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Thunder Song: Essays
The winner of the 2023 Pacific Northwest Book Award for her memoir, Red Paint, Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe returns with a razor-sharp, clear-eyed selection of essays on what it means to be a proudly queer, indigenous woman in America today.
Drawing on a rich family archive as well as the anthropological work of her late great-grandmother, Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe explores themes ranging from indigenous identity and stereotypes to cultural displacement and environmental degradation to understand what our experiences teach us about the power of community, commitment, and conscientious honesty.
Unapologetically punk, the essays in Thunder Song segue between the miraculous and the mundane, the spiritual and the physical, as they examine the role of art--in particular music--and community in helping a new generation of indigenous people claim the strength of their heritage while defining their own path in the contemporary world.
Drawing on a rich family archive as well as the anthropological work of her late great-grandmother, Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe explores themes ranging from indigenous identity and stereotypes to cultural displacement and environmental degradation to understand what our experiences teach us about the power of community, commitment, and conscientious honesty.
Unapologetically punk, the essays in Thunder Song segue between the miraculous and the mundane, the spiritual and the physical, as they examine the role of art--in particular music--and community in helping a new generation of indigenous people claim the strength of their heritage while defining their own path in the contemporary world.
256 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 2024
84 people are currently reading
8235 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 230 reviews
March 2, 2024
4.5 stars rounded up
I really enjoyed this collection of essays on indigeneity, coming of age, trauma, healing, queer identity, relationships, and more. Thunder Song feels personal and a bit raw, but with enough distance to be thoughtful. It doesn't shy away from examining complicated relationships- with parents, romantic partners, and self. Places where there may be both love and hurt, but the opportunity for growth and perhaps healing and reconciliation. The writing is lovely and I would read more from this author in the future. The audio narration is also excellent. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this collection of essays on indigeneity, coming of age, trauma, healing, queer identity, relationships, and more. Thunder Song feels personal and a bit raw, but with enough distance to be thoughtful. It doesn't shy away from examining complicated relationships- with parents, romantic partners, and self. Places where there may be both love and hurt, but the opportunity for growth and perhaps healing and reconciliation. The writing is lovely and I would read more from this author in the future. The audio narration is also excellent. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
March 6, 2024
This was one of my five star predictions for the year, and I’m happy to say it lived up to that expectation.
From this first essay, I was hooked. LaPointe weaved together the past and present, drawing on the stories of her family and community as well as the political movements of the moment, like Black Lives Matter. She discusses both traditional stories and pop culture. As the title suggests, music plays a big role in the collection, including her days as one of the only Indigenous people in the punk scene of Seattle: “Eventually this idea that I was a punk first and a Native person second became unbearable.”
I took so many notes while reading this that I don’t know where to start, because I want to tell you about all the essays.
One image that really stuck with me was LaPointe describing the tulip festival that takes place on her culture’s land, and how it is a “petal-made flag of settler colonial triumph, a reminder that we have lost something.” Once marsh, this land was changed by settlers to be more “productive,” making it unrecognizable for the people who have lived off of it for thousands of years. Once a year, tourists make the roads impassible, celebrating this display of non-native flowers.
There is so much more that I want to talk about, like LaPointe’s journey to decolonizing her diet, or her complicated relationship with her mother, or the story about The Little Mermaid jacket, or her feelings about questioning motherhood, or the experience of going through Covid-19 as a culture where disease was part of an attempted genocide against them.
These essays are compelling and thought-provoking. All I can say is you should read them yourself! While they touch on heavy, difficult topics, this is fundamentally a story about healing and survivance: “There is something to learn from indigenous ways of thinking that has to do with courage and resilience, because even in the face of attempted genocide, of erasure, we descendants are still here.”
Full review at the Lesbrary.
From this first essay, I was hooked. LaPointe weaved together the past and present, drawing on the stories of her family and community as well as the political movements of the moment, like Black Lives Matter. She discusses both traditional stories and pop culture. As the title suggests, music plays a big role in the collection, including her days as one of the only Indigenous people in the punk scene of Seattle: “Eventually this idea that I was a punk first and a Native person second became unbearable.”
I took so many notes while reading this that I don’t know where to start, because I want to tell you about all the essays.
