Book Club Questions for The Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Book club questions for The Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley explore the themes of identity, corruption, trust, and resilience.

How does our community affect who we are on a personal level, and how can we solve problems collectively? Is protecting the victims more important than punishing the offenders? How can we incorporate native cultural aspects with the rest of our community?

The Firekeeper’s Daughter is an instant #1 New York Times bestseller, and Reese’s book club pick, released in 2021. It won many awards, and is also soon to be adapted at Netflix for TV! This book is intricate and moving, with an astonishing insight into Anishinaabe culture.

The Synopsis

Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team.

Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug.

Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But the search for truth is more complicated than Daunis imagined, exposing secrets and old scars. At the same time, she grows concerned with an investigation that seems more focused on punishing the offenders than protecting the victims.

Now, as the deceptions―and deaths―keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

Book Club Questions for Firekeeper’s Daughter

1. Daunis begins every day with a prayer and a morning run. What is the significance of this ritual? What other rituals- both formal and personal does she engage in, and why are they important to her?

2. How do you think Daunis views her Firekeeper side versus her Fontaine side? Do you think she feels a stronger connection to one side of her family than to the other, and why? Does that change over the course of the novel?

3. Daunis talks about keeping her various “worlds” separate with clear rules, saying, “My life goes more smoothly when Hockey World and Real World don’t overlap. Same as with my Fontaine and Firekeeper worlds.” What do you think she means by this? What are the ways in which we see Daunis acting to keep her worlds separate? Have you ever felt like you belonged to different worlds? Do you agree it’s easier to keep worlds separate?

4. Daunis often seeks wisdom and guidance from the Elders. Can you describe the role of the Elders in the Ojibwe community? How does this compare to the role of senior citizens in your community?

5. Both Daunis and Jamie struggle with their identities Daunis feels pulled between multiple identities, whereas Jamie doesn’t have any sense of where he comes from. What similarities and differences do they have in how they consider their identities?

6. Aunt Teddie describes a Blanket Party as “Nish kwe justice.” What do you think of this form of justice? What do you think led to the creation of Blanket Parties? How do you think this might influence Daunis’s understanding of justice?

7. Daunis has many facets to her identity: hockey superstar, science geek, Nish Kwe, Fontaine, and eventually confidential informant. How does each aspect of her identity come into play during her investigation?

8. Teddie tells Daunis, “Not every Elder is a cultural teacher and not all cultural teachers are Elders. It’s okay to listen to what people say and only hold on to the parts that resonate with you. It’s okay to leave the rest behind. Trust yourself to know the difference.” What do you think Teddie means by this? How does she define the difference between a cultural teacher and an Elder? What does Daunis choose to hold on to from her culture and what does she choose to leave behind?

9. Describe Daunis’s feelings after she learns that her testimony can’t be used in the court. Why do you believe the author made this choice?

10. Why did the author choose to end the story on a powwow scene? How does this speak to the themes of the book?

11. Daunis references the Seven Grandfather teachings, which are Love, Humility, Respect, Honesty, Bravery, Wisdom, and Truth. Can you name specific moments where Daunis is able to embody these teachings? Are there certain characters or moments that help Daunis learn these teachings? THEMES AND NARRATIVE

12. List some of the book’s themes, including identity, community, grief, and justice. What themes stood out most to you, and why? Which theme or themes strike you as being most important to the author? Why?

13. How is Firekeeper’s Daughter different from other coming-of-age novels? How is it similar?

14. Why do you think the author called the book Firekeeper’s Daughter? How does it connect to the novel’s themes of legacy and inheritance?

Selected Reviews

“Though Firekeeper’s Daughter contains gripping action sequences and gasp-inducing twists, it’s Daunis’ mission of self-discovery, which begins as a low and steady growl and grows to a fierce, proud roar, that has the most impact… Though it both shocks and thrills, in the end, what leaves you breathless is Firekeeper’s Daughter’s blazing heart.”

“Immersive and enthralling, Firekeeper’s Daughter plunges the reader into a community and a landscape enriched by a profound spiritual tradition. Full of huge characters and spellbinding scenes, it gives a fascinating insight into life on and off the reservation, with Daunis as a tough and resourceful heroine through every vicissitude.”

“A rare and mesmerizing work that blends the power of a vibrant tradition with the aches and energy of today’s America. This book will leave you breathless!”

Additional Recommendations

Furia by by Yamile Saied Méndez

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In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life. 

At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father. 

On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her. In her wildest dreams, she’d get an athletic scholarship to a North American university.

But the path ahead isn’t easy. Her parents don’t know about her passion. They wouldn’t allow a girl to play fútbol—and she needs their permission to go any farther. And the boy she once loved is back in town. Since he left, Diego has become an international star, playing in Italy for the renowned team Juventus. Camila doesn’t have time to be distracted by her feelings for him. Things aren’t the same as when he left: she has her own passions and ambitions now, and La Furia cannot be denied. As her life becomes more complicated, Camila is forced to face her secrets and make her way in a world with no place for the dreams and ambition of a girl like her.

Filled with authentic details and the textures of day-to-day life in Argentina, heart-soaring romance, and breathless action on the pitch, Furia is the story of a girl’s journey to make her life her own.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

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Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the feeling took root—that desire to look, to move closer, to touch. Whenever it started growing, it definitely bloomed the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. Suddenly everything seemed possible. 

But America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father—despite his hard-won citizenship—Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.

Happy reading! ❤️