We are excited to announce One Book Shiawassee, a community wide reading program in partnership with the libraries of Shiawassee County, The Cook Family Foundation, and the Shiawassee Arts Center. One Book Shiawassee is a Community Read effort with the goal to invite Shiawassee County residents to collectively read the same book at the same time. Participants are encouraged to come together to discuss the themes of the book through a series of free events taking place January-April. The program culminates with an author visit. The featured book is Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley. Firekeeper's Daughter has also been chosen as the Michigan Humanities 2023-2024 Great Michigan Read. The author’s visit and book signing will take place at 1pm on April 13th, 2024 at the Lebowsky Center for Performing Arts in Owosso. There will be many events hosted throughout the community to coincide with the One Book Shiawassee program. Events will be published on this page and on our event calendar.  Copies of the book are available to borrow in many formats on our library catalog. A limited number of free books will be available at CDL branch locations, compliments of the Community District Library and Great Michigan Read.

1/3/24 - 1/28/24 Shiawassee Arts Center ~ Indigenous Exhibit

1/14/24 Shiawassee Arts Center ~ Celebration Gala and Indigenous Art Exhibit

1/17/24 Bancroft ~ Native American Story Time & Craft

1/18/24 - 2/29/24 VDPL (Vernon) ~ Book Discussion on Thursdays

1/30/24 Morrice ~ Native American Storytime & Craft

2/1/24 Byron ~ Native American Nature Story Time

2/3/24 SDL Owosso ~ Cinema After Hours - Indian Horse

2/5/24 Corunna ~ "Firekeeper's Daughter" Book Discussion

2/5/24 Morrice ~ Kid's Book Club featuring Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling

2/10/24 SDL Owosso ~ One Book Shiawassee Stories and Craft for Kids

2/12/24 Morrice ~ Kid's Book Club featuring Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling

2/19/24 Morrice ~ Kid's Book Club featuring Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling

2/19/24 SDL Owosso ~ Teen Book Discussion - Firekeeper's Daughter

2/21/24 Perry ~ Native American Story Time & Craft

2/26/24 Morrice ~ Kid's Book Club featuring Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling

3/7/24 Byron ~ Native American Nature Story Time

3/7/24 Byron ~ Deer Hide Bracelet Craft

3/11/24 Lennon ~ Story Time & Craft / Legend of Michigan

3/12/24 Corunna ~ Native Drums with Daniel Jackson

3/15/24 Corunna ~ Native American Story Time

3/18/24 Perry ~ Picking with the Champ! Morel Mushroom Seminar

3/19/24 New Lothrop ~ Picking with the Champ! Morel Mushroom Seminar

3/20/24 Morrice ~ "Firekeeper's Daughter" Book Discussion

3/25/24 Lennon ~ "Firekeeper's Daughter" Book Discussion

3/26/24 Corunna ~ Deer Hide Bracelet Craft

4/2/24 Corunna (Community Center) ~ Native American Powwow Dancers

4/4/24 Byron ~ Native American Nature Story Time

4/13/24 Lebowsky Center ~ One Book Shiawassee Author Visit

Firekeeper's Daughter

"Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team.

Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug.

Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But the search for truth is more complicated than Daunis imagined, exposing secrets and old scars. At the same time, she grows concerned with an investigation that seems more focused on punishing the offenders than protecting the victims.

Now, as the deceptions—and deaths—keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known."

Angeline Boulley

AUTHOR

Angeline Boulley, an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, is a storyteller who writes about her Ojibwe community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She is a former Director of the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education. Angeline lives in southwest Michigan, but her home will always be on Sugar Island. Firekeeper’s Daughter is her debut novel.