NEWS RELEASE
ORILLIA PUBLIC LIBRARY
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The Big Read is back at the Orillia Public Library.
Each year, the library selects one exceptional title with the goal of creating a sense of community through the shared experience of reading and discussing the same book.
The library is thrilled to announce this year’s 16th annual Big Read is Daughters of the Deer by Danielle Daniel. This powerful work of historical fiction is the debut adult novel from award-winning children’s author and illustrator Danielle Daniel.
It imagines the lives of two Indigenous women in Algonquin territory in the 1600s: Marie, and her daughter, Jeanne, who are caught up in a tumultuous period of colonization, the burgeoning fur trade, and rivalries between French and English settlers, as well as with other First Nations.
The author is of Algonquin and French ancestry herself, and this unforgettable story was inspired by her own family’s link to a young girl who was murdered.
A haunting look back through centuries of violence against Indigenous women and girls, Daniel describes Daughters of the Deer as “deeply sacred and excruciating” to write. A national reckoning with this legacy makes this book a timely selection.
Library staff weren’t the only ones moved by this groundbreaking novel; Quill & Quire calls it a “deeply felt and personal story” and fellow readers’ have provided rave reviews on Goodreads.
The author will be visiting the Orillia Public Library for their Big Read finale on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. Tickets for “An Evening with Danielle Daniel” are on sale now at the library for $20 per person, which includes a glass of wine and light appetizers.
Reserve your copy of Daughters of the Deer through the library’s online catalogue or by visiting our ‘Libby’ platform to access the e-book and audiobook versions. For more details, please call the library at 705-325-2556 or email [email protected].
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