This conversation highlights how her work explores Native Rights and Native American culture\, in particular using a n important symbol that anchors comfort and companionship in Native life: dolls. \;
\nFrom the mid-century metropolis of Chicago to the wi ndswept ancestral lands of the Dakota people\, to the bleak and brutal Ind ian boarding schools\, \;A Council of Dolls \;is the stor y of three women\, told in part through the stories of the dolls they carr ied....
\nSissy\, born 1961: Sissy&rsquo\;s relationship with her be autiful and volatile mother is difficult\, even dangerous\, but her life i s also filled with beautiful things\, including a new Christmas present\, a doll called Ethel. Ethel whispers advice and kindness in Sissy&rsquo\;s ear\, and in one especially terrifying moment\, maybe even saves Sissy&rsq uo\;s life.
\nLillian\, born 1925: Born in her ancestral lands in a time of terrible change\, Lillian clings to her sister\, Blanche\, and her doll\, Mae. When the sisters are forced to attend an &ldquo\;Indian schoo l&rdquo\; far from their home\, Blanche refuses to be cowed by the school& rsquo\;s abusive nuns. But when tragedy strikes the sisters\, the doll Mae finds her way to defend the girls. \; \;
\nCora\, born 1888 : Though she was born into the brutal legacy of the &ldquo\;Indian Wars\,& rdquo\; Cora isn&rsquo\;t afraid of the white men who remove her to a scho ol across the country to be &ldquo\;civilized.&rdquo\; When teachers burn her beloved buckskin and beaded doll Winona\, Cora discovers that the spir it of Winona may not be entirely lost...
\nA modern masterpiece\, \;A Council of Dolls \;is gorgeous\, quietly devastating\, and ultimately hopeful\, shining a light on the echoing damage wrought by Indian boarding schools\, and the historical massacres of Indigenous peopl e. Mona Susan Power weaves a spell of love and healing that comes alive on the page. Register now to join the conversation! \;
\nA bout the Author: \;Mona Susan Power is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Her novel\, \;A Council of Dolls\, \;was longlisted for the National Book Award and the Carol Shield s Prize for Fiction. She is the author of three previously published works of fiction\, \;The Grass Dancer\, \;which won the Pen/He mingway Prize\, Sacred Wilderness\, \;and \;Roofwalke r. Her short stories have been published by \;The Atlantic Mo nthly\, The Paris Review\, The Best American Short Stories\, \;an d more. Mona is a graduate of Harvard and the University of Iowa Writers&r squo\; Workshop. She lives in Saint Paul\, Minnesota.
\nThe views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent . Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endor sement or recommendation by Dedham Public Library.
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