It’s almost time for our 2024 MVIC book club! This year we’re reading Slash, a book by Indigenous author and knowledge-keeper Jeanette Armstrong. The story in this book takes place in the Okanogan Valley. Here are the details:
Discussion: Wednesday, January 31, 5:30pm-7:30pm, in-person at the Methow Valley Interpretive Center (and on Zoom/phone if requested, but in-person attendance is encouraged). There will be some great discussion, and we’ll have snacks as well!
Register for our book club meetup by filling out this form here. If you feel like January 31st is too soon for our meetup, please leave a comment at the bottom of the form. If we receive feedback that this date is too soon, we’ll move it so that it works better for everyone.
Book: Slash by Jeanette Armstrong
Publisher: Theytus Books
ISBN: 978-1894778459
“Slash is Jeannette Armstrong’s first novel. It poignantly traces the struggles, pain and alienation of a young Okanagan man who searches for truth and meaning in his life. Recognized as an important work of literature, Slash is used in high schools, colleges and universities.”
“Jeannette C. Armstrong’s Slash is an important novel, and not simply because it chronicles–in a roundabout way–the political and social struggles of Native North Americans over the last few decades. Its subject no doubt contributed to some of its initial critical and popular success, especially within the ever increasingly politically correct world of academia. Thomas “Slash” Kelasket, the novel’s protagonist and narrator, could care less about that world. It has no real bearing on his experiences and his struggles to make sense of his identity as an Okanagan man, as an “Indian,” in politically charged times. Slash is a flawed man. He talks a good game, but mostly to himself, as he looks back on his life and tells his story from the safety of hindsight. He’s made many mistakes before returning full circle to family and traditional ways after years of wayward wandering. But his return avoids the cliché of a happy ending, requiring Slash to reconcile the realities of his experiences, including life on reserves, racism, drug and alcohol abuse, and the seemingly senseless loss of friends and lovers. Slash needs to become comfortable in his own skin, to decide whether he’s an Indian or a costume, and pass that lesson on to his son. Armstrong has given life to an enduring character in Slash Kelasket, who is much more than simply a mouthpiece for a particular ideology.” –Jonathan Dewar
To purchase:
At the Methow Valley Interpretive Center (open Saturdays from 12pm-3pm)