This month discover LGBTQ+ and Indigenous innovators, creators and leaders who have influenced the world. In honour of Indigenous History Month and Pride Month, Audible has curated a list of titles to give Canadians an opportunity to celebrate the communities’ culture and learn about their history.
There are various titles to dig deep into Indigenous history. And to support authors who work extra hard to make their way into the world that has put them down. If you enjoy memoirs, make sure to check out Seven Truths, by Tanya Talaga. Tanya is an Anishinaabe author and journalist. Her first book, Seven Fallen Feathers, is a national bestseller. It won the RBC Taylor Prize, the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing, and the First Nation Communities Read Award: Young Adult/Adult.
Another extraordinary memoir is From the Ashes, by Jesse Thistle. In this extraordinary and inspiring debut memoir, Jesse Thistle, once a high-school dropout and now a rising Indigenous scholar, chronicles his life on the streets and how he overcame trauma and addiction to discover the truth about who he is.
If you’re into non-fiction and history, these titles will blow your mind: All Our Relations, by previously mentioned author, Tanya Talaga, explores the alarming rise of youth suicide in Indigenous communities in Canada and beyond. It is an experience marked by the violent separation of Peoples from the land, the separation of families, and the separation of individuals from traditional ways of life. All of which has culminated in a spiritual separation that has had an enduring impact on generations of Indigenous children. For a more in-depth understanding of how the system has failed minorities, check out Peace and Good Order, by Harold R. Johnson. It is an urgent, informed, intimate condemnation of the Canadian state and its failure to deliver justice to Indigenous.
And if you like something a little more fun and imaginative, various fiction and literature titles are available for you. Moon of the Crusted Snow, by Waubgeshig Rice; A daring post-apocalyptic novel from a powerful rising literary voice. And you can’t miss Return of the Trickster by Eden Robinson. In the third book of her brilliant and captivating Trickster Trilogy, Eden Robinson delivers an explosive, surprising and satisfying resolution.
Queer Titles For Pride Month
In honour of pride month, Audible has outstanding titles to enjoy. For memoirs, Highschool by Tegan and Sara Quin. Here, the music icons share an intimate and raw account of their formative years and their upbringing. Love Lives Here by Amanda Jette Knox is an inspirational story of accepting and embracing two trans people in a family. A family that shows what’s possible when you “lead with love”.
For non-fiction, You Were Born for This by Chani Nicholas provides an essential guide for radical self-acceptance while taking account of the role that astrology plays in life.
A Podcast To Check Out
If you are more of a podcast type of person, there is the perfect one for you. Tan France launched his new Audible Original Podcast called Tan Frances’ Queer Icons. A celebration of historical and modern-day LGBTQ+ icons from across the world.
Each of the eight episodes focuses on a different icon. We hear from a series of experts including academics, playwrights, performers, journalists, campaigners. And friends who offer insightful commentary drawing on their own experiences and background.
From historic icons such as Princess Seraphina, an eighteenth-century gentleman’s servant, whose legacy is entwined with Vauxhall’s gay culture. To icons such as Yoyo, a Kuala Lumpur-based lesbian punk rocker, challenging her country’s homophobic laws today. The series and the icons it champions, showcase how queer life always finds a way.
The podcast showcases the issues faced and victories won, this is a tribute to joy, self-expression and pride. The series pulls on multiple themes including gender norms, black queer history, trans rights, disabled queer stories, drag, activism, masculinity and more.
Celebrate queer and Indigenous voices and authors while learning and educating yourself on important topics with the great collection Audible.ca offers.