The Book I Can't Stop Thinking About
It's hard to explain...but I'll try.
In the summer of 2023, I was new to working at the bookstore and knee-deep in the advance reader copies* (ARCs) that lined the shelves in our breakroom. You mean, we can just…take them? I’d asked. Piles of them sat on my dresser at home, some of which I would read in time to write a review for our quarterly store publication, some of which would collect dust long past the publication date.
One such title was an unassuming book, a simple black cover with a beaded buffalo on the cover. But the title sang to me, which is why I’d grabbed it.
A Grandmother Begins the Story, by Michelle Porter
It is a quiet book, a musical book, one that lulled me to sleep like a soft lullaby. The language is rich, the multiple POV voices distinct and unique.
What happened next is a little hard to explain, but bear with me.
One night, reading in the soft light of my bedroom, I found myself with my hand on my heart. It was as if I could feel myself being changed by this gentle yet wildly feminine story. And once I realized what was happening, I savored every word like a hard candy.
When it was over, I wept. Literally wept. I was deeply moved by this story of five generations of indigenous women, lines blurred between life and death and land and animal.
I have put this book in the hands of countless women since then: family, friends and customers.
It’s not a book just for women, of course, but if you are a mother, a daughter, a sister, a niece, a granddaughter…this is for you.
I read this book two years ago.
I think about it almost every day.
This is what stories can do.
Have a beautiful week!
Warmly,
Stephanie
*ARCs are proof-copies that publishers send out to booksellers, librarians, and media to generate buzz for books ahead of their publication date.
P.S. I’ll be here when you’re ready.
P.P.S. Love this post? Please share it with a friend!
