There are some books that demonstrate the importance of community and their histories so beautifully it is hard to describe, this is one of those books. 

Daunis’s love for her tribe and her family is fierce and her struggle to reconcile her racist grandma with her native side is so raw and real, this being woven into the story really is what pushes it over the edge of being so good for me. 

While the story itself about meth deals and drug addiction in the community is a hard reality for Daunis to face, the author’s choice to ultimately have Mike get away, with her brother and his best friend taking the fall made it more real. Boulley weaves a tense reality of today, how high stakes crimes such as kidnapping, drug trafficking, and murder go uncharged to white criminals while those with darker skin take the on the full brunt of the law. Or in Daunis’s case, receive zero justice if wronged by a white man. While this is a hard resolution to read it is a real and deeply disturbing message that deserves to be heard. 

I loved particularly the points in this book where the elders came to Daunis’s aid by learning how to use their phones, Daunis’s aunt and her ever present and fierce love for her niece, and Daunis’s mom and her growth at explaining to Daunis how she owns her choices and just wants to be there for her.