Marcie Rendon Knihy

Nothing in Renee Blackbear's world had prepared her for college or for the hurt that happens in the Twin Cities.

A murdered man in a field. The sheriff needs Cash--a twenty-something tough, smart Indian woman with special seeing powers.

The story centers on the wisdom passed down through generations, encapsulated in the phrase "live a good life." It explores themes of cultural heritage, the importance of family, and the guidance of elders. Through the relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter, the narrative emphasizes the significance of living with purpose and honor, reflecting on the values that shape one's identity and choices in life.

"A snowmelt has sent floodwaters down to the fields of the Red River Valley, dragging the body of an unidentified Native woman into the town of Ada. The only evidence the medical examiner recovers is a torn piece of paper inside her bra: a hymnal written in English and Ojibwe. Cash Blackbear, a 19-year-old Ojibwe woman, sometimes helps Sheriff Wheaton, her guardian, on his investigations. Now she knows her search for justice for this anonymous victim will take her to the White Earth Reservation, a place she once called home. When Cash happens upon two small graves in the yard of a rural, "speak-in-tongues kinda church," Cash is pulled into the lives of the malevolent pastor and his troubled wife while yet another Native woman dies in a mysterious manner"-- Provided by publisher

"In Anishinaabe Songs for a New Millennium, Marcie R. Rendon summons her ancestors' songs, and her poem-songs evoke the world still unfolding around us, reflecting our place in time for future generations. Bringing memory to life, the senses to attention, she breaks the boundaries that time would impose, carrying the Anishinaabe way of life forward in the world"--