Little Witnesses

“Council of Dolls” gives personality to the inhumanity suffered by three generations of Yanktonai Dakota women at the hands of "civilized” America. They were victims of the Indian boarding school re-education travesty which sought to strip them of any trace of their culture. This fiasco resulted in irreparable damage to the psyches of these children.

Cora, Lillian, and Sissy are the girls we follow– but Winona, Mae, and Ethel are their companions, dolls who speak as confidants and protectors. These dolls have been witness to massacres and tragedies and their mission is to do what they can to heal the ones they love. Are they magic? Can they really speak? Author Mona Susan Power leaves just enough leeway for the possibility these dolls are mechanisms allowing the girls to deal with life.

When Cora first arrived at Carlisle Indian Industrial School in the early 1900’s, her group was herded together to be photographed in their native attire with the few precious belongings they had brought along. Then they were stripped down, had their hair cut, had their things seized, and were forced to watch as their past lives were burned in a bonfire. Among the casualties was Winona, Cora’s doll. It was not the last of Winona, though, it was just another hardship to overcome.

No one is ignorant enough to deny the atrocities committed here. It is hard to accept the lengths that people will go to in order to “convert” people considered inferior. The behavior of a nun in the story would be unbelievable if accounts like these were not relayed over and over again. It is not just an American quality, one only needs to see the parallels in the Magdalen Laundries in Ireland, where unmarked graves hold echoes of the voices of souls punished for not measuring up. It makes you question where this evil comes from.

“Council of Dolls” is not always an easy read. Not only is the brutality hard to witness, we also see the repercussions in these lives. Lillian is a wonderful and charming girl who watches an awful death and today call it PTSD, her personality changes so violently we hardly recognize her later in life. So, no, not always easy to read… but important for us to bear witness to.

Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley for providing the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #ACouncilofDolls #NetGalley

This story covers the lives of three generations of young Dakhóta and Lakhóta women, girls, with their individual stories that connect them, as well as the eras that separate them. Beautiful and terrible and little bit creepy, all while being educational and fascinating.
Grandmother, mother and daughter all share council with their dolls and seem to be able to speak with them. A lovely story which I thoroughly enjoyed.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for this e-arc.*

I'm of two minds on this book. I went in pretty blind - I'm not sure how I heard of it, and had literally no idea what to expect. I loved reading about a Native American family's experiences across the 20th century - it was both educational and heartbreaking and learning about experiences different from my own is a big part of why I read. The author's note talks about how much of the experiences of the girls in the book and the historical context were based on her mother and grandmother, which definitely made it more impactful. I think this would work well for fans of Betty (there is definitely trauma and a lot of triggers in this book, but not nearly on the same level as Betty).

Unfortunately, there were a few things about this book that didn't work for me, which are definitely "me" things that I know I don't enjoy. The book follows three generations of women, moving backwards in time, and then circles back to the first. Each section of the book felt very separate, and on the whole made the book feel like interconnected stories, which I just don't enjoy (I don't like starting over with a new character as soon as I've settled into one). It was also a bit challenging because it follows each character as a little girl, and I found it a little hard to keep them straight. While I ultimately enjoyed each of the girls' stories, the last section of the book didn't feel like it really added to the book, and it was too long, so I found myself really antsy for the book to be over. Also, the premise of the book involves dolls who talk to the girls, and I just generally struggle with magical realism in books. Overall, I think this book will be perfect for a lot of readers, it just wasn't quite the right fit for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for the free copy in exchange for my honest review!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!*

This story is both devastating and healing. It follows three different Dahkhóta and Lakhóta girls and their dolls through key points in their childhood. Their stories are connected in ways that aren't entirely anticipated to tell one major story. A Council of Dolls is deeply rooted in the horrors of the residential school system and colonization tactics that took Indigenous lives. You see three girls and their dolls trying to navigate the world when not everything makes sense and they endure countless atrocities, some at the hands of their own family through intergenerational trauma.

