Blue Hand Books

 Quote: The proportion of Americans who read books for pleasure is now at its lowest level ever recorded. The American Time Use Survey—which studies a representative sample of 26,000 Americans—found that between 2004 and 2017 the proportion of men reading for pleasure had fallen by 40 percent, while for women, it was down by 29 percent. The opinion-poll company Gallup found that the proportion of Americans who never read a book in any given year tripled between 1978 and 2014. Some 57 percent of Americans now do not read a single book in a typical year. This has escalated to the point that by 2017, the average American spent seventeen minutes a day reading books and 5.4 hours on their phone. 🙁 It’s a spiral—as we began to move from books to screens, we started to lose some of the capacity for the deeper reading that comes from books, and that, in turn, made us less likely to read books. LIT HUB

  For Immediate Release  PAPERBACK and EBOOK available now!  Davy Crockett’s legend reimagined Greenfield, Massachusetts [2020] reposting Is it possible Davy Crockett didn't die at the Alamo? Blue Hand Books has just released a new historical fiction “CROCKETT’s GOLD” by one of their most popular authors, John Christian Hopkins (Narragansett) who looks at the legend.   “This is the author’s seventh book, published on his September wedding anniversary! Hopkins has brilliantly reimagined the Davy Crockett legend and how the story ends,” according to publisher Trace Hentz.   “If you love westerns, this story is driven with plenty of colorful characters,” Hentz said. Hopkins writes that Centennial Brown left his Tennessee home to seek his fortune in the western lands, but when an old family friend needs help Brown can’t refuse.   But J.W. Crockett’s request isn’t a simple one: He wants Brown to carry a $20,000 ransom across the wild Texas frontier pa...

SHOP   For Immediate Release January 24, 2022 AILA announces 2022 American Indian Youth Literature Awards CHICAGO — Today American Indian Youth Literature Award winning titles were highlighted during the American Library Association (ALA) Youth Media Awards, the premier announcement of the best of the best in children’s and young adult literature. Awarded biennially, the award identifies and honors the very best writings and illustrations for youth, by and about Native American and Indigenous peoples of North America. Works selected to receive the award, in picture book, middle grade, and young adult categories, present Native American and Indigenous North American peoples in the fullness of their humanity in present, past and future contexts. https://ailanet.org/activities/american-indian-youth-literature-award/   Young writers and illustrators honored by Native library group The American Indian Library Association announced its yout...

Ryan Winn   ♦   January 19, 2022 Last year witnessed a high-water mark for Native literature. Not only did a wealth of Indigenous texts flood the market, but the democratization of virtual platforms meant that one could stream author events from every corner of Turtle Island. With a few clicks of a mouse, book lovers were able to join their favorite authors’ tours or drop in to hear a new voice. Joy Harjo (Mvskoke) continued to use her status as the U.S. Poet Laureate to elevate tribal voices while some of the most anticipated texts were buoyed by celebrity fans. Yet, what the historians will most likely note is that after more than a half century of being overlooked, two Native authors joined N. Scott Momaday as the only three Indigenous writers to win the Pulitzer Prize—Louise Erdrich (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians) for her novel The Night Watchman and Natalie Diaz (Mojave) for her poetry collection Po...

Last year, the American Indian Library Association invited readers to enjoy books by Indigenous Authors for their Read Native challenge . The inaugural challenge featured 26 reading tasks to tackle throughout the year. To help participants along the way, staff from the Library's Many Nations Team had many books to recommend in a variety of categories.   Just because it's 2022 doesn't mean you still can't enjoy the challenge . Here are some book lists and titles that can help you get started.   Novels set on a reservation of about the urban experience Heart Berries by Terese Maire Mailhot This Town Sleeps by Dennis E. Staples Surviving the City by Tasha Spillett-Sumner Find the full list .   Fiction and debut novels The Ancient Child by N. Scott Momaday Where the Dead Sit Talking by Brandon Hobson The Lesser Blessed by Richard Van Camp   Find the full list .   Books about holidays, art, and cookbooks The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman ...