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Welcome to Indigo's Bookshelf!

We are a group of Florida Natives--Miccosukee, Seminole, Black, Latinix, queer and disabled--from the ages 12-20, who are passionate about kidlit and yalit.

We believe in the power of books to reflect, entertain and enrich our lives from the time we are young ones. We enjoy books in digital and bound copies, with texts and/or graphics.

We have experienced the bitter disappointment and danger of widespread Native misrepresentation, theft, cruelty and lies in books for all young readers.

This blog is dedicated to reviewing Native #ownvoices. To us, that means books written from an inside perspective by Native authors, with proper research, respect and authorization, first and foremost for young Native readers, but also to educate other young readers and their families.
We join our elders in calling to replace harmful, stereotypical texts in libraries, schools and homes.

This blog is named after our friend Indigo, a Q2S sixteen-year-old who took her own life in 2018
 Her beauty, courage and truthfulness still guides our actions and beliefs. 

Comments

  1. Jean MendozaNovember 17, 2018 at 6:46 AM

    So glad to see that you have got this started. That's a beautiful photo of your dear friend Indigo, and honoring her this way is just lovely. Looking forward to reading what you all have to say!

    ReplyDelete

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WE ARE GRATEFUL, Otsaliheliga, by Traci Sorell, Review by Alexis, 18, Eduardo, 18 and Ashleigh, 13

We have read this book many times since it was published in October 2018. It is a feast for the heart, eyes, voice and mind. Since we think it is a major work, that has already been awarded (and should receive further awards) and many of us have read and discussed it, we decided to do a group review.



Alexis: I heard a lot about this book before it was released. I was instantly intrigued by the concept of it and by the cover. The bright, distinctive artwork, the font of the title and, of course, the title in Cherokee and also in the Cherokee syllabary. I read it very quickly the first time. Probably because I was filled with expectation. I immediately thought it was beautiful and a much fuller book, with more information, than I had expected. I also thought the words and illustrations were a perfect combination.

Eduardo. You know I'm a wannabe filmmaker, so, yeah, I immediately recognized that the book was the whole package. Author and illustrator worked perfectly together. I really …
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For Your Consideration...

Do you know that 2018 was an AWESOME year for Native kidlit and yalit? Yet we are seeing hardly any of the books on the "mock" Caldecott, Newbery, Printz, Sibert Award blogs and year-end "Best of..." lists. We are overjoyed to see more POC #ownvoices recognized, though with little queer or disabled intersections, and these forums still seem dominated by White mediocrity and conformity.

Which leads us to ask--are mainstream lists and awards important? Yes, we think they are. They give books and authors more recognition and a wider audience.

We *deeply* love the American Indian Youth Literature Awards. They are presented every two years. The 2018 selections include some of our all-time favorite books!

We are also thrilled to see our mentor Native librarians and scholars getting the word out in *amazing* articles and interviews. By Alia Jones: "Native YA: Four Native American Authors on Their Messages for Teens." By Debbie Reese: 12 Picture Books That Show…
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