This was such a good book. Learning about the history of the Indian Boarding schools. It also talks about the generational trauma that these schools impacted on the families. Learning more about indigenous life was so interesting but also so sad.

A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power is a four-part multigenerational story that tells the story of the traumas and hardships faced by Sioux women all belonging to the same family (daughter, mother, grandmother). Each section follows one generation through her respective tumultuous childhood and each woman, through her girlhood, is accompanied by a doll that serves as a shield and a confidant through pivotal moments. In the author's note, Mona Susan Power explains that the stories, though marketed as "Fiction", are largely based in true accounts from her own family members and from first-hand accounts of tribe members' experiences during the respective time periods. The book touches on a number of the atrocities that Native Americans faced over the course of American history, and includes the forced assimilation and "reformation" in schools like the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and massacres of the Sioux tribes by the U.S. Army. The final section crescendos in a literal council of dolls. We learn that it has been the youngest member of the matriline piecing together stories from her ancestors through the memories the dolls have shared with her. In this final section, the tone and the language fell a little apart for me. While it followed the same characters and narratives, something about the narration felt different, and it was a bit jarring.

Though ultimately a story about healing through speaking our truths and leaning on the strength of our ancestors, A Council of Dolls is heavy. There are depictions of child neglect and abuse and recollected racist, prejudiced, and often deeply traumatic events at the hands of white people. I found myself simultaneously tearing through each of these stories but also needing to occasionally stop and take a breath. Nonetheless, I think the American educational system has largely failed the vast majority of students in painting accurate portrayals of the ways in which the "founders" (e.g. colonists) of the U.S. tortured and exploited Native Americans, and to this end, I think A Council of Dolls should undoubtedly go into a catalog of novels that reflect this time period in a more accurate light.

Thank you to Mona Susan Power, Mariner Books, and Netgalley for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an intense book about the likes and horrors that Native American children have gone through. It was a challenging read, but very important.

This book is well-written. It includes elements of historical fiction and a bit of real life horror. The role of the dolls in these women's lives was the most thought-provoking aspect of the novel. It added a bit of a fantasy element to the story. I wondered what the author's intention was. The dolls seem to be symbolic in addition to invisible friends for the girls. They were also silent, supposedly inanimate witnesses to what the young women experienced. The parts of the story told from the dolls' POV were especially intriguing. I enjoyed the section about how the Shirley Temple doll was made, and the doll was presented as self-aware.
The author wove mystery and symbolism around the dolls without being blatant. She left readers room to make their own interpretations. I really enjoyed and appreciated that. The book is also full of interesting philosophical statements.
This book is intense and hard to read in places. I took a break for a couple of days because the story became very dark and depressing. Of course, this is a heavy topic, and it is certainly not meant to be taken lightly. I found this to be an intellectual read.
The author's note outlined some of the creative liberties taken in the novel. Overall, a well-written, engaging book.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.