Not Far Away

Lois Beardslee is the author of Rachel's Children (2004), a novel about the Ojibwe of northern Michigan, and the essay collection Lies to Live By (2003). She is an instructor in communications at Northwestern Michigan College and an Ojibwe artist whose works are in public and private collections around the world.

Once again Lois Beardslee goes right to the heart, both figuratively and pointedly. Through her own voice and experiences, and through that of her semi-fictional, semi-autobiographical alter-ego, Ima Pipiig, she effectively makes abundantly clear the many forms that racism takes, permeating social institutions and every aspect of our daily lives. Her words, carefully considered, yet straight from the wounds of experience, speak powerfully to Native and non-Native readers alike. This book is highly recommended to the general reader and to every student seriously seeking insights into contemporary American society.

• Part 1 Introduction2 The Real Life Adventures of Ima Pipiig3 Koolaid4 Solstice5 Indian Boarding School6 Not Far Away7 Falcon Clan Meets Indian Boarding School8 Venn Diagrams9 Educating Ima10 Before I Offend Most of You, I Would Like to Thank You for Coming11 Turtle TV12 Public Education As a Form of Media13 Racism 10114 The Lecture They Want to Hear15 Sweetgrass16 The Play17 Creation Stories18 No Wait, I Know a Part That Comes Before the Beginning19 The Lore of the Turtle20 Book Reviews21 The Lars Nederstadt Holocaust Museum22 Men in Brown23 Why Ima Pipiig Did Not Vote24 Jim Crow- Culture of Convenience25 The Chair26 F-ed By the V-Monologues27 The Throw-Away People28 Laughing Man29 I Wannabe a Delicacy30 Dead Horses, and How to Beat Them31 Toxins32 Gambling for Dollars33 Big Waldeau and Pork Patty34 Shiigawk35 On Warriors, Living and Dead36 The Shirt37 We Did Not Come Over Here on the Mayflower38 The Ladies Sat There Patiently