A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power
Mona Susan Power has written a heart-rending book about three generations of Dakota women spanning from the 19th century to the present day in in her newest novel, A COUNCIL OF DOLLS, available from booksellers August 8.
Sissy is born in 1961 and is the daughter of a beautiful yet volatile (and profoundly damaged) mother. Her doll, Ethel becomes her confidante and savior in a household that is often erratic and dangerous.
Lillian is born in 1925 during a time of profound change. She and her sister, Blanche, are sent to Indian Boarding School where the nuns are abusive. Lillian’s doll Mae protects her after a tragic incident.
Cora is born in 1888 during the Indian Wars. When she is sent far away from home to a residential school where her captors hope to “civilize” her, she brings her buckskin doll, Winona. When all the children’s belongings are tossed into a bonfire, Winona’s stone heart is rescued from the ashes and returned to Cora for safekeeping.
This is a book written for our times. When Mona Susan Power began writing her novel, the unmarked graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School had not been discovered, but Power felt compelled to tell the story of her ancestors. In these fictionalized accounts, we see the horror the children were subjected to in the name of religion and the profound consequences of colonization in North America. The girls’ stories are told through the “eyes” of their dolls and later, in the voice of adult Sissy, later known as Jesse, looking back on the lives of her ancestors.
A COUNCIL OF DOLLS is not an easy read – but is a profoundly important one – especially considering the erasure and white-washing of segments of our history being considered by some school districts across the nation. Listen to my interview with Mona Susan Power on September 28 at 7pm on Superior Reads on WTIP Radio. Power will be teaching at Readers and Writers Fest hosted by the Grand Marais Art Colony November 1-3. Registration is open at Grand Marais Art Col
