Girl Unreserved: revised edition

by Tashia Hart

Girl Unreserved is a very intimate coming-of-age narrative told from the perspective of a "mixed-blood" girl from a Chippewa Indian reservation in Northern Minnesota.

The story addresses how the concepts of identity, gender, and sexuality are shaped by both our cultural environments as well as the intrinsic, spiritual landscape we grow and carry inside of ourselves throughout our lives.

Other themes this book addresses are: the prevalence of sexual assault in Indian Country; poverty and malnutrition and their effects on the mental states of children; alcoholism; and one of the worst coping mechanisms for suffering, the "I Don't Care" mentality that allows subscribers the belief that they are in control of their own suffering--leading to cycles that recreate the suffering over and over again.

This mentality is currently devastating Native communities, with particularly harmful repercussions for the youth of these communities.

Girl Unreserved is based on the author's own coming-of-age story and has woven into it elements of fiction and a touch of magical realism.

This is the author's first book.

Genres: Indigenous, Native American

140 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 9, 2015

About the author

Boozhoo, hello!

I’m an author, illustrator, and artist from the Red Lake Nation. My literary works include the contemporary romance Native Love Jams (2023), The Good Berry Cookbook: Harvesting and Cooking Wild Rice and Other Wild Foods (2021), the middle-grade illustrated book Gidjie and the Wolves (2020) and Girl Unreserved (2015), a fictionalized retelling of my own coming of age tale. My illustration work includes 3 books in the Minnesota Native American Lives series (2021); as an assistant illustrator of Gaa-pi-izhiwebak (2021); and Gidjie and the Wolves (2020). My short works include recipes, essays, poetry, and short stories. I have worked in Indigenous kitchen, and gardens, and have led foraging walks and have a biology degree from Bemidji State University. I'm a jewelry maker working in beads and birch bark and some metal work in the past. I live in Duluth, MN with my husband, son, and a turtle.

Author website: www.tashiahart.com
Instagram: @tashiamariehart
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tashia.hart.5
Twitter: @tashiahartbooks

Reviews

[Herman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this one, I'm normally a pretty tough grader of books very few of my 200 plus read books do I give five stars too, this one earn 5 stars for imaginative truth telling, clear spiritual connection, it was like the very best emotional intellectual 12 step share I've ever heard! It's as if this small child walks up and starts speaking and three hours later you realize you have been listening spellbound the entire time. This was really good, Ms. Hart is a heck of a good writer and she captured a growing up in poverty and abuse but she did it in a way that transcends the experience and I don't believe I have ever described a writer doing that before. I finished reading the book and I immediately started to read it again to my daughter. (I don't recall ever doing that either) Great book place on your must read shelf.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very, very interesting book that combines fiction and biographical narrative. The beginning is stunningly written; as the story unfolds the writing changes back and forth (and back) from lyrical to matter-of-fact to lyrical, and so on. This works well. The main character, Winnow Sticks, is truly engaging; her story is often heartbreaking yet she seems ever-hopeful. I was on her side and cheering for her ("You can do this!"). The story can be difficult to read because of the frankness of the narrative. It does end on a note of empowerment (and I found myself holding my breath as I read the last few pages, hoping she would be all right) and, really, optimism about a yet unseen future.

[Ozaawaa Giizhigoong · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The thing about water is that it wants to find more of itself, like it recognizes the goodness in being an ever bigger whole, and I find my own movement drawn onward by this same gathering.”

Loved the insight of Winnow, the main character. Her sharing of the blue bird story within Winnow's journey at the aunts boyfriends trampoline was very touching. This story is uniquely and reflectively told, and it makes sense that the author wrote this to aid her own healing. Though mature in content, this story is appropriate for a Native American youth audience, because it can help them make sense of their experiences.

[Kirsten Wiant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was touching and dark. I liked the different relationships the main character had with family members. The story was sometimes hard to follow as the dialogue often sounds like a stream of consciousness. This work is caught between having too much to say and not enough. The story is heartbreaking but also lovely, I loved the intimate insight.

[Elli Seltzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is beautiful language in this book and a lot of intelligent observations about loss and love. I'm so glad I read this very important story.

[Moccasin Tracks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tashia asked Moccasin Tracks to write a review of her first Novella in a series: Broken Wings and Things. Girl Unreserved by Tashia Hart from the Red Lake Chippewa Nation in northern Minnesota is the name of the book that put me immediately on a roller coaster ride of a fierce understanding that broke my heart again and again.

Her main character, Winnow Sticks from the Red Lake Chippewa Nation tells the story that often recounts conversations with her Grandmother that are ‘coming of age’ tales and guiding messages of truth meant to speak to adults of all ages.

Sometimes as the character reflects we are gifted with poetry and short stories like one that starts; ” Blue Bird was singing one morning welcoming the sun with much excitement…” which are exquisite and push us to read this story with our hearts.

There are moments we embrace in celebration of healing for a moment we can laugh and grow with the character Winnow, beyond the inter-generational trauma, the assaults, the trauma from the story or from the real life and become the vision her Grandmother has for her.

Winnow says; ” I need to stop thinking myself to death, and release my love for the morning so that its color may fill up the world. And then I must always sing true. And so must You”.

Thank-you Tashia Hart for your story and allowing Moccasin Tracks to read and review. We look forward to talking with you on community radio!

https://tashiahart.wordpress.com/