My favorite point of view was Sissy. I really related to her character and flew through her chapter which starts off the book. Without spoiling, I wanted to mention that I love that we start here and the story progresses outward. It leaves a lot of questions into Sissy's mother and father, and how they ended up at that point. We see her dependence on her doll, Ethel and there are questions raised from there on what exactly is happening between her and her doll. The chapter ends with a shock and had me wanting to sift through the next page.

Lillian and Cora's chapters are interesting, but you can tell they are a bit older and maybe wiser than Sissy in their respective chapters. It has a more grown up and serious tone, where you wonder how they're going to take on their individual challenges rather than enduring what is happening to them. I found Cora's chapter a bit more difficult to sift through, but that might just be personal preference. Overall the woven intricacies that tie this story all together in the end are unique and I was completely impressed by how the author told this story. You could feel her heart on every single page and at times I felt like it was her speaking directly to me through her characters. Especially during the final chapter. That was awesome and spoke volumes of her talent as an author.

There is also an incredible representation of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. It goes without saying that several of these characters experience this, because you feel a hint of it as you're reading along. And I never once thought it was presented inaccurately or insensitively. I have a lot of appreciation for Mona Susan Power for incorporating that so seamlessly into her story.

The only reason I did not give a full five stars is because of the final chapter. Although I believe I understand the authors intent, and it might be a hit for others, it didn't exactly hit the mark for me. I felt like I was just being told everything I already knew from reading the previous chapters, and that would have been fine if it was a bit shorter, but it was drawn out for so long that I at times wanted to just skim ahead. Being Indigenous and reading tons of Indigenous books, I understand that repetition but it wasn't invigorating or enticing enough for me to pay full attention. I was satisfied by the overall ending and how things are wrapped up in a general sense but it took a bit to power through.

A Council of Dolls is overall unique and enthralling. From the first page we're thrown right in and you can sense how this story is bigger than the characters themselves. The aspect of the dolls added another pleasant touch that totally altered this story from your usual approach and totally flipped it around into something fresh.

I adored This story!
It’s different and some may scoff at it but I find it appealing on so many levels.
I love how Power gives the dolls voices and personalities.
I love the three generational stair step connection, however I couldn’t overcome my dislike for Lillian.
I also loved how she patched in stories from her own family history.
I had to google Liddle Kiddle and Tiny Thumbelina dolls to have a visual since I’m a couple of years later on the commercial doll market.
It’s whimsical, cultural, sad, but also comforting.

5.0 stars

I received a complimentary Kindle book from Book Club Girls via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Mona Susan Power, Book Club Girls, Mariner Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

OMG! Another 5-star book!!

This is a historical book by a FEMALE, NATIVE-AMERICAN author. I love this!! It is the story of three generations of women who tied together with their love for their dolls and each other.

This book is amazing as it is about three strong, Native American women who live in very turbulent times. It is difficult to read about some of the atrocities, but the author writes so beautifully that it makes it easier to read about the horrible times. It runs the gambit of Indian Boarding schools to massacres of Native Americans to Indian ghettos. So much to learn!

I did not learn much about Native American history. But, I am assuming that almost everything that I learned is inaccurate, wrong, or just biased. As a native Californian, we have gone from learning about the Missions and how great the Native Americans were treated (4th grade history) to now knowing it was SLAVERY plain and simple. The saddest part is that nothing has really changed. Horrific!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND this beautiful book

The story of three generations of Native American women, their dolls, and the harm they suffered, including forced assimilation.

Source: DRC via NetGalley (Mariner Books) in exchange for an honest review.
Publication Date: August 8, 2023
Synopsis: Goodreads
Purchase Link: Amazon

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Why did I choose to read this book?

Every single book I’ve read by indigenous/Native American authors ever has been an absolute banger. I want to read all the stories. If they show up on NetGalley, I’m requesting them 100%.

