This is a love letter to indigenous women from indigenous women, and it is a powerful statement. Trauma, hope, voices speaking out. ( )

#NotYourPrincess is a collection of essays, artwork, poetry, quotes, photographs, interviews, and graphic texts. All of the contributors are Indigenous women representing many different tribes. Lisa Charleyboy introduces the book by saying, “This book...gave me the space to not only write a love letter to all young Indigenous women trying to find their way but also to help dispel those stereotypes so we can collectively move forward to a brighter future for all” (pg. 9). The contributors address trauma, stereotypes, and invisibility, while at the same time also focusing on the strength of family, tradition, and activism.

This collection is not only for Indigenous women. Reading it will provide a window into the lives of Indigenous women and help to bring about a better understanding of the lives they live.

The OKCTE website lists movies, poems, songs, and other books that are related to the voices in #NotYourPrincess.
http://www.okcte.org/notyourprincess.html ( )

teen/adult nonfiction, #ownvoices (indigenous cultures of North America).
The concept is good, I just don't care to read poetry/art/partial stories.

Each piece in here is worth reading. Many of them got me in the gut, and made me gasp. It's amazing how much feeling is packed into each short piece, whether it's a poem, a picture, an essay, a comic strip, or a quote.

There isn't much cohesion to the anthology, but that's okay. I really liked the diversity, both in terms of the medium of the piece as well as the tribal affiliations of the creators.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. ( )

I feel everything in this book. I grew up around Native American women that told me stories about going to reservation schools and being taken from their homes. Stories about how they were forced to learn the "white" man's way. As a mother of a Native American daughter I feel this book. The pictures are amazing and the words are true. This is a great book for young girls to read whether Native American or not. There is hope in these stories and poems. ( )