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<div>Thank you, Anne, for speaking up about this topic.</div><div><br></div><div>For
those interested in this type of historical fiction, the more recent
"Prairie Lotus" by Linda Sue Park seemed to be a good alternative to
Wilder's books to me (I very much enjoyed it!). However, I admittedly
know little and defer to those in marginalized communities represented
in these materials--whether accurately or falsely--who certainly know
more about the effect these portrayals have. <br><br></div>
<div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><font face="arial, sans-serif">Journey Robinson </font><font style="font-family:"comic sans ms",sans-serif" color="#351c75"><b><br></b><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><a href="https://www.mypronouns.org/what-and-why" target="_blank">They/Them</a></span></span></font><div>Youth Services Librarian</div><div>Commerce Township Community Library</div><div>Phone: <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"> </span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">248-669-8108 Ext. 112</span></div><div><br></div></div></div></div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Sep 14, 2021 at 12:58 PM Journey Robinson <<a href="mailto:jrobinson@commercelibrary.info">jrobinson@commercelibrary.info</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div>Thank you, Anne, for speaking up about this topic.</div><div><br></div><div>For those interested in this type of historical fiction, the more recent "Prairie Lotus" by Linda Sue Park seemed to be a good alternative to Wilder's books to me (I very much enjoyed it!). However, I admittedly know little and defer to those in marginalized communities represented in these materials--whether accurately or falsely--who certainly know more about the effect these portrayals have. <br></div><div><br></div><div><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><font face="arial, sans-serif">Journey Robinson </font><font style="font-family:"comic sans ms",sans-serif" color="#351c75"><b><br></b><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><a href="https://www.mypronouns.org/what-and-why" target="_blank">They/Them</a></span></span></font><div>Youth Services Librarian</div><div>Commerce Township Community Library</div><div>Phone: <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"> </span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">248-669-8108 Ext. 112</span></div><div><br></div></div></div></div><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Sep 14, 2021 at 10:28 AM Anne Heidemann via Michlib-l <<a href="mailto:michlib-l@mcls.org" target="_blank">michlib-l@mcls.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
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<div>
<p>Boozhoo (hello), Michigan library community,<u></u><u></u></p>
<p><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p>I wanted to share some information about Wilder and her Little House books that not everyone may be thinking about. In my role serving as the Tribal Librarian for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, I have had the opportunity to study
and think about this issue in depth and humbly share this with you. <u></u><u></u></p>
<p><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p>The content of Wilder’s works is actively harmful, not just to Native readers whose ancestors are supposedly portrayed in them, but to everyone who reads them and takes in those damaging depictions. They portray a vision of history as
seen from a settler colonialist perspective that did not allow any room for the humanity of people who were not white settlers (in addition to the inaccurate depictions of Indigenous peoples, there is also anti-Black content).
<u></u><u></u></p>
<p><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p>Many of us working in libraries may have fond memories of reading or having these books read to us when we were kids, but it is possible to separate those memories from the harmful content that accompanied them – to make a different
choice when recommending books to today’s young readers. <u></u><u></u></p>
<p><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p>My suggestion here is that we choose to celebrate writers and books that include everyone’s humanity, and chose not to celebrate those which do not.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p>There is quite a lot of writing out there about the damage that Wilder’s books do. Please contact me off-list if you’d like me to provide suggestions. <u></u><u></u></p>
<p><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p>Miigwetch,<u></u><u></u></p>
<p>Anne <u></u><u></u></p>
<p><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)">Anne Heidemann, Tribal Librarian (she/her)<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)">Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Gindaaso-gamik - Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Libraries<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:aheidemann@sagchip.org" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">aheidemann@sagchip.org</span></a><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)"> -
</span><a href="mailto:aheidemann@sagchip.edu" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">aheidemann@sagchip.edu</span></a><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)">
<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125)">989-787-0651 * 989-775-4519 * 989-317-4789<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://ploud.saginaw.net/" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">ploud.saginaw.net</span></a><span style="color:blue"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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