One image that really stuck with me was LaPointe describing the tulip festival that takes place on her culture’s land, and how it is a “petal-made flag of settler colonial triumph, a reminder that we have lost something.” Once marsh, this land was changed by settlers to be more “productive,” making it unrecognizable for the people who have lived off of it for thousands of years. Once a year, tourists make the roads impassible, celebrating this display of non-native flowers.
There is so much more that I want to talk about, like LaPointe’s journey to decolonizing her diet, or her complicated relationship with her mother, or the story about The Little Mermaid jacket, or her feelings about questioning motherhood, or the experience of going through Covid-19 as a culture where disease was part of an attempted genocide against them.
These essays are compelling and thought-provoking. All I can say is you should read them yourself! While they touch on heavy, difficult topics, this is fundamentally a story about healing and survivance: “There is something to learn from indigenous ways of thinking that has to do with courage and resilience, because even in the face of attempted genocide, of erasure, we descendants are still here.”
Full review at the Lesbrary.
July 2, 2025
This essay collection really showcases the author’s lyrical voice and musical background with emotionally charged reflections and poetic language. The essays flow with rhythm and texture and the narration by the author added to the reading experience. LaPointe reflects on her life with vulnerability and depth, particularly in her discussions about decolonizing her views on food, relationships, and healthcare. Her reflections on the punk scene and its role in shaping her identity are especially compelling, even if some of the specific cultural references — bands, venues, fandoms— may be unfamiliar to readers outside that world. I had no idea about the author's background in the punk scene, so it was fascinating to learn so much here!
That said, there were a few aspects of the collection that I found challenging. Many of the essays explore overlapping themes, which occasionally led to a sense of repetition; particularly those centered on the author’s personal relationships. Additionally, the essays are arranged non-chronologically, which made it somewhat difficult at times to situate events in a clear timeline. On a different note, there is one point mentioned that stood out to me as jarring: LaPointe’s assertion that white people do not suffer from intergenerational trauma. While I understand the importance of acknowledging the specific histories and systemic violence experienced by Indigenous and other marginalized communities, research has shown that intergenerational trauma can affect people of any racial and cultural backgrounds. This statement felt overly reductive and disrupted the nuance present in much of the rest of the book.
Overall, Thunder Song is a powerfully written collection that offers insight into the intersections of identity, trauma, and resilience.
That said, there were a few aspects of the collection that I found challenging. Many of the essays explore overlapping themes, which occasionally led to a sense of repetition; particularly those centered on the author’s personal relationships. Additionally, the essays are arranged non-chronologically, which made it somewhat difficult at times to situate events in a clear timeline. On a different note, there is one point mentioned that stood out to me as jarring: LaPointe’s assertion that white people do not suffer from intergenerational trauma. While I understand the importance of acknowledging the specific histories and systemic violence experienced by Indigenous and other marginalized communities, research has shown that intergenerational trauma can affect people of any racial and cultural backgrounds. This statement felt overly reductive and disrupted the nuance present in much of the rest of the book.
Overall, Thunder Song is a powerfully written collection that offers insight into the intersections of identity, trauma, and resilience.
November 14, 2025
I seldom find myself tearing through a book of essays, but I couldn’t put this down. I learned a lot and felt even more.
November 9, 2023
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I devoured this essay collection/memoir - I read and finished it the same day I downloaded it from Netgalley. I couldn't stop reading Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe's essays. I especially loved the incorporation of her great-grandmother's life and stories.
One of the essays that stood out to me the most was the one about LaPointe becoming vegan, but realizing that veganism is a privilege, and that she needed to make space and cultural allowances for herself to be able to eat her own indigenous foods, such as salmon. She makes a ton of great points throughout all of her essays, but this one really stood out to me.
This is not a collection to miss!
I devoured this essay collection/memoir - I read and finished it the same day I downloaded it from Netgalley. I couldn't stop reading Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe's essays. I especially loved the incorporation of her great-grandmother's life and stories.
One of the essays that stood out to me the most was the one about LaPointe becoming vegan, but realizing that veganism is a privilege, and that she needed to make space and cultural allowances for herself to be able to eat her own indigenous foods, such as salmon. She makes a ton of great points throughout all of her essays, but this one really stood out to me.
This is not a collection to miss!
