Islands of Decolonial Love
Stories & Songs
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Narrated by:
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Tantoo Cardinal
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Written by:
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Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
About this listen
In her debut collection of short stories, Islands of Decolonial Love, renowned writer and activist Leanne Simpson vividly explores the lives of contemporary Indigenous Peoples and communities, especially those of her own Nishnaabeg nation. Found on reserves, in cities and small towns, in bars and curling rinks, canoes and community centres, doctors offices and pickup trucks, Simpson's characters confront the often heartbreaking challenge of pairing the desire to live loving and observant lives with a constant struggle to simply survive the historical and ongoing injustices of racism and colonialism. Told with voices that are rarely recorded but need to be heard, and incorporating the language and history of her people, Leanne Simpson's Islands of Decolonial Love is a profound, important, and beautiful book of fiction.
Bespeak Audio Editions brings Canadian voices to the world with audiobook editions of some of the country’s greatest works of literature, performed by Canadian actors.
©2013 Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (P)2019 Bespeak Audio EditionsYou may also enjoy...
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What the critics say
“As a lover of storytelling and literature, my tendency is to have deep emotional responses to whatever I am reading. Every so often, a book comes along that, as I delve deeper into the pages, is something like peering into a body of water and seeing the wonder of stars and ancestors reflected back in glorious undulation. Forgive the flowery simile, but that is exactly how I felt as I cradled Leanne Simpson's latest book Islands of Decolonial Love. I say cradled, because I felt something close to reverence as I was drawn into each short story and poem.” (Jamaias DaCosta, Muskrat Magazine)
“Leanne Simpson is a masterful storyteller and an integral indigenous voice in modern literature. Her work over the years has eloquently and powerfully captured the unique experiences of the first peoples of Turtle Island, and Islands of Decolonial Love is no exception. With precise craft, this new collection explores the many complicated facets of the contemporary Indigenous struggle to maintain tradition in a rapidly changing environment. The use of Anishinaabe language and custom in the prose and poetry resonates loudly and invokes a great sense of pride. Meanwhile, the challenge of balancing urban and reserve life explored in the pieces is easily relatable and can provide a crucial window into the experience for non-Indigenous readers. The power of Simpson's storytelling is already spectacular on the printed page, but her spoken word performance is stunningly monumental. The audio component of Islands of Decolonial Love is essential listening to truly experience the complexity and beauty of the many sentiments and ideas she expresses. Thanks to the work of some of the most cutting-edge musicians out there, her already crucial stories become audible masterpieces in song.” (Waubgeshig Rice, author, Moon of the Crusted Snow)
“The reader is forced to bear witness to colonialism's centuries-old damage on Canada's First Nations people. Of Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg ancestry, Simpson draws painful portraits of everyday life, many personal, which exhibit the hereditary nature of colonialism's scars. Simpson traces these scars with a delicate finger, writing with a fragility punctuated by moments of anger and sadness. Her raw prose spills across the page in a tumble of complex thoughts and emotions.” (Natascia Lypny, Telegraph-Journal)
What listeners say about Islands of Decolonial Love
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jeanette M.
- 2020-07-12
What a great collection
The stories read like poetry woven into everyday conversation. I loved the way it drew me in and took me on journey after journey. The stories feel like a continuum instead of separate tellings and I was always in the place of enjoying the current chapter yet being excited for the next one.
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3 people found this helpful
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- ruth kenny
- 2020-07-22
Chi meegwetch
As a fellow Nish kwe i loved hearing these stories and our language! Also made me lol when i identified
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1 person found this helpful
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- Elisa Lea Lobo
- 2021-05-22
lost in language
I love the soft flow on the language spoken throughout the story telling. more than once, the wispy dance of the words made me try to Google the translation. unfound.
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- Anonymous User
- 2021-11-30
good
eacher, I was obsessed with cultivating a love of reading in my students. I love to read, loved it as a kid too. I'm equally compelled to ensure that my own child loves reading -- and he does. I well aware that I'm on a mission -- but I also know it's a worthy one!
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- CKH
- 2022-07-24
Powerful (and challenging, and sad, and funny...)
Powerful anthology of stories/tales/happenings by Canadian Indigenous author. Some are sad, some amusing, some make you so angry, or despairing, or resolute.
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