The fact that dolls were involved also made me think this one might be a little horror-esque, which apparently I am into now.

What is this book about?

This book centers around the damage done to Native American traditions, communities, and languages via the Indian boarding schools created to essentially steal, traumatize, and “reform” native children. Many children died at these schools as well, and as a minor trigger warning a child does die in this story.

It also tells generational stories. It begins with a little girl, then transitions to her mother’s story, then her grandmother’s story, then back to the original little girl but she’s all grown up for the conclusion.

At its heart, this book talk about how trauma is passed from person to person, and that it is crucially important to face that trauma head on, understand it, and manage its effects so that we do not hand it down to our children. It’s here that the story becomes universal.

What is notable about this story?

Mona Susan Power does NOT shy away from the horrifying events of native history. It’s essential that we understand what really happened and sugar coating/beating around the bush about any of it isn’t going to help anyone. These stories are raw and real and they HURT because they should.

The idea that the dolls come alive in a Toy Story kind of way and act as witnesses to these atrocities is so fucked up, but it’s such an interesting take. Like the trauma just bleeds onto everything we love and soaks into it.

Most notable was the focus on the women. There were a few cases where men were the abusers, but much of the violence and trauma was committed/borne by the women in the story. Thinking back about what I read, only the grandfather was abusive in any way and only sporadically when he was drinking, and you end up sympathizing with him once you see the grandmother’s story. He’s not just a “bad man,” he’s a guy that got fucked up by the system just like everyone else. I don’t want to say it was refreshing to read a story where the women fueled the perpetuation of violence and trauma instead of just being cowering victims, but it was notable and surprising.

Was anything not so great?

For me, it was the dolls. I’m not sure why, but something about it being dolls just felt off. They weren’t even creepy. This is not a critique of the book as a whole or even the story, I’m just saying for me the dolls didn’t hit. And in a book called “A Council of Dolls” it felt like it was worth a mention. But the story works fine even if the dolls don’t land for you so don’t let this comment stop you from buying or borrowing this book!

What’s the verdict?

Four stars on Goodreads. It’s a powerful story that we can all learn from, even if all we take away is that to truly break the cycle of trauma and damage, we first have to heal ourselves. Put your oxygen mask on first before helping others – it’s not just for plane emergencies!

Seriously though, please read this book. It’s important. Go get it.

In A Council of Dolls, we meet three young Indigenous girls and their dolls around the time that they are each 8-9 years old. Sissy and her doll Ethel in the late 1960s in Chicago, Lillian and her doll Mae in the mid 1930s on the Standing Rock Reservation, and Cora and her doll Winona in the early 1900s also on the Standing Rock Reservation. The story is from the later timeline and gradually moves backwards in time from Sissy to Lillian and then to Cora. Each girl is the daughter of the girl after her, and in this manner, we see the generational trauma inflicted on the daughter before we see what happened to the mother to cause her trauma.

The dolls speak only to the girls who own them, and in this way it is easy to assume they are imaginary, but they are much more powerful than that. These dolls provide a form of comfort to each girl as she grows older. Each doll is shown to protect their girl in a moment of stress and difficulty.

The writing, showing a young girl's point of view, was believable in how each girl perceives things that would be beyond the understanding of an 8/9 year old child. I also thought the regression of time from each girl to her mother's timeline before hers made the story flow in an interesting way that kept my interest. It's very clear that something bad happened to both Lillian and Cora while under the control of white schools, for Lillian, a Catholic boarding school in Bismarck, and for Cora, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. There was certainly room for the author to portray the despicable conditions and trauma imparted on the children in a much more dramatic manner, but I felt the writer walked the line of matter of fact, and still imparted how horrific these schools were to young Indigenous people and their families in the early 20th Century.

The only flaw to my mind of this novel was the 4th part, from grown Jesse's (Sissy) point of view, as she rediscovers the dolls in her storage, and is able to tell their stories through a touch of magical realism. It just dragged on a little bit for me, although the catharsis and healing Jesse experienced through her encounter with the dolls left me hopeful for her future.