Read
May 4, 2024I don't rate biographies and memoirs.
Interesting set of essays about life growing up indigenous and queer. Themes of colonialism, resettlement, music, abuse and identity are big themes throughout the essays as Sasha presents her past in a way that's easy to follow yet undoubtedly impactful. I listened to this on audio, which is also read by the author, and was a great way to further immerse myself into the book as it felt like they were personally telling me their story. I particularly liked the essay about tulips, which helped me to internalise my own thoughts on colonisation and how things as innocuous as flowers have reshaped the landscape and taken away natural beauty and significance from a culture.
Really interesting read.
Interesting set of essays about life growing up indigenous and queer. Themes of colonialism, resettlement, music, abuse and identity are big themes throughout the essays as Sasha presents her past in a way that's easy to follow yet undoubtedly impactful. I listened to this on audio, which is also read by the author, and was a great way to further immerse myself into the book as it felt like they were personally telling me their story. I particularly liked the essay about tulips, which helped me to internalise my own thoughts on colonisation and how things as innocuous as flowers have reshaped the landscape and taken away natural beauty and significance from a culture.
Really interesting read.
August 13, 2025
3.75 stars
December 23, 2024
Interesting perspectives, as someone who grew up vaguely in the same area. The book feels at time choppy, at times repetitive, probably as it’s a collection of essays. Some essays really punched me in the gut, had some great lines, and will stick with me. Some were less interesting, more meandering, covered similar points but less compellingly. By the end I was sick of hearing about her white partner and how in love they are. Wish she’d dug a little deeper into coming to terms with dating colonizers, or forming strong bonds with colonizers, who often misspeak and are ignorant about things that affect her deeply. Wish she dug a little deeper into issues facing her community. She sometimes paints indigenous folks as a monolith, just like she paints white people and vegans. Also, she’s very quick to paint everything as white vs native. Where are the other POC? She has a good story about “passing” as white and being yelled at for wearing native symbols, but then makes assumptions about others based on superficial characteristics. As one reviewer noted, some judgments made about her she ascribes to being native may be due to other assumptions about her — being a queer, punk woman, the assumptions and stereotypes and judgments about her could be due to many elements. I’ve heard of white female teachers being paid in livestock— shows she needs to do a bit more learning about context.
I’d have loved to hear more about how’s she using her power and privilege to help her community and uplift others. Loved hearing about her strong female relatives. I hope to read more from her in the future.
I’d have loved to hear more about how’s she using her power and privilege to help her community and uplift others. Loved hearing about her strong female relatives. I hope to read more from her in the future.
November 27, 2024
It’s Native American Heritage Month. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving/Indigenous People’s Day in the U.S. It’s important to listen to Native voices and their stories during this month and all year round. I found this book in a list compiled by my library. Your library may have a similar resource.
In this collection of essays, Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe offers her perspective on growing up Native in the Pacific Northwest. While she reflects on traditions passed down through her family, her stories are contemporary and a reminder that Indigenous history is still being written.
I was particularly struck by her experiences in Seattle’s punk music and anarchist circles, where she found aspects that both supported and contradicted her Native identity. I also appreciated her exploration of where her Queer identity intersects with the Native concept of Two Spirit.
As someone who has been able to pass as white, LaPointe has had the unfortunate opportunity to witness people’s unfiltered racism toward Native people and communities. Despite a world that would have her divide herself in two, these essays show how LaPointe has fought to remain a whole person who celebrates and honors all parts of herself in the face of oppression.
In this collection of essays, Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe offers her perspective on growing up Native in the Pacific Northwest. While she reflects on traditions passed down through her family, her stories are contemporary and a reminder that Indigenous history is still being written.
I was particularly struck by her experiences in Seattle’s punk music and anarchist circles, where she found aspects that both supported and contradicted her Native identity. I also appreciated her exploration of where her Queer identity intersects with the Native concept of Two Spirit.
As someone who has been able to pass as white, LaPointe has had the unfortunate opportunity to witness people’s unfiltered racism toward Native people and communities. Despite a world that would have her divide herself in two, these essays show how LaPointe has fought to remain a whole person who celebrates and honors all parts of herself in the face of oppression.
