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A review by deanlockiradall
Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
At seventeen years old, Anna Horn wants nothing more than to fly under the radar. Graduate high school, clean casino hotel rooms (her part-time job), and maybe eventually be brave enough to start a cultural preservation society for the Takoda Tribe on the rez. She'd also ideally like to reconnect with her younger sister, Grace. However, change is coming to the rez, and Anna--like it or not--is drawn into the heart of things when Grace goes missing. Stuck in a tangled knot of jurisdictional arguments and complicated race relations, Anna is the only person who can find answers...if the disembodied rolling head of her nightmares doesn't get to her first.
Sisters of the Lost Nation is local author Nick Medina's debut novel, which blends Indigenous folklore with real, ongoing social issues in this mystery/suspense/thriller. Although the Takoda Tribe is fictitious, Medina is a member of the Louisiana Tunica-Biloxi Tribe; much of the rez setting is inspired by his heritage. Medina's writing raises awareness of the "silent crisis" of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, while uplifting Native communities through the richness and revitalization of their cultural heritage. Just as Anna learns how her people's stories can empower her, so, too, can we be reminded how the past can inform and influence the future.
Readers interested in stories about Indigenous heritage, identities, and/or life on the rez may enjoy A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power, Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah, Reclaiming Two-Spirits by Gregory D. Smithers, and Rez Metal. Other Indigenous authors of interest may include Stephen Graham Jones and Rebecca Roanhorse. Those interested in history may like Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, and An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, while those interested in Indigenous folktales may enjoy American Indian Myths and Legends edited by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz.
Sisters of the Lost Nation is local author Nick Medina's debut novel, which blends Indigenous folklore with real, ongoing social issues in this mystery/suspense/thriller. Although the Takoda Tribe is fictitious, Medina is a member of the Louisiana Tunica-Biloxi Tribe; much of the rez setting is inspired by his heritage. Medina's writing raises awareness of the "silent crisis" of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, while uplifting Native communities through the richness and revitalization of their cultural heritage. Just as Anna learns how her people's stories can empower her, so, too, can we be reminded how the past can inform and influence the future.
Readers interested in stories about Indigenous heritage, identities, and/or life on the rez may enjoy A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power, Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah, Reclaiming Two-Spirits by Gregory D. Smithers, and Rez Metal. Other Indigenous authors of interest may include Stephen Graham Jones and Rebecca Roanhorse. Those interested in history may like Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, and An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, while those interested in Indigenous folktales may enjoy American Indian Myths and Legends edited by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Trafficking, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Transphobia