An absorbing memoir of a Coast Salish woman coming to terms with her past and present trauma. I read this in one sitting--the author pulls you in and you feel for her as she works to find healing. Those who are on their own journeys of healing will likely enjoy this book as well.

A beautiful and emotional poetry collection. This is a great book to read if you are looking to expand your reading of indigenous authors.

a beautifully written memoir about identity and belonging and exploration of native identity. The writing here is wonderful and contemplative. At times, the threads seems to wander, but overall a wonderful work.

This is a stunning book and leaves a lasting impact that belies its short length. It's about trauma of many kinds as well as persistence (both individual and ancestral), and it emphatically centers Native Salish thought, culture, and beliefs. Perhaps obviously, this is an intense book, and readers should be aware of its focus, at times, on sexual assault, PTSD, colonial violence and genocide, and suicidal ideation, to name just a few things.

Sasha LaPointe's ancestral autobiography shares her experiences and reflections on everything from relationships to punk rock, art, history, generational trauma, and mental/spiritual healing. In almost every chapter the author and/or her family are blindsided by heartache. But Sasha and her ancestors remained resilient when facing challenges few people would be able to truly understand. They demonstrate just how powerful those elements of life like music, art, and culture can be even when it appears everything's been taken from you. Sasha never forgets to acknowledge and thank her ancestors with each successful push through pain, and I think that makes this book a beautiful tribute to Coast Salish women.

The stories shared on these pages can be brutally honest and sad, but I think it is all necessary for Sasha's healing and for readers to gain deeper perspective of issues involving sexism, racism, mental health, poverty, genocide, misrepresentation, and marginalization. With that said, Sasha LaPointe's writing never comes off as a sociology lesson or anything, it's just that her work is organically thought-provoking. For me, it reinforced questions I've had and brought upon new ones as well. "Why aren't we teaching Lushootseed in all PNW schools?" or "Why does my town's history sign say this land was​ the homeland of [indigenous peoples]?" or "Why isn't there a Chinook Goonie?" With all that said, I can happily recommend it to readers who are ready to empathize with someone else's struggles while also considering larger, broader social issues around us. I think that's a good practice for anyone, but it can be particularly beneficial for white dudes like me.

I look forward to reading/listening to Sasha LaPointe's work in the future and wish her the best of luck!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An exquisitely well done memoir; I could not put it down!

Given the amount of personal heartache Sasha LaPointe had to overcome in life, her book seamlessly reflects on it as well as how she finds unimaginable strength to heal and look forward. Red Paint is "an ancestral autobiography," putting LaPointe's work up there with names like Kao Kalia Yang, Natasha Trethewey, and Daniel Nayeri for her ability to weave familial stories and their impact on our own lived experience. Her chosen structure makes the book traditional memoir at times, researched history and oral storytelling at others, and poetry too. It was engaging, devastating, and well-paced.

The book blends identities that are cultural, familial, matriarchal, and experimental as she seeks to understand more about her Coast Salish ancestors and also rebel against negative realities of modern day reservation life, socio-economic status, and addiction by escaping into the punk scene during her youth. At its core, Red Paint is a love story, but not in a traditional setting. For each of us must learn to love ourselves just as radically as we seek to find love in others.

A truly gifted work. I can't wait to see what other hybrid forms and stories LaPointe creates.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.