June 4, 2024
"Thunder Song" by Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe is a powerful collection of essays that resists the erasure of Indigenous cultural heritage, offering a poignant exploration of resilience, healing, and self-acceptance. LaPointe's essays serve as a testament to her great-grandmother's efforts to preserve their native Lushootseed language, weaving together narratives of music, identity, and activism.
Throughout the book, LaPointe navigates the complexities of her identity as a queer Coastal Salish person, shedding light on the impacts of racism and colorism on her life. With a reverent and grateful tone, she documents her journey of reclaiming lost cultural practices and traditions, while also advocating for solidarity between movements.
"Thunder Song" is not merely a reflection on personal experiences; it is a fervent reminder of the need to end Indigenous erasure and colonial violence. LaPointe courageously confronts issues such as substance abuse, sexual violence, intergenerational trauma, and suicide, shedding light on the ongoing struggles faced by Indigenous communities in the aftermath of centuries of oppression.
Among the standout essays are "First Salmon Ceremony," where LaPointe explores the process of decolonizing her diet, and "River Silt," a poignant reflection on body, sexuality, and their connection to the wildness of the land. These essays wonderfully exemplify the book's themes of resilience, healing, and the communal wildness shared between humans and the natural world.
Overall, "Thunder Song" is a beautifully written and deeply moving exploration of identity, activism, and cultural preservation. LaPointe's essays offer a compelling blend of personal narrative, cultural critique, and advocacy, making this book a must-read for anyone interested in Indigenous perspectives and the ongoing fight for justice and liberation.
📖 Recommended For: Advocates for Indigenous Rights and Decolonization, Readers Interested in Personal and Cultural Narratives of Resilience, Fans of Billy-Ray Belcourt.
🔑 Key Themes: Resistance Against Indigenous Erasure, Healing through Cultural Reclamation, Exploration of Queer Indigenous Identity, Anticolonialism and Decolonialism.
Content / Trigger Warnings: Sexual harassment (minor), child abuse (minor), drug abuse (minor), alcohol abuse (minor), sexual assault (moderate), suicide attempt (minor), domestic abuse (minor), abortion (moderate), medical trauma (moderate), police violence (minor), pandemic (moderate), racism (minor), kidnapping (minor), miscarriage (minor).
Throughout the book, LaPointe navigates the complexities of her identity as a queer Coastal Salish person, shedding light on the impacts of racism and colorism on her life. With a reverent and grateful tone, she documents her journey of reclaiming lost cultural practices and traditions, while also advocating for solidarity between movements.
"Thunder Song" is not merely a reflection on personal experiences; it is a fervent reminder of the need to end Indigenous erasure and colonial violence. LaPointe courageously confronts issues such as substance abuse, sexual violence, intergenerational trauma, and suicide, shedding light on the ongoing struggles faced by Indigenous communities in the aftermath of centuries of oppression.
Among the standout essays are "First Salmon Ceremony," where LaPointe explores the process of decolonizing her diet, and "River Silt," a poignant reflection on body, sexuality, and their connection to the wildness of the land. These essays wonderfully exemplify the book's themes of resilience, healing, and the communal wildness shared between humans and the natural world.
Overall, "Thunder Song" is a beautifully written and deeply moving exploration of identity, activism, and cultural preservation. LaPointe's essays offer a compelling blend of personal narrative, cultural critique, and advocacy, making this book a must-read for anyone interested in Indigenous perspectives and the ongoing fight for justice and liberation.
📖 Recommended For: Advocates for Indigenous Rights and Decolonization, Readers Interested in Personal and Cultural Narratives of Resilience, Fans of Billy-Ray Belcourt.
🔑 Key Themes: Resistance Against Indigenous Erasure, Healing through Cultural Reclamation, Exploration of Queer Indigenous Identity, Anticolonialism and Decolonialism.
Content / Trigger Warnings: Sexual harassment (minor), child abuse (minor), drug abuse (minor), alcohol abuse (minor), sexual assault (moderate), suicide attempt (minor), domestic abuse (minor), abortion (moderate), medical trauma (moderate), police violence (minor), pandemic (moderate), racism (minor), kidnapping (minor), miscarriage (minor).
March 30, 2024
Fucking phenomenal
February 23, 2025
THIS WAS SO GOOD! I especially reccomend it for literally anyone who lives/has lived in Washington state.
