Bestselling Indigenous Books in Canada

July 2, 2019

To mark National Indigenous History Month (June), BookNet Canada shared the bestselling Indigenous books in Canada over the past 52 weeks (June 25, 2018 to June 23, 2019) in four categories:

• Adult Fiction
• Adult Non-Fiction
• Juvenile/YA Fiction
• Juvenile Non-Fiction

Some observations:

• Only two books out of the 40 in all four top-10 lists are not written by Canadian authors or Indigenous Peoples of Canada (Tommy Orange’s There There and Scott O’Dell’s Island of the Blue Dolphins).
• The Fiction bestselling titles are backlist heavy, while the Non-Fiction titles skew more to new releases.
• Many of the titles on the adult Fiction and Non-Fiction lists have been on Canadian national bestseller lists or were Loan Stars top picks.

Bestselling Adult Fiction

1. There There by Tommy Orange (9780771073038, May 7, 2019)
2. Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden 🇨🇦 (9780143056959, May 6, 2008)
3. Starlight by Richard Wagamese 🇨🇦 (9780771070877, May 21, 2019)
4. Birdie by Tracey Lindberg 🇨🇦 (9781443451352, Feb. 16, 2016)
5. Tilly and the Crazy Eights by Monique Gray Smith 🇨🇦 (9781772600759, Oct. 9, 2018)
6. Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden 🇨🇦 (9780143017875, Sept. 15, 2009)
7. The Orenda by Joseph Boyden 🇨🇦 (9780143174165, Feb. 25, 2014)
8. The Last Beothuk by Gary Collins 🇨🇦 (9781771176323, Oct. 16, 2017)
9. In Search of April Raintree by Beatrice Mosionier 🇨🇦 (9781553791737, Sept. 4, 2008)
10. Medicine River by Thomas King 🇨🇦 (9780143191148, Aug. 19, 2014)

Bestselling Adult Non-Fiction

1. Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga 🇨🇦 (9781487002268, Sept. 30, 2017, Biography & Autobiography / Cultural, Ethnic & Regional / Native American & Aboriginal)
2. All Our Relations by Tanya Talaga 🇨🇦 (9781487005733, Oct. 16, 2018, Social Science / Indigenous Studies)
3. Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot 🇨🇦 (9780385691147, March 13, 2018, Biography & Autobiography / Cultural, Ethnic & Regional / Native American & Aboriginal)
4. A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott 🇨🇦 (9780385692380, March 26, 2019, History / Native American)
5. Mamaskatch by Darrel J. McLeod 🇨🇦 (9781771622004, Sept. 15, 2018, Biography & Autobiography / Cultural, Ethnic & Regional / Native American & Aboriginal)
6. Indigenous Relations by Bob Joseph 🇨🇦 (9781989025642, May 9, 2019, Social Science / Ethnic Studies / Native American Studies)
7. The Reconciliation Manifesto by Arthur Manuel 🇨🇦 and Grand Chief Ronald Derrickson 🇨🇦 (9781459409613, Oct. 6, 2017, Social Science / Indigenous Studies)
8. Indigenous Writes by Chelsea Vowel 🇨🇦 (9781553796800, Sept. 9, 2016, Social Science / Indigenous Studies)
9. One Native Life by Richard Wagamese 🇨🇦 (9781553653127, Feb. 23, 2009, Biography & Autobiography / Cultural, Ethnic & Regional / Native American & Aboriginal)
10. The Truth About Stories by Thomas King 🇨🇦 (9780887846960, Nov. 1, 2003, Social Science / Ethnic Studies / Native American Studies)