Thank you to Book Club Girl, Mariner Books, and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

Overall, this was very well-written and deeply moving but was almost completely undone by the pseudo-therapy session ramble that took over the last 10% of the book.

“A Council of Dolls” by Mona Susan Power
A Powerfully Moving Novel
This is not an easy fun read, but a serious sharing of the horrors that can be delivered under the mask of “enlightening” others. Force rarely attains the goals those using force think are better, but ultimately cause more harm, pain, and sorrow than they ever live to acknowledge. Be sure to read the authors notes, acknowledgements, and about the author. This is a very worthy read. Happy Reading ! !
NOTE: This review expresses my honest opinion.
I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley

This is a truly incredible and deeply emotional book that goes back through three generations of Native Americans showcasing the very real hardships they encountered.

I highly recommend reading the trigger warnings and preparing yourself for this read. There are quite a few moments/descriptions that are very realistically horrifying.

This is one of those books that just hits at a very deep level. Right now, I'm feeling somewhat grateful that I've had the opportunity to read this and kind of gather this understanding around me. These are experiences I will never have or be able to relate to as a white American, but I feel it is so very important to sit with this kind of knowledge and really respect this history. After all, I truly feel like many need this kind of knowledge and to feel this empathy so that we do not continue this harm in the future.

Out August 8, 2023.

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

Dolls are trending now, more specifically Barbie, with the media’s buzz and hyperattention on all the layers of myth and and confusion that her upscale and somewhat aloof image presented to society and the legions of girls who owned one. But in her ingenious incandescent book Mona Susan Powers explores a different aspect of the doll/child connection. This magical mystic bond can be a bulwark against the uncertainty and sometimes menace of the adult world, the shifting alliances of others and the go-between to navigate the complexities of everyday life. For three Dakota girls, spanning three generations, their special dolls serve as protectors, sometimes magically so, and most important, they are a well of unconditional love. The girls and their families are stuck in the legacy of trauma from the government policy of removing Native America children from their families and sending them to Indian boarding schools, where all evidence of their culture, including their language, is suppressed or destroyed. Power’s writing is in top form; the three braided story lines with the POVs of each woman as a child are pulse-pounding, painful, and impossible to tear away from.

There is 19th-century gentle but resilient Cora, who on the surface looks like and is paraded as a model of boarding school assimilation to the rigid Victorian standards but who aligns her fate to the most daring and rebellious student. Later the strong spirits of Cora’s beautiful fierce daughters, Lillian and Blanche are on a collision course with the heartless religious order running the school. Finally, Sissy, Lillian’s frightened daughter, lives with her parents in Chicago, long after the era of the Indian schools but who still lives out their heartache. The power of Power’s storytelling is that each voice and story line is so burnished and compelling that you do not want to relinquish the narrator, yet the next one is just as riveting and artful. The three stories are not in strict chronological order, so even though we know the outcome of certain events (though not all) they still explode with drama and surprise. And then there are the dolls: Winona, a small lovingly made buckskin Dakota Indian, Mae, a gently worn but still dashing 1930s Shirley Temple doll, and Ethel, a 1960s preternaturally wise black Thumbelina baby. They are the not so silent witnesses of the trauma that flows through family lines. The final section, which revisits one of the characters, does not have quite the same sense of urgency or pull of the others, but it is the reckoning that ties them all together-a tall order. How does an individual, a family, a culture, a community, a tribal nation heal from trauma? The first step is raising the questions and telling the stories. Mona Sue Powers has written a courageous and unforgettable book. There are moments and images from Cora’s, Sissy’s, and Lillian’s stories which, as the best fiction does, seem like memories of your own making. This is a literary high-water mark. A must read.