March 10, 2024
Another beautifully written book by the author. The prose is incredibly poetical and moving. Also this cover is STUNNING.
I’m excited to hear her this week at Whatcom Reads!
Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC!
I’m excited to hear her this week at Whatcom Reads!
Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC!
March 12, 2024
I had never heard of this book or this author before accidentally stumbling across the title on Scribd and deciding to listen to it. I am so glad I did because it is utterly criminal that this book has less than 50 ratings on Goodreads. This essay collection is a work of art. Each time I finished a new essay I thought, "Surely that is the best one" and then each one just kept topping the previous one. Every single entry was so strong and that really speaks to both Sasha's writing ability and her life experiences. I recommend this book so highly and want everyone to read it. <3
April 13, 2024
I love Sasha and was happy to pre-order this- and plan to read and support everything she writes in the future. I'm leaving off a star just for the sense that this collection seems to be answering questions people might have had after 'Red Paint,' and one of the reasons I liked that book so much was that she didn't go over the top to explain herself, her decisions, her life. She left some things vague for the reader and didn't try to justify her experiences or choices. It felt like a really impactful memoir because it seemed cathartic for her (and it had beautiful writing). In 'Thunder Song,' I feel like she has to spend most of the time giving more details about stories she brought up in 'Red Paint,' and that she's doing it for white folx. She's explaining more about queerness, polyamory, her indigenous identity, racism, abortion/healthcare, abuse and trauma. I wish she didn't have to do this solely for education or 'integrity' or obligation- I hope it was meaningful for her also to share these stories. At the very least, I hope she got a huge book deal for this one and is making bank on speaking events. I definitely feel like she radiates compassion in her work and her public persona, and I'm really glad to be learning from her stories as a white person living in this part of Washington. I want to keep prioritizing indigenous memoirs.
April 16, 2024
An absolute fking banger, cover to cover. Somehow dragged me out of a reading AND a writing slump??
Read
December 18, 2024A wonderful audiobook, read by the author herself. I loved the personal insight into life as an Indigenous woman in the Pacific Northwest, highly recommend, especially if you have any interesnt in the area and its history.
December 28, 2024
4-4.5 stars.
May 1, 2024
4.5
Love her. I'll read anything she writes.
Love her. I'll read anything she writes.
May 22, 2025
"Being whole had more to do with wounds that needed healing than with creating something new."
"Growing up against the backdrop of a colonial celebration isn't easy. You learn to move through a landscape of erasure without ever even realizing it."
"I was a girl on the corner in her pajamas, a little confused and ultimately alone."
"Love historically does not bode well for the women I come from."
"I spent a long time wondering what it meant to learn how to love the wrong way."
"There are forces of oppression, of greed, that wish to erase us. If we don't consider change, what future will we have?"
"Growing up against the backdrop of a colonial celebration isn't easy. You learn to move through a landscape of erasure without ever even realizing it."
"I was a girl on the corner in her pajamas, a little confused and ultimately alone."
"Love historically does not bode well for the women I come from."
"I spent a long time wondering what it meant to learn how to love the wrong way."
"There are forces of oppression, of greed, that wish to erase us. If we don't consider change, what future will we have?"
July 7, 2024
Buy this book! Thunder Song is beautifully and powerfully written, exposing raw emotions that lay life's pain and joy bare. This book was incredibly eye-opening for me about colonization and indigenous identities in our current society. Thank you so much for sharing this book with the world!
March 28, 2024
This one was rough. Felt that a lot of the author’s actions seemed selfish and masked behind the idea that anything outside their own perspective was “colonization.”
May 4, 2024
A short, propulsive read. You read the first sentence, and then you just keep going until you have reached its end. A song cycle of essays.
March 4, 2024
5 stars
This essay collection is succinct in actual length but expansive in ideas. On a similar, seemingly contradictory note, the topics are varied, but the narrative voice is unified and engaging throughout.
