Reviews

from Northern Wilds April 2021

Following the Ancestor’s Steps

A Private Wilderness

The Journals of Sigurd F. Olson Edited by David Backes

University of Minnesota Press, 2021, $29.95

The name Sigurd Olson is synonymous with the canoe county wilderness, both for his eloquent writing about the area and his efforts to protect it. This book primarily covers the years from 1930 to 1941, when Olson was getting his start as a writer. The book is comprised of his daily journal entries, which are often very personal thoughts and reflections. Editor David Backes was especially well suited to compiling these entries, because he was the author of Olson’s definitive biography. The book is amply illustrated with photos from Olson’s life in the wilderness and with his family. It will make a wonderful edition to any wilderness lover’s bookshelf.—Shawn Perich

Braiding Sweetgrass

Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants By Robin Wall Kimmer

Milkwood Editions, 2013, $26.95

Written by a scientist, professor and member of the Citizen Potawatoni Nation, Robin Wall Kimmer’s Braiding Sweetgrass is about traditional Indigenous knowledge and history connecting with the science world and their impact on plants and the environment.

Written in a storytelling style sprinkled with humour, Braiding Sweetgrass is about the gifts of nature that we receive—like water, food and fire— and how we can reciprocate by giving thanks and looking after the land. Each chapter covers a diversity of topics from listening to the ‘voices of nature’ to the Seventh Fire prophecy which the Elders say we are living in today, standing at a crossroads where paths lead to either a greener world or a scorched one. A back cover quote from Jane Goodall says it well, “Robin Wall Kimmer shows how the factual, objective approach to science can be enriched by the ancient knowledge of the Indigenous people.”—Elle Andra-Warner

The Undertaking of Billy Buffone

By David Giuliano

Latitude 46 Publishing, 2021, $19.95

The North Shore town of Twenty-Six Mile House has a deadly secret: a notorious pedophile has been murdered in his camp by Matt Collins, one of his many victims. Or was it really Matt? Local undertaker Billy Buffone knows more than he can bear about the murder, and about Matt’s role. Church minister Catherine has her own dark anguish that threatens to boil over in her feelings for Billy. Marathon resident David Giuliano’s first novel, The Undertaking of Billy Buffone, is a powerful, searing story of the fallout of the emotional damage done by pedophile Churley. It is also about the hope of redemption and healing for Billy Buffone.—Peter Fergus-Moore Cabins - Camping - Fishing Hiking - Canoeing