This Place: 150 Years Retold is a 296-page graphic novel anthology just released in April 2019 by Highwater Press. A graphic anthology with a foreword by Alicia Elliott, that showcases 11 Indigenous writers, eight illustrators, and two colour artists. It presents Canadian history over the last 150 years from multiple viewpoints, including Métis, Inuit, Dene, Cree, Anishinaabe, and Mi’kmaq. The anthology is visually captivating. The interior artwork is impressive and varied from full-colour pages to simple, yet meticulously drawn, black-and-white inking to more stylized illustrations. The 10 stories are told by eleven authors including writers Katherena Vermette, Sonny Assu, Jen Storm, David A. Robertson, Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley, Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, Richard Van Camp, Brandon Mitchell, Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair, and Chelsea Vowel. The illustrators include the work of Scott B. Henderson, Kyle Charles, Natasha Donovan, GMB Chomichuk, Ryan Howe, Jen Storm, Tara Audibert, and Andrew Lodwick. Colour for each story provided by Donovan Yaciuk, Scott A. Ford, Natasha Donovan, GMB Chomichuk, and Andrew Lodwick. Each story is prefaced with a brief background explanation by its author, along with a timeline listing important events within the book’s 150-year time frame. These, along with a selected bibliography for further reference, make This Place valuable as a learning tool. But first and foremost, it’s a collection of exciting, entertaining, beautifully drawn stories such as the one about Annie Bannatyne, a Métis entrepreneur who, in 1868, reacted to a newspaper article disparaging Métis women; the Oka Crisis; Mackenzie Valley Pipeline; a wendigo killer charged as a serial killer; the life of legendary World War I sniper-and later chief of the Wasauksing Nation-Francis “Peggy” Pegahmagabow; Louis Riel; banning of the potlatch; and foster children and the 60s Scoop. Speculative fiction topics include time travel as a character from the future is sent back to the 21st century for an explanation of climate change. This book is highly recommended for secondary level First Nations courses involving history and literature. Audience: Ages 12+. Teacher Guide for This Place: 150 Years Retold NEW! with This Place CBC podcast https://goodminds.com/products/teacher-guide-for-this-place-150-years-retold-new-with-this-place-cbc-podcast
