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A review by thebooknerdscorner
Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley
5.0
A thrilling story full of emotion and heart that dives into heavy topics surrounding the mistreatment of Native American's bodies both living and deceased.
Perry Firekeeper-Birch has always thrived in her identity. She's the carefree twin who is always willing to speak her mind as well as a proud inhabitant of Sugar Island. She knows that she is going to spend her summer spending her time fishing and relaxing with her family. That is, until she crashes her Auntie Daunis' Jeep and is forced to work as an intern at the local museum in order to pay for the damages. Her new employer, Cooper "Kooky" Turtle, introduces her to NAGPRA, the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act. Perry had never stopped to consider how many of her relatives are stuck behind glass across the globe, but now that she knows, her perspective will never be the same. Being the daredevil and troublemaker that she is, Perry comes up with a plan to take some repatriations into her own hands.
I really ended up loving this book. Right away, I couldn't help comparing it to "Firekeeper's Daughter." I love Daunis and Jamie, and the plot of the first one was just so compelling. With a bit of time though, I came to appreciate Perry in her own right and the topics in this book really ended up tugging at my heartstrings. I'd say this is a sequel that stands up to the first one, and the inclusion of characters from the first novel really made reading this book feel like coming home.
I think the thing I liked most about "Warrior Girl Unearthed" was the themes that were touched on. Boulley is super passionate about her people, and you can feel this through the topic matter that is explored. As I alluded to earlier, NAGPRA, or the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act is a huge part of this story. There are so many native remains and burial items that have still yet to be returned to their tribes so that they can be properly reburied. It was hard to read about Perry learning about this tragedy in real time and my heart goes out to all those whose loved ones are being held by museums, private collectors, and grave robbers.
The other way that Boulley tackles how Native American's are mistreated is through investigating the MMIWG2S, or the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People. A heartbreaking amount of Native women, girls, and two-spirit people disappear and remain missing often due to the lack of government authorities searching for them. It was eye-opening to read about Perry having to deal with some people she knew personally going missing. Boulley also talks about how IWG2S people are physically abused through rape, sexual grooming, and being fetishized by creepers. These issues are running rampant all over, and I'm so glad that Boulley is using her literary voice to bring awareness to these things.
It is very difficult to read about Native Americans being dehumanized, but it only makes it more important to talk about. There is a point in the book in which I felt like throwing up due to how dehumanizing it got, but I feel that this really highlights how horrible this can get. I read "Firekeeper's Daughter" as a class readalong, and I feel that "Warrior Girl Unearthed" has just as many prevalent things to discuss and I would totally recommend reading it with a buddy, a book club, or even with an entire class.
I talked about a bunch of heavy things, but there are a bunch of great lighthearted things about this book, too. Perry's attitude is phenomenal, which leads to a bunch of chaotic banter with her twin sister, her friends, and even her colleagues. She also has a brilliant mind (though hers is not nearly as scientific as Daunis'), which made it fun to follow her train of thought as she planned her nefarious schemes and tried to string together the mysteries that were occurring throughout this book.
Though I didn't love the romance in this one as much as I did in "Firekeeper's Daughter," I still found it to be a cute element that added to the story. Perry's relationship with Erik is super complicated and felt authentic (though it isn't nearly as messy as Daunis' thing with Jamie; oof). I liked the awkward conversations between the two, and I have hope that something more could develop between the two despite all that goes down in this book.
Overall, "Warrior Girl Unearthed" is a super solid book that really tugged at my heartstrings and made me feel for all of the characters. Boulley conquers some really difficult topics with this one, which I feel makes it perfect for discussion. I think after reading this one, I can say that Boulley is a master at her craft and that I am willing to read any book she decides to write. I would love to see more installments in this fictionalized version of Sugar Island. I cannot recommend these books enough!
Perry Firekeeper-Birch has always thrived in her identity. She's the carefree twin who is always willing to speak her mind as well as a proud inhabitant of Sugar Island. She knows that she is going to spend her summer spending her time fishing and relaxing with her family. That is, until she crashes her Auntie Daunis' Jeep and is forced to work as an intern at the local museum in order to pay for the damages. Her new employer, Cooper "Kooky" Turtle, introduces her to NAGPRA, the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act. Perry had never stopped to consider how many of her relatives are stuck behind glass across the globe, but now that she knows, her perspective will never be the same. Being the daredevil and troublemaker that she is, Perry comes up with a plan to take some repatriations into her own hands.
I really ended up loving this book. Right away, I couldn't help comparing it to "Firekeeper's Daughter." I love Daunis and Jamie, and the plot of the first one was just so compelling. With a bit of time though, I came to appreciate Perry in her own right and the topics in this book really ended up tugging at my heartstrings. I'd say this is a sequel that stands up to the first one, and the inclusion of characters from the first novel really made reading this book feel like coming home.
I think the thing I liked most about "Warrior Girl Unearthed" was the themes that were touched on. Boulley is super passionate about her people, and you can feel this through the topic matter that is explored. As I alluded to earlier, NAGPRA, or the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act is a huge part of this story. There are so many native remains and burial items that have still yet to be returned to their tribes so that they can be properly reburied. It was hard to read about Perry learning about this tragedy in real time and my heart goes out to all those whose loved ones are being held by museums, private collectors, and grave robbers.
The other way that Boulley tackles how Native American's are mistreated is through investigating the MMIWG2S, or the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People. A heartbreaking amount of Native women, girls, and two-spirit people disappear and remain missing often due to the lack of government authorities searching for them. It was eye-opening to read about Perry having to deal with some people she knew personally going missing. Boulley also talks about how IWG2S people are physically abused through rape, sexual grooming, and being fetishized by creepers. These issues are running rampant all over, and I'm so glad that Boulley is using her literary voice to bring awareness to these things.
It is very difficult to read about Native Americans being dehumanized, but it only makes it more important to talk about. There is a point in the book in which I felt like throwing up due to how dehumanizing it got, but I feel that this really highlights how horrible this can get. I read "Firekeeper's Daughter" as a class readalong, and I feel that "Warrior Girl Unearthed" has just as many prevalent things to discuss and I would totally recommend reading it with a buddy, a book club, or even with an entire class.
I talked about a bunch of heavy things, but there are a bunch of great lighthearted things about this book, too. Perry's attitude is phenomenal, which leads to a bunch of chaotic banter with her twin sister, her friends, and even her colleagues. She also has a brilliant mind (though hers is not nearly as scientific as Daunis'), which made it fun to follow her train of thought as she planned her nefarious schemes and tried to string together the mysteries that were occurring throughout this book.
Though I didn't love the romance in this one as much as I did in "Firekeeper's Daughter," I still found it to be a cute element that added to the story. Perry's relationship with Erik is super complicated and felt authentic (though it isn't nearly as messy as Daunis' thing with Jamie; oof). I liked the awkward conversations between the two, and I have hope that something more could develop between the two despite all that goes down in this book.
Overall, "Warrior Girl Unearthed" is a super solid book that really tugged at my heartstrings and made me feel for all of the characters. Boulley conquers some really difficult topics with this one, which I feel makes it perfect for discussion. I think after reading this one, I can say that Boulley is a master at her craft and that I am willing to read any book she decides to write. I would love to see more installments in this fictionalized version of Sugar Island. I cannot recommend these books enough!