Wîhtamawik/Tell Them: On a Life of Inspirationby Louise Bernice Halfe – Sky DancerPublished by University of Regina PressReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$27.95 ISBN 9781779400840 Award-winning Saskatchewan writer Louise Bernice Halfe – Sky Dancer is renowned for her candid, Cree-infused poetry and presentations. Her latest book, Wîhtamawik/Tell Them: On a Life of Inspiration, braids memoir, poetry and essays to reveal where the author’s found inspiration and, I would say, contentment, after a tumultuous early start. In the eloquent introduction by the author’s daughter, Omeasoo Wahpasiw, the latter writes: “My mom dances with both her bones and the bones of our people, and when they poke and punch her with their insistent rattling, she does us all a favour, as painful as it is, and leaves them naked in the wind.” Until age seven, Halfe lived with her family in a log cabin on the Saddle Lake Reserve and practiced traditional Cree ways of life. She doesn’t pretend that it was perfect. Her father drank and was emotionally volatile (“His heart was a cave of stalactites.”). Her parents “stooked hay, picked rocks/in white farmers’ fields”. Halfe “learned to hunt, skin, and butcher game through non-verbal methods. [She] also watched [her] grandparents work…

Blue thinks itself within meby Kim TrainorPublished by University of Regina PressReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$27.95 ISBN 9781779401205 I knew I was in for a different kind of book when I read the author’s dedication, which begins: “For the flying beings, the ones with sharp teeth,/the ones who swim, the fire stones, the trees, the rain.” By the end of prize-winning Vancouver writer Kim Trainor’s text, Blue thinks itself within me, I can affirm that her dedication tracks. Trainor sees, hears, experiences and questions with the intensity of a scientist and the detail of an artist as she draws readers both into the forest at the two-year Fairy Creek blockade near Vancouver Island’s Port Renfrew—where she joined other protestors to protect old growth logging—and through her elegiac and philosophical quandary re: how best to approach writing a long lyric poem about the oldgrowth specklebelly lichen (a rare and threatened species found on yellow cedar in ancient forests) in a kind of respectful co-making with this oldgrowth resident. Trainor describes artist Natasha Lavdovsky’s discovery of “over sixty trees draped in glittering specklebelly,” and explains that “The finding of such a large community of oldgrowth specklebelly was evidence of the age of…

Thatcher versus Douglas: The CCF, the Liberals, and the Mossbank Debate of 1957by M. G. BucholtzPublished by Wood Dragon BooksReview by Toby A. Welch$21.99 ISBN 9781990863349 Saskatchewan never fails to amaze me! Its political history is richer and deeper than many of us realize,and Thatcher versus Douglas captures one of its defining moments. Ross Thatcher and Tommy Douglas both played integral roles in shaping modern Saskatchewan and this book explores how their ideas – and their rivalries – helped define our political identity. Before reading Thatcher versus Douglas, I had never heard of the Great Debate that happened in 1957, apparently a pivotal point in Saskatchewan politics. At a time when politicians relied on speeches, door knocking, and newspaper coverage, Thatcher and Douglas debated face-to-face with a moderator between them, with reporters covering it for newspapers and the discussion broadcast over radio. What feels commonplace now was groundbreaking then, foreshadowing the future of media-driven politics. As the chapters unfolded, I found myself wondering which of the men I would’ve aligned with had I been alive seventy-five years ago. Both men are fascinating and Bucholtz dives deep into their lives so we can see what shaped their political views and careers. Even readers who…

A Line Runs Through It: A Story of Sexual Abuse, Addiction, and Redemptionby Niall SchofieldPublished by Wood Dragon BooksReview by Toby A. Welch  $22.99 ISBN 9781990863868 One of my goals for 2026 is to be a more empathetic person. Everyone is carrying something and learning to give people grace feels more necessary than ever. So when A Line Runs Through It landed on my bookshelf, I couldn’t wait to dive in. It’s a powerful reminder that everyone has a story, everyone struggles, and kindness costs us very little. But enough about me – this moment belongs to Niall Schofield. His memoir is gripping, tender, and emotionally disarming. I found myself laughing in some moments, crying in others, and picking my heart up off the floor and putting it back together in other parts. This is the kind of story that stays with you. What makes A Line Runs Through It work so well is Schofield’s vulnerability. He is unflinchingly honest about his past, his mistakes, and the choices that shaped his life. Rather than diminishing him, that honesty deepens the reader’s admiration. He has endured more in his first five decades than most experience in a lifetime, and he tells it without self-pity or pretense. …

Nēhiyawēwin: paskwāwi-pīkiskwēwin/Cree: Language of the Plainsby Jean L. OkimasisPublished by University of Regina PressReviewed by Madonna Hamel$24.95 ISBN 9780889778856 This new edition of Okimasis’ lab workbook is an indispensable companion to the recorded language labs available through the University of Regina Open Textbook program (https://www.uregina.ca/oer-publishing/). As an eager learner of the Cree language I appreciate how this workbook works as a clear visual map to bridge the rich aural world of the historic language of the plains, reinforcing the fact that Cree is indeed alive and integral to both people and place. You begin to speak Cree and Cree begins to speak you, a great teacher once said, and it is true. Using this workbook, I see how my inherited languages of English and French are constructed in a less storied and inter-connective manner than the nehiyawewin way. It gives me a door into the opportunity to be spoken “by” Cree. So much of a student’s ability to enter new territory lies in the efficacy and abilities of the teacher. Jean Okimasis is without a doubt the woman for the job of sharing this whole other world of Cree with the rest of us. Her books and CDs are used…

