Reading about Potawatomi history or books by Potawatomi authors makes a great way to pass time and expand knowledge. Throughout the years, the Hownikan has featured many types of books, including science fiction, history, horror, Christian, art and children’s books. Look back at the highlights, and grab a new book or four.
Kaitlin Curtice, Glory Happening: Finding the Divine in Everyday Places
In this book, Tribal member and author Kaitlin Curtice celebrates sharing stories and the community they create. She uses her Potawatomi heritage and Christian outlook to form a unique worldview that keeps her thankful for the small pieces of everyday life that make up something bigger.
Read more: cpn.news/kcurtice
Find the book: kaitlincurtice.com
Jeffrey Thomas, Osiris
Osiris explores the trials of a military spaceship crew as they travel to new colonies. This futuristic science fiction tale is Tribal member Jeffrey Thomas’ first novel. Although he did not discover a love for writing until later in life, he plans to keep the tales of Commander Derek Cross coming.
Read more: cpn.news/thomas
Find the book: cpn.news/osiris
Peggy King Anderson, Two-Moon Journey: The Potawatomi Trail of Death
Author Peggy King Anderson became interested in Potawatomi history while married to a CPN member, especially forced removal from the Great Lakes on the Trail of Death in 1838. Two-Moon Journey is a fictional first-person account of the two-month, 660-mile trek to Kansas from a girl named Simu-quah.
Read more: cpn.news/TwoMoonJourney
Find the book: cpn.news/twomoonbook
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
As a botanist and academic, Robin Wall Kimmerer intertwines an Indigenous worldview with science, and as a Tribal member, appreciates the cultural connections with Indigenous medicines. Braiding Sweetgrass combines ecological consciousness with Native tradition to educate readers about earth’s oldest teachers.
Read more: cpn.news/kimmerer
Find the book: cpn.news/braiding
Terry Clapp, Eloy the Elk and his Desert Friends and Eloy the Cactus Elk
Tribal member Terry Clapp created Eloy the Elk with his grandsons in mind. These two children’s books aim to teach youth about wildlife conservation through the life of Eloy, a bull elk who lives in the deserts of Arizona. Eloy the Cactus Elk was chosen as part of the Arizona Centennial Legacy Project in 2012.
Read more: cpn.news/clapp
Find the book: cpn.news/eloy
Chad Solomon, Rabbit and Bear Paws series
The Rabbit and Bear Paws graphic novel and picture book series follows two brothers as they learn about life and traditional Native teachings, such as the Seven Fires Prophecies and the Seven Grandfathers. Henvey Inlet First Nation citizen Chad Solomon created the characters in 2005.
Read more: cpn.news/solomon
Find the book: rabbitandbearpaws.com
Robert Sander, Invasion of Laos, 1971
History buffs will enjoy Navarre family descendant Robert Sander’s in-depth account of his time as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam in the early ‘70s. This book focuses on Operation Lam Son 719 and the attempt to sever the Ho Chi Minh Trail, one of the most costly losses of the Vietnam War.
Read more: cpn.news/sander
Find the book: cpn.news/laos1971
Christopher Wetzel, Gathering the Potawatomi Nation: Revitalization and Identity
Christopher Wetzel started writing about Potawatomi communities while studying sociology in college. He then spent more than a decade attending events across the country, including CPN’s Family Reunion Festival and Potawatomi Gathering, learning what makes Nishnabé culture unique and beautiful.
Read more: cpn.news/wetzel
Find the book: cpn.news/wetzelbook
Robert Perry, Uprising! Woody Crumbo’s Indian Art
Throughout a six-decade career, Potawatomi member Woody Crumbo became known as an extraordinary artist for both his portraits of Native Americans and portrayal of Indigenous culture. Author Robert Perry’s book discusses Crumbo’s influences, talent, mastery of technique and more.
Read more: cpn.news/perry
Find the book: cpn.news/crumbobook
Trenton Guthrie, The Red Man: A Collection From The Pit
This novel from CPN member Trenton Guthrie combines what seems like two opposite genres, horror and Christian. The Collection From The Pit includes stories, poems and letters written from the perspective of a man trying to find himself while isolated by a powerful antagonist.
Read more: cpn.news/pitcollection
Find the book: cpn.news/guthrie