The long-awaited, deeply moving and unforgettable new novel from PEN Award-winning Native American author Mona Susan Power, spanning three generations of Yanktonai Dakota women from the 19th century to the present.
From the mid-century metropolis of Chicago to the windswept ancestral lands of the Dakota people to the dark and brutal Indian boarding schools, A Council of Dolls is the story of three women, told in part through the stories of the dolls they carried… .
Sissy, born in 1961: Sissy's relationship with her beautiful and unstable mother is difficult, even dangerous, but her life is also filled with beautiful things, including a new Christmas present, a doll called Ethel. Ethel whispers advice and kindness into Sissy's ear and, in a particularly terrifying moment, perhaps even saves Sissy's life.
Lillian, born in 1925: Born on her ancestral lands during a time of terrible change, Lillian clings to her sister Blanche and her doll Mae. When the sisters are forced to attend an "Indian school" far from home, Blanche refuses to be intimidated by the school's violent nuns. But when tragedy strikes the sisters, doll Mae finds a way to defend the girls.
Cora, born 1888: Although she was born into the brutal legacy of the "Indian Wars," Cora is not afraid of the white men who send her to a school across the country to be "civilized." ". When the teachers burn her beloved buckskin and bead doll Winona, Cora discovers that Winona's spirit may not be entirely lost…
A modern masterpiece, A Council of Dolls is beautiful, quietly devastating, and ultimately hopeful, spotlighting the damage caused by Indian boarding schools and the historic massacres of indigenous peoples. With stunning prose, Mona Susan Power weaves a spell of love and healing that comes to life on the page.
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