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- Early in the book, Mailhot tells the story of the first medicine
healer in her culture, whose name was "Heart Berry Boy," or O’dimin.
What’s the connection with this passage and the title of her novel?
- As an indigenous woman, how does Mailhot describe life in a
predominantly white world? In what ways does her identity give her
power? Or fuel her insecurities?
- "I think I have the blood memory of my neurotic ancestors and
their vices," writes Mailhot. How does Mailhot’s connection with her
ancestors inform her understanding of her own life?
- Mailhot refers to herself many times as "squaw"— an English term
used to describe a Native American woman or wife, often in a
derogatory or offensive manner. What characterizes a squaw, in
Mailhot’s view?
- "Native women walk alone from the dances of our youth into homes
they don’t know for the chance to be away," Mailhot writes. What did
you learn from this memoir about the ongoing crisis of violence
against indigenous women and girls? Or about assaults on indigenous
communities more generally?
- A running theme of the book is Mailhot’s experience with settler
colonialism, in which people take land that is inhabited by
indigenous people for their own. What critiques of settler
colonialism, both past and present, does she offer?
- "It is my politic to write the humanity in my characters, and
subvert the stereotypes," Mailhot writes when reflecting on the
death of her father. How does she overturn stereotypes about
indigenous people in her book?
- At one point, Mailhot writes about her mother’s interactions
with the musician Paul Simon, who uses her correspondences with the
prisoner Salvador Agron as inspiration for a Broadway musical. Why
is Mailhot disappointed with the way her mother is ultimately
depicted in the show?
- In addition to her mother sharing her letters with Paul Simon,
there’s another scene in which a white artist seeks to capitalize on
one of Mailhot’s family members’ stories: when her father agrees to
talk to a documentarian about his art. Why, in Mailhot’s view, are
these artists unreliable narrators of her family history?
- How does Mailhot’s memoir compare with other representations of
Native women that you’ve seen in literature or cinema?
- Mailhot addresses her partner, Casey, directly throughout much
of the book, but she retains her voice and authority. What’s
significant about that to you?
- "If my security depends on a man’s words or action, I’ve lost
sight of my power," Mailhot writes of a conversation she has with
her aunt. How do power dynamics play out in Mailhot’s relationships
with other men throughout the book?
- Mailhot is sexually abused by her father as a young child — an
experience that has a profound effect on her mental health later on.
Do you sense that she finds some way to forgive him by the end of
the book? Does he deserve forgiveness?
- Did Mailhot’s memoir make you think about mental health
differently?
- Mailhot’s memoir is not plot-driven, nor is it chronological.
What did you make of her unique writing style?
- Fundamentally, is this an optimistic memoir?
* Some questions from
PBS.org.
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