4.5 stars. Starting all the way back in 1888, this is a story spanning three generations of women: Cora, Lillian, and Sissy. And don't forget their beloved dolls: Winona, Mae, and Ethel. As expected, Indigenous women giving accounts of their first-hand experiences is absolutely gut-wrenching. Set in North and South Dakota mostly, these three women and the men in their lives are Lakȟóta, Dakhóta, or a combination of both. Though it does indeed detail horrible practices and impacts on Indigenous culture, this story also provides a hopeful reframing of how to heal and how to help.

Sissy's story absolutely broke my heart, but Lillian and Cora were not far behind. The first three sections of this novel are tough to get through, with absolutely vibrant characters and incredible emotive power. The last section, we return to Sissy and get to hear a bit about her life as an older woman and how she's dealt with her history and its trauma up to this point. Which is to say — not at all. But when she discovers an old friend that helps break her writer's block, Sissy will set herself (and the reader, let's be honest) on a path to healing.

This book is impactful, important, and gorgeous in its prose. I highly recommend it! Thank you to Mona Susan Power, Mariner Books, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy.

This was a mesmerizing story of three generations of Dakhota women who share part of their story and trauma. I thought the writing was amazing and made me wish for more. The use of the dolls to help tell the story was unique and it worked for this story. I think sharing the stories of these women and their experiences (especially in the boarding schools) is and important part of history to share. As the writer expressed the book was a healing process for her.

Any reader can find engagement and enlightment from this story. I don't feel it was meant for a particular audience. I am a diverse reader who likes all kinds of stories and genres. I do enjoy reading and learning about other cultures. I think many readers would enjoy this book. It is thought provoking and will make one feel a lot of different emotions.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

2.5/5. This was not for me, but clearly it's been popular with many reviewers so far on Goodreads, so I'm choosing not to post this on Goodreads or my other platforms since I still see the appeal and want this book to do well.

A Council of Dolls had its strong points, but I felt that it didn't completely live up to its potential. It was a heavy and important read, but I felt that it sometimes fumbled the subject matter with disjointed writing and inconsistent quality. Ultimately, I'm giving it a lower rating because I really had to push myself to keep reading and to keep picking it up, rather than the book doing that on its own with compelling storytelling.

Sissy's chapter had a strong, heartfelt narrative that pulled me in right away, painting a vivid family portrait. The prose itself felt ever so slightly stilted and repetitive, in part due to the fact that it's from a child's perspective. Even so, that part wasn't my cup of tea, nor were the magical realism components with the dolls. I found the dynamic between Sissy and her mother genuinely compelling, and I liked Lillian's chapter, too. An exploration of Lillian's childhood trauma built well on what we already knew about her as an adult, and the reverse chronological structure worked well. The chapter ended with a scene that was disturbing but incredibly moving - perhaps the novel's strongest point.

Unfortunately, I felt like Cora's and Jesse's chapters were weaker. Cora's chapter, in my opinion, lacked the interesting interpersonal dynamics of the others, and what we already knew about Jack eclipsed the tenderness of Cora and Jack's connection. Jesse's chapter was extremely dry and lackluster and ultimately just served to rehash several of the earlier plot points. Her friendship with Izzy, in my opinion, fell flat and seemed inauthentic and stilted.

I'm glad that A Council of Dolls seems to be doing well with reviewers thus far on Goodreads and I'm wishing it the utmost success! Ultimately just didn't land for me.

A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power follows three generations of Yanktonai Dakota women and their dolls in three different settings. The story was told from the point of view of each young lady and also her doll.

Sissy and her doll, Ethel, live in Chicago with a volatile mother and a dependable father. Lillian brings her doll, Mae, when she is forced to attend a boarding school for Native American children. Cora is also sent to a school following what I believe was the Wounded Knee Massacre. Unfortunately, Cora’s doll, Winona, was burned by the school teachers. The only thing that survived was a heartlike stone and the doll’s spirit.

