Read, Listen, Tell: Indigenous Stories from Turtle Island

by Sophie McCall (Editor), Deanna Reder (Editor), David Gaertner (Editor)

“Don’t say in the years to come that you would have lived your life differently if only you had heard this story. You’ve heard it now.” ―Thomas King, in this volume Read, Listen, Tell brings together an extraordinary range of Indigenous stories from across Turtle Island (North America). From short fiction to as-told-to narratives, from illustrated stories to personal essays, these stories celebrate the strength of heritage and the liveliness of innovation. Ranging in tone from humorous to defiant to triumphant, the stories explore core concepts in Indigenous literary expression, such as the relations between land, language, and community, the variety of narrative forms, and the continuities between oral and written forms of expression. Rich in insight and bold in execution, the stories proclaim the diversity, vitality, and depth of Indigenous writing. Building on two decades of scholarly work to centre Indigenous knowledges and perspectives, the book transforms literary method while respecting and honouring Indigenous histories and peoples of these lands. It includes stories by acclaimed writers like Thomas King, Sherman Alexie, Paula Gunn Allen, and Eden Robinson, a new generation of emergent writers, and writers and storytellers who have often been excluded from the canon, such as French- and Spanish-language Indigenous authors, Indigenous authors from Mexico, Chicana/o authors, Indigenous-language authors, works in translation, and “lost“ or underappreciated texts. In a place and time when Indigenous people often have to contend with representations that marginalize or devalue their intellectual and cultural heritage, this collection is a testament to Indigenous resilience and creativity. It shows that the ways in which we read, listen, and tell play key roles in how we establish relationships with one another, and how we might share knowledges across cultures, languages, and social spaces.

Genres: Indigenous, Short Stories, Nonfiction, Anthologies, Literary Criticism

410 pages, Paperback

Published May 26, 2017

About the author

Professor at Simon Fraser University's English Department, McCall's main areas of research and teaching are Indigenous literatures and studies in Canada, contemporary Canadian literature from the 20th and 21st centuries, diasporic writing, and studies in reconciliation and transitional justice.

Reviews

[Becky Loader]

Did you know that indigenous people call North America "Turtle Island"? Neither did I.

This volume contains stories from 1890-2010. All are written by Native Americans.

Wide range of type of story, wide range of author skills, wide range of subject matter. Well worth reading.

[Jan]

The best book (reader) I've read in 2017, to date. The stories are so very diverse. They are thought provoking, heart wrenching, speak of profound love - or revenge, laugh out loud funny, horrifying, educational, provocative, or down right innovative and fun to read. They certainly challenge perceptions and ideologies. This book was a fantastic introduction to indigenous intellectual traditions that has left me keen to know more. It also provided many, recommendations of other works and accomplishments of the by the contributing authors. As a result, I have a long reading list formed. Excellent.

[Josh]

A difficult read at times, but I feel it's important as a settler to read stories by indigenous people to educated myself and to grow as a person. Indigenous people value stories for the lessons they can impart. This is a great learning opportunity.

[Tamara Hans]

Working on developing curriculum for teaching some of these excellent Indigenous short stories in high schools. You will find funny stories, speculative fiction stories, heart-breaking stories, and so much more as the editors have done a great job to contextualize each piece!

These are just a selection of some of the awesome authors and titles you will find:
“The Way of the Sword” Dawn Dumont
“Tatterborn” Daniel Heath Justice
“Goodbye, Snauq” Lee Maracle
“Delivery” Lisa Bird-Wilson
“’You’ll Never Believe What Happened’ is a Great Place to Start” Thomas King
“The Space NDN’s Star Map” L. Catherine Cornum
“Rolling Head’s Grave Yard” Louise Halfe
“I’m Not an Indian” Solomon Ratt
“Grandma and the Wentigo” Sylvain Rivard
“The Boys Who Became a Killer Whale” Ellen Rice White
“An Athabasca Story” Warren Cariou
“King of the Tie-snakes” Craig Womack
“Rita Hayworth Mexicana” M. E. Wakamatsu
“Borders” Thomas King
“Republic of Tricksterism” Paul Seesequasis
“Devotion” Richard Van Camp
“Terminal Avenue” Eden Robinson

[Alex Reneski]

A scholarly amalgamation of the literature of native Americans. The title made me expect more of the myths and legends, but there are a lot of modern stories of current life as faced by current native Americans. It is a very comprehensive volume.
The stories themselves are interesting and enlightening, but the book as a whole reads more like a textbook than an anthology of stories to enjoy. I vaguely remember that in English Lt. we were advised that a poem should never be analyzed, just appreciated. I sort of feel the same way about these stories. Also, the mix of fiction, myth, legends and modern short stories, as well as commentary, contributed to this impression.
Overall, an excellent effort to preserve native literature, and I consider it a good read.

Book provided by goodreads.

[chickienuggies™]

I've only read *Way of the Sword* from this collection, but I really enjoyed it and will check it out some more!

Way of the Sword was charming and my students really liked it. One student rambled to me about how much they hate reading and then once they started reading this they excitedly approached me (uncharacteristic behaviour) to talk to me about all the school fights in the book. It was pretty lovely and I would definitely use this story again!

[Caitlin Coska]

I absolutely loved the concept behind this book. It is not the kind you race through, which is my normal style. With this one, I enjoyed taking one story at a time.

I loved how this collection introduced me to so many different Indigenous storytelling styles. I think it perfectly portrayed how many different perspectives and experiences exist within a community.

I think documenting the beautiful oral stories told is so very important and this collection accomplished that.

[DeadWeight]

An extremely varied collection of Indigenous short fiction, spanning several genres and eras, and featuring a who's-who of Indigenous literary figures; an indispensable introduction to Indigenous fiction.