The Ecological Buffalo: On the Trail of a Keystone Speciesby Wes Olson and Johane Janelle
Published by University of Regina Press
Review by Madonna Hamel$39.95 ISBN 9780889778719 As a child Wes Olson knew he would dedicate his life to learning everything he could about the buffalo and as an adult there is no bison-related question you can throw at him to stump him. I’ve tried. He carries his childhood glee for his subject into every project he approaches, and never is that more evident than in The Ecological Buffalo: On The Trail of a Keystone Species. As he writes in the introduction: “For more than thirty years, Johane and I have been captivated by all things buffalo.” The Ecological Buffalo is a look at the animals and species with whom the bison share their space and time. The term “keystone” refers to the integral role bison play in keeping others species alive. Take for example, bison poop. Once bison digest grass they deposit buffalo chips that contain insects and those insects feed a variety of birds like woodpeckers who in turn create cavities in trees for creatures like squirrels who create dung for beetles and so on. This book not only celebrates…

On the Hunt for William Hallett: Discovering a Forgotten Métis Leaderby Audrhea LandePublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Toby A. Welch  $29.95 ISBN 9781778690525 A nearly forgotten figure from Métis history has come alive! On the Hunt for William Hallett drew me in initially because of its beautiful cover: a man galloping across the plains on horseback, a rifle in one hand, a buffalo running alongside. The image pulled me in but the vivid writing and fascinating storyline kept me hooked. I had never heard of William Hallett, but I assumed that he was an interesting fellow if someone penned a book about him; after all he has been dead over a century. A sworn enemy of Louis Riel, Hallett called himself “a loyal half-breed of the Red River settlement.” He was born in 1811 to a mother of the Blood (Kainai) tribe, which was part of the Blackfoot Confederacy. He went on to do unforgettable things. Author Audrhea Lande summed Hallett up better than I could: “A man who loved the wild prairies and knew them intimately. A man connected to the original people of the plains. A man who spoke up for justice and fair treatment. A man of great stamina and endurance….

Flying a Gooney Bird in Canada’s North: A Bush Pilot’s Adventuresby Dorrin Wallace with Deana J DriverPublished by DriverWorks InkReview by Sally Meadows$24.95 ISBN 9781927570883 I always marvel when someone can trace the trajectory of their life’s work back to a pivotal moment rooted in childhood. For Dorrin Wallace, who built his career as a bush pilot, trainer, and aircraft maintenance engineer, that moment was when he received a book about one of the world’s largest airplanes at age seven. Step by step, with a dash of serendipity, Wallace carved out his aviation career with intentionality and enthusiasm in his quest for an adventurous life. The title of the book comes from his favourite plane to fly, the Douglas DC-3, affectionately known as the “Gooney Bird.” With a folksy tone, the book details Wallace’s multifaceted career while paying homage to the many pilots and others in the aviation industry who were mentors to and sources of inspiration for him. With a large, colourful supporting cast of real-life characters, this book will pique the curiosity of many about Wallace’s perspective of life in the Saskatchewan aviation industry. Often learning the hard way–that is, through trial and error–Wallace has included amusing and…

Ways to Go: Rediscovering Travel as told through Two Himalaya Adventures – 1971 and 2023Edited by Bob Henderson and Torbjørn YdegaardPublished by Your Nickel’s Worth PublishingReview by Michelle Shaw$29.95 ISBN 9781778690549 In most mountaineering exploits that I’ve read or heard about, the point always seems to be about reaching the summit – and the blood, sweat and tears involved to get there. Ways to Go explores a completely different approach. How can we travel more intentionally and responsibly with less impact on the world around us? The book is shaped around a particular journey. In 1971, three Norwegian mountaineers – Arne Næss, Sigmund Kvaløy Setreng, and Nils Faarlund – embarked on an expedition to the Sherpa community of Beding, Nepal, located in the Rolwaling Valley near the sacred mountain of Tseringma. The men were scholars, philosophers and activists and their perspective was vastly different to most of the mountaineers of their day. They weren’t interested in simply forging ahead to reach the summit of a sacred mountain regardless of the wishes of the local community. They had a more focused, thoughtful approach – and they decided theirs would be an anti-expedition. Ways to Go explores the development of eco-mountaineering and…

We are the Stars: Colonizing and Decolonizing the Oceti Sakowin Literary Traditionby Sarah HernandezPublished by University of Regina PressReview by Shelley A. Leedahl$39.95 ISBN 9780889779181 In We are the Stars: Colonizing and Decolonizing the Oceti Sakowin Literary Tradition, American academic Sarah Hernandez (Sicangu Lakota) examines the colonial dismantling of Dakota, Nakota and Lakota intellectual traditions, including “star knowledge through oral storytelling.” She writes that when missionaries arrived in the early nineteenth century, the “linguistic [colonization]” began. Hernandez teaches Native American literature and is the director for the Institute for American Indian Research at the University of New Mexico. She states that “missionary translations of the Dakota language set a dangerous precedent that denigrated Oceti Sakowin star knowledge and supplanted [their] tribal land narratives with new settler-colonial land narratives that ensured that many of our people converted to Christianity and assimilated to the American nation.” Missionaries learned the Dakota language and printed bilingual Dakota-English newspapers which contained “misinterpretation[s] of Dakota origin narratives” and essentially “delegitimize[d] the Oceti Sakowin’s intellectual traditions”—and Christians replaced them with their own. These settler-colonials subsequently “stripped the Dakota nation of 35 million acres of land” and forced them onto a “ten-mile-wide reservation” in Minnesota. Hernandez frequently makes…