Bestselling Juvenile and Young Adult Fiction

1. Blackflies by Robert Munsch,🇨🇦 illustrated by Jay Odjick 🇨🇦 (9781443157919, March 31, 2017, Juvenile Fiction / People & Places / Canada / Native Canadian)
2. Go Show the World by Wab Kinew,🇨🇦 illustrated by Joe Morse 🇨🇦 (9780735262928, Sept. 11, 2018, Juvenile Fiction / People & Places / United States / Native American)
3. A Promise is a Promise by Robert Munsch 🇨🇦 and Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak,🇨🇦 illustrated by Vladyana Krykorka 🇨🇦 (9781550370089, May 1, 1988, Juvenile Fiction / People & Places / Canada / Native Canadian)
4. Stolen Words by Melanie Florence,🇨🇦 illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard 🇨🇦 (9781772600377, Sept, 5, 2017, Juvenile Fiction / People & Places / Canada / Native Canadian)
5. Red Wolf by Jennifer Dance 🇨🇦 (9781459708105, Jan. 11, 2014, Young Adult Fiction / People & Places / Aboriginal & Indigenous)
6. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell (9780547328614, Feb. 8, 2010, Juvenile Fiction / People & Places / United States / Native American)
7. Shi-shi-etko by Nicola Campbell,🇨🇦 illustrated by Kim Lafave 🇨🇦 (9780888996596, July 3, 2005, Juvenile Fiction / People & Places / Canada / Native Canadian)
8. The Girl and the Wolf by Katherena Vermette,🇨🇦 illustrated by Julie Flett 🇨🇦 (9781926886541, Feb. 5, 2019, Juvenile Fiction / People & Places / Canada / Native Canadian)
9. Not My Girl by Christy Jordan-Fenton 🇨🇦 and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton,🇨🇦 illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard 🇨🇦 (9781554516247, Jan. 9, 2014, Juvenile Fiction / People & Places / Canada / Native Canadian)
10. Shin-chi’s Canoe by Nicola Campbell,🇨🇦 illustrated by Kim Lafave 🇨🇦 (9780888998576, Aug. 1, 2008, Juvenile Fiction / People & Places / Canada / Native Canadian)

Bestselling Juvenile and Young Adult Non-Fiction

1. Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada by The Royal Canadian Geographical Society 🇨🇦 and Canadian Geographic 🇨🇦 (9780986751622, Sept. 25, 2018, Young Adult Nonfiction / People & Places / Aboriginal & Indigenous)
2. Fatty Legs by Christy Jordan-Fenton 🇨🇦 and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton,🇨🇦 artwork by Liz Amini-Holmes 🇨🇦 (9781554512461, Sept. 1, 2010, Juvenile Nonfiction / People & Places / Canada / Native Canadian)
3. Cary Price by Catherine Rondina 🇨🇦 (9781459412767, Feb.1, 2018, Juvenile Nonfiction / People & Places / Canada / Native Canadian)
4. I Am Not a Number by Jenny Kay Dupuis 🇨🇦 and Kathy Kacer,🇨🇦 illustrated by Gillian Newland 🇨🇦 (9781927583944, Sept. 6, 2016, Juvenile Nonfiction / People & Places / Canada / Native Canadian)
5. The Orange Shirt Story by Phyllis Webstad,🇨🇦 illustrated by Brock Nicol 🇨🇦 (9780993869495, Sept. 1, 2018, Juvenile Nonfiction / People & Places / Canada / Native Canadian)
6. Turtle Island by Eldon Yellowhorn 🇨🇦 and Kathy Lowinger 🇨🇦 (9781554519439, Sept. 12, 2017, Young Adult Nonfiction / People & Places / Aboriginal & Indigenous)
7. The Water Walker by Joanne Robertson 🇨🇦 (9781772600384, Sept. 5, 2017, Juvenile Nonfiction / People & Places / Canada / Native Canadian)
8. #Notyourprincess edited by Lisa Charleyboy 🇨🇦 and Mary Beth Leatherdale 🇨🇦 (9781554519576, Sept. 12, 2017, Young Adult Nonfiction / People & Places / United States / Native American)
9. The Sharing Circle by Theresa Meuse,🇨🇦 illustrated by Arthur Stevens 🇨🇦 (9781551094502, Jan. 5, 2003, Juvenile Nonfiction / People & Places / United States / Native American)
10. When I Was Eight by Christy Jordan-Fenton 🇨🇦 and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton,🇨🇦 illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard 🇨🇦 (9781554514908, Feb. 1, 2013, Juvenile Nonfiction / People & Places / Canada / Native Canadian)

(Via BookNet Canada)