A short, jam-packed book of Yellowknife yarns

Ah, here it is. The book about the Yellowknife Yellowknifers love to live in.

My Name is Masak, a childhood memoir by Alice French

This book is so spare, it’s nearly impossible to get through without wanting to read between the lines.

George Blondin’s quest to write the Dene universe

Even though I like talking to people, I never really learn anything until I read about it. If you’re anything like me and you live in the NWT, you need to know about George Blondin.

Dying for Gold — a brilliant chronicle of Yellowknife miners at war

Wowsa. This serious work of investigative non-fiction tracks the Giant Mine strike of 1992/93 in stupefying detail.

Tatsea, a novel, takes us deep into 18th century Tlicho life

A historical novel imagines two eighteenth century lovers forced into exile in and around present day Whati.

Trapping is my Life by John Tetso

Trapping was indeed the life for John Tetso, who writes vividly about his life on the land in this slim 1970 book. “The wind flowing on the face and the smell of campfire smoke are two temptations I can’t resist … and the good solid feeling that you are your own boss.”

Thrasher… Skid Row Eskimo: Tony Thrasher’s 1976 jailhouse memoir

I had no idea there were so many books written by Inuit. This one is a really good read.

The life and times of Antoine Mountain, Dene residential school survivor

Obviously a great way to get to know a place is to read about the lives of people who live there. Strange how difficult this still is.

The Man who Lived with a Giant, stories from Johnny Neyelle

These stories, told in cinematic detail (almost all of them would make amazing graphic novels) feature battles, war, shape-shifters, heroes and heroines and voyages to the spirit world.

As Long as This Land Shall Last: René Fumoleau’s history of Treaty 8 and Treaty 11

Here’s a rare thing: a history book written expressly for the Indigenous people of the N.W.T.