Why read A Grandmother Begins the Story?

Book cover of A Grandmother Begins the Story

Book description

Written like a crooked Metis jig, A Grandmother Begins the Story follows five generations of women and bison as they reach for the stories that could remake their worlds and rebuild their futures.

Carter is a young mother, recently separated. She is curious, angry, and on a quest to find…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked A Grandmother Begins the Story as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Iulia Dobre-Trifan

Author

Magical realism, multiple characters and voices, including personified animals, places and objects, are woven together into a memorable story of family, trauma, healing, cultural legacy and natural wisdom.
The fresh perspectives of the non-human characters add an unforgettable touch of spiritual interconnectedness, giving people a surprising stage for their personal predicaments.
Original, funny, existential.

From Iulia's 3 favorite reads in 2025.

Eve Joseph

Author

This book, by the Indigenous storyteller Michelle Porter, is one that I savoured for its beauty and audacity.

The book does not arbitrarily differentiate between the human world and the animal world. Everything is invited in and has a voice. It is a beautifully told, magical story. I am finding great pleasure in reading new Indigenous voices and am grateful that there is growing diversity in who is being published these days.

Voices we rarely hear from are now inviting people into worlds that have always existed but have not always been accessible.

From Eve's 3 favorite reads in 2023.