my gosh, that short story anthology is, to me, it's groundbreaking.
Saliby: Angeline Boulley is the author of several novels, including her newest, "Sisters in the Wind." Thank you for joining us.
Boulley: You are very welcome. Miigwech.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