I really enjoyed this collection. Having had no prior access to LaPointe's work, I came into this listen (I highly recommend the audio - it's always ideal to listen to the author read their own experiences) with really no expectations or frame of reference. My favorite connections were those made to the author's intersectional identities and discussions about the way others see her versus how she sees herself (and who she actually is). I especially loved the commentary on the Riot Grrrl scene and how LaPointe grappled with the intriguing but also exclusionary nature of that movement. I just came off of Kathleen Hanna's forthcoming memoir and am a long-time fan, so it was especially enlightening to get further insight into the issues they both tackle.
From identity to romantic relationships to power dynamics to road trips to her beloved grandmother, LaPointe packs a lot into this collection, and for this listener, there wasn't a slow moment. I can't wait to read more from this author.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape for this alc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
This essay collection is succinct in actual length but expansive in ideas. On a similar, seemingly contradictory note, the topics are varied, but the narrative voice is unified and engaging throughout.
I really enjoyed this collection. Having had no prior access to LaPointe's work, I came into this listen (I highly recommend the audio - it's always ideal to listen to the author read their own experiences) with really no expectations or frame of reference. My favorite connections were those made to the author's intersectional identities and discussions about the way others see her versus how she sees herself (and who she actually is). I especially loved the commentary on the Riot Grrrl scene and how LaPointe grappled with the intriguing but also exclusionary nature of that movement. I just came off of Kathleen Hanna's forthcoming memoir and am a long-time fan, so it was especially enlightening to get further insight into the issues they both tackle.
From identity to romantic relationships to power dynamics to road trips to her beloved grandmother, LaPointe packs a lot into this collection, and for this listener, there wasn't a slow moment. I can't wait to read more from this author.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape for this alc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
April 21, 2024
This is a profound, textured, and unique essay collection. My first feeling — no, that’s not true; my most enduring feeling — after finishing this work was excitement. Excitement that LaPointe exists and feels compelled to gift readers with her work.
LaPointe narratives are challenging intellectually and emotionally, “raw” not in an exploitative sense but in the sense of pushing unapologetically against the frictional presence of the settler colony, cisheteropatriarchy, white supremacy. What results is not only a singular account of unapologetic two-spirit and mixed subjectivity, of refusals and reclamations of “punk,” of a family whose failures and successes shaped her writing and life. I loved and felt deeply seen in the entanglement of childhood, political-historical context, sensuality, and education, as she learns over decades what it means to be an author — of herself and of her beautifully contradictory stories. I loved the messiness that defied resolution, commentary that challenges white supremacist notions of family, justice, and success.
Everything about this set of essays was magical, and even in the few moments of repetitiveness, of “why are we here,” I felt empowered to trust LaPointe, and in turn, feel trusted with her precious lives.
LaPointe narratives are challenging intellectually and emotionally, “raw” not in an exploitative sense but in the sense of pushing unapologetically against the frictional presence of the settler colony, cisheteropatriarchy, white supremacy. What results is not only a singular account of unapologetic two-spirit and mixed subjectivity, of refusals and reclamations of “punk,” of a family whose failures and successes shaped her writing and life. I loved and felt deeply seen in the entanglement of childhood, political-historical context, sensuality, and education, as she learns over decades what it means to be an author — of herself and of her beautifully contradictory stories. I loved the messiness that defied resolution, commentary that challenges white supremacist notions of family, justice, and success.
Everything about this set of essays was magical, and even in the few moments of repetitiveness, of “why are we here,” I felt empowered to trust LaPointe, and in turn, feel trusted with her precious lives.
Read
November 19, 2024I rapidly found myself deeply absorbed after I began Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe's Thunder Song. I particularly enjoyed everything indigenous that LaPointe covered in her writings, from the little bits I could learn about Coast Salish culture, to larger issues like the ongoing high rates of sexual violence and disappearances among native woman (and the pathetically and unjustly little coverage that it continues to receive from outside native communities). It made for helpful and informative reading from outside my normal perspective, to say the least. However, even when LaPointe wasn't musing about explicitly indigenous matters, my attention did not waver. Her writing still wielded an unapologetic honesty and thoughtfulness that led to numerous moments of contemplative pauses on my end.
On numerous levels, this is a wonderfully rich collection of essays - and one that makes me a little regretful that I let her original book, Red Paint, initially pass my notice (and I hope to rectify that in the future).
On numerous levels, this is a wonderfully rich collection of essays - and one that makes me a little regretful that I let her original book, Red Paint, initially pass my notice (and I hope to rectify that in the future).