Sissy doesn’t always have anyone to protect her from her mother. Her father buys her a doll, later named Ethel. Whether it is a child’s imagination or not, Ethel provides comfort and kindness to Sissy. The doll may even have saved Sissy from her mother’s uncontrollable rage.

Lillian and her sister, Blanche, move to the boarding school where the nuns abuse the children on a daily basis. After one of the nuns takes the abuse too far, Mae does everything in her power to haunt and avenge the brutality. It was interesting to see the changes in Lillian, who was a sweet kid but not so sweet as an adult.

Cora loves Winona, her doll made of bucksin and beads. Both of them survived so much tragedy in such a short time. Even after Winona is burned, her spirit is still with Cora.

When Sissy is an adult, she takes all of the dolls – Ethel, Mae and Winona plus a few new ones- out of storage and puts them on display. She calls the collection “A Council of Dolls.” The council is key to helping Sissy deal with her past trauma and also generational trauma.

My kids think that having my doll collection will lead to having a haunted house. I disagree. As long as a person is kind to the doll, their spirit, and the owner, there should not be problems or hauntings.

Recommendation
If you are interested in historical fiction, Native American fiction, or dolls with some spirit, then you will enjoy this book.

If you are an abusive nun or abusive person in general, then you may not like abusers facing the consequences. Most people won’t feel bad for the abusive nun. Her actions had consequences. Sorry, not sorry Sister.

I received this ebook from NetGalley. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own. Obviously.

Stunning, heartbreaking, and beautifully written. I love the title and how the dolls played such an important part.
Many thanks to Mariner Books and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow. Power's A Council of Dolls puts her in the company of Louise Erdrich, one of my favorite authors. In this novel, Power tells the stories of several generations in a Native American family, through the girls whose dolls talk with them. From the girls forced to go to boarding school and the horrifying things that happen there, through the mental health effects that last for generations, to the descendant who has inherited the dolls and tells their stories, Power gives them all voices. The language is beautiful, and, while it can be difficult to read sometimes, white people cannot look away.

“A Council of Dolls” by Mona Susan Power ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Genre: Magical Realism Historical Fiction. Location: North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Minnesota, USA. Time: 1888-2010s.

This is the story of 3 generations of Dakhóta/Lakhóta women, told in part through the stories of their dolls.

Sissy (born 1961): In 1969, Sissy is in 2nd grade, living a sensitive, anxious life in Chicago. She narrates the story of her erratic, destructive, Indian boarding school survivor mother, and of good things in their lives. Her doll named Ethel whispers advice and kindness in Sissy’s ear, and maybe even saves her life. Sissy, now known as Jesse, rejoins us at age 50 with updates on the dolls, her life, and lessons in forgiveness and healing.

Lillian (born 1925): In the mid-1930s, young Lillian shares her story of summers at home with damaged Indian boarding school survivor parents, and the abusive Bismarck Indian Boarding School she attended with her sister Blanche. When tragedy strikes, Lillian’s doll Mae is with her in spirit. 

Cora (born 1888): In the early 1900s, Cora is sent to the bleak Carlisle, Pennsylvania Indian Boarding School. Teachers burn her doll Winona, but Cora keeps Winona’s pebble heart alive. Starting on her 13th birthday, she journals the death of Lalá (Sitting Bull) and other atrocities, and her time at the Indian boarding school.

Author Power divides her narrative into the voices of children living at home with traumatized parents, and the voices of children being traumatized at Indian Boarding Schools. She paints a grim portrait of the process of colonization, and the damage to generations of Indigenous people by the brutal Indian boarding schools. Power’s prose is beautiful and evocative: (“She stared at Jack with indigo eyes that painted everything twilight.”) Her book is graceful, moving, saddening, ultimately forgiving, told in an unusual and powerful format. I could not put it down, and it’s 5 stars from me! Thank you NetGalley, Mariner Books, and Mona Susan Power for this early copy. Publishes 8/8/2023.