December 20, 2025
These white women on Pinterest are baking loaves of sourdough, and I am trying to time travel.
The writing in Thunder Song is beautiful and engaging, making this a book you're never quite ready to put down -- that is, until you are ripped violently out of your trance by some wildly bad take. Being polyamorous is a cultural inheritance; monogamy is a manifestation of colonization. White women would never have been paid in livestock; this is overt racism that she uniquely recognizes. A white woman gets mad that she got in her way at a concert, so she plays an Uno reverse card and demands a land acknowledgement. To each their own, but some of these takes just seem astoundingly superficial--shower thoughts put down on paper. That was a real disappointment to me from someone who clearly puts so much thought into their day-to-day experiences and guiding principles.
This essay collection did leave me with a lot to think about, but mostly it just left me with a greater respect for the spectrum of human diversity. I'm glad I read it, but I do think a lot of the thoughts here are underdeveloped and it left me yearning for this book to live up to its potential.
The writing in Thunder Song is beautiful and engaging, making this a book you're never quite ready to put down -- that is, until you are ripped violently out of your trance by some wildly bad take. Being polyamorous is a cultural inheritance; monogamy is a manifestation of colonization. White women would never have been paid in livestock; this is overt racism that she uniquely recognizes. A white woman gets mad that she got in her way at a concert, so she plays an Uno reverse card and demands a land acknowledgement. To each their own, but some of these takes just seem astoundingly superficial--shower thoughts put down on paper. That was a real disappointment to me from someone who clearly puts so much thought into their day-to-day experiences and guiding principles.
This essay collection did leave me with a lot to think about, but mostly it just left me with a greater respect for the spectrum of human diversity. I'm glad I read it, but I do think a lot of the thoughts here are underdeveloped and it left me yearning for this book to live up to its potential.
March 12, 2024
✨ Review ✨ Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe
Thanks to Counterpoint, Dreamscape Media, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!
This book was incredible! I don't always love memoirs or essay collections, but the author's storytelling was off-the-charts (you can see where she learned through through her female relatives!) The essays flow together in a way that feels special and continuous like a memoir, despite being written as essays.
Things I loved:
1. The author's Queer and Indigenous perspectives and the ways she brings these different facets of her identity together
2. Her punk background and aesthetic shape the stories and style
3. Stories about salmon and the environment and decolonizing her diet
4. Stories about the women in her family and their different storytelling specialties
5. Her reflections on Coast Salish identity and experience -- the importance of the persistence of language and culture and community in the 21st century.
6. There's a section about the start of COVID and storytelling and rest that really spoke to me. When considering the old ways and her feel that she needed to be working during COVID like it was a pre-COVID era, her therapist asked her to consider " do you think a basket weaver would be weaving when there is a mountain lion circling?"
7. the author also narrated the audiobook, which I love because it brings so much added emotion and inflection to the story which is her own.
This is definitely a great way to engage with Indigenous perspectives and queer identity, to listen and to learn!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: essay colection, memoir
Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins
Pub Date: March 5, 2024
Thanks to Counterpoint, Dreamscape Media, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!
This book was incredible! I don't always love memoirs or essay collections, but the author's storytelling was off-the-charts (you can see where she learned through through her female relatives!) The essays flow together in a way that feels special and continuous like a memoir, despite being written as essays.
Things I loved:
1. The author's Queer and Indigenous perspectives and the ways she brings these different facets of her identity together
2. Her punk background and aesthetic shape the stories and style
3. Stories about salmon and the environment and decolonizing her diet
4. Stories about the women in her family and their different storytelling specialties
5. Her reflections on Coast Salish identity and experience -- the importance of the persistence of language and culture and community in the 21st century.
6. There's a section about the start of COVID and storytelling and rest that really spoke to me. When considering the old ways and her feel that she needed to be working during COVID like it was a pre-COVID era, her therapist asked her to consider " do you think a basket weaver would be weaving when there is a mountain lion circling?"
7. the author also narrated the audiobook, which I love because it brings so much added emotion and inflection to the story which is her own.
This is definitely a great way to engage with Indigenous perspectives and queer identity, to listen and to learn!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: essay colection, memoir
Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins
Pub Date: March 5, 2024
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