The Abalone Book

A vivid dream teaches Little Wolf about courage and acceptance of those who are different, and inspires her to show her daughters and their classmates how to be proud of their diverse cultural backgrounds. Throughout her life, Little Wolf has been troubled by the injustice she sees all around her. When she was young, she was bullied for her Indigenous heritage. Her mother, White Raven, spent ten years in a residential school, separated from her family and isolated from her culture. Little Wolf’s own children are growing up in a different, more open society, but hatred and racism still exist. Little Wolf worries about the world her daughters will inherit. One night, a vivid dream helps her realize her own strength as a leader and peacemaker in her community. Told with powerful imagery and symbolism, Abalone Woman is the third book in the Little Wolf series, which presents themes of racism, trauma, and family unity through relatable, age-appropriate narratives.

Far off the coast of California looms a harsh rock known as the island of San Nicholas. Dolphins flash in the blue waters around it, sea otter play in the vast kep beds, and sea elephants loll on the stony beaches. Here, in the early 1800s, according to history, an Indian girl spent eighteen years alone, and this beautifully written novel is her story. It is a romantic adventure filled with drama and heartache, for not only was mere subsistence on so desolate a spot a near miracle, but Karana had to contend with the ferocious pack of wild dogs that had killed her younger brother, constantly guard against the Aleutian sea otter hunters, and maintain a precarious food supply. More than this, it is an adventure of the spirit that will haunt the reader long after the book has been put down. Karana's quiet courage, her Indian self-reliance and acceptance of fate, transform what to many would have been a devastating ordeal into an uplifting experience. From loneliness and terror come strength and serenity in this Newbery Medal-winning classic.

This monograph by Peter C. Howorth tells the story of the American abalones. Many people marvel at the iridescent swirls gracing the interior of an abalone shell; others exclaim over their first bite of an abalone steak. Seldom do people realize what causes the lovely colors of the shell, or that this animal is really a huge, flattened snail. Identification keys, information on cleaning and preparing, plus plenty of recipes.

Three years on, the fate of Torra Alta and Belbidida hangs in the balance once more.

For Native peoples of California, the abalone found along the state’s coast have remarkably complex significance as food, spirit, narrative symbol, tradable commodity, and material with which to make adornment and sacred regalia. The large mollusks also represent contemporary struggles surrounding cultural identity and political sovereignty. Abalone Tales, a collaborative ethnography, presents different perspectives on the multifaceted material and symbolic relationships between abalone and the Ohlone, Pomo, Karuk, Hupa, and Wiyot peoples of California. The research agenda, analyses, and writing strategies were determined through collaborative relationships between the anthropologist Les W. Field and Native individuals and communities. Several of these individuals contributed written texts or oral stories for inclusion in the book. Tales about abalone and their historical and contemporary meanings are related by Field and his coauthors, who include the chair and other members of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe; a Point Arena Pomo elder; the chair of the Wiyot tribe and her sister; several Hupa Indians; and a Karuk scholar, artist, and performer. Reflecting the divergent perspectives of various Native groups and people, the stories and analyses belie any presumption of a single, unified indigenous understanding of abalone. At the same time, they shed light on abalone’s role in cultural revitalization, struggles over territory, tribal appeals for federal recognition, and connections among California’s Native groups. While California’s abalone are in danger of extinction, their symbolic power appears to surpass even the environmental crises affecting the state’s vulnerable coastline.

PAST THE SHALLOWS is the award-winning, bestselling debut novel from Favel Parrett recently named on Oprah's Book Club 2.0 as a 'Can't Miss New Paperback' and now including bonus material from her new book, WHEN THE NIGHT COMES. Everyone loves Harry. Everyone except his father. Three brothers, Joe, Miles and Harry, are growing up on the remote south coast of Tasmania. The brother' lives are shaped by their father's moods - like the ocean he fishes, his is wild and unpredictable. He is a bitter man, warped by a devastating secret. Miles tries his best to watch out for Harry, the youngest, but he can't be there all the time. Often alone, Harry finds joy in the small treasure he discovers, in the shark eggs and cuttlefish bones. In a kelpie pup, a big mug of Milo, and a secret friendship with a mysterious neighbour. But sometimes small treasures, or a brother's love, are not enough. Winner, Newcomer of the Year, Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA), 2012 Winner, Dobbie Literary Award, 2012 PRAISE for PAST THE SHALLOWS: 'that rare thing, a finely crafted literary novel that is genuinely moving and full of heart' THE AGE 'an understated and beautifully penned story set on the Tasmanian coast, gives voice to two brothers as their lives are influenced by unpredictable forces....Parrett's writing is exquisite in its simplicity and eloquence, and her narrative is heart-rending.This poignant story resonates.' KIRKUS REVIEWS, USA 'Beautiful, stripped-back prose...there is magic here. Like Cormac McCarthy, Parrett packs a huge emotional punch thanks to the elegant brevity of her style. Stark, but unforgettable...' MARIE CLAIRE, UK 'If you read only one book this year make sure it's this.' THE SUNDAY TIMES, Tasmania 'Wintonesque' HERALD SUN 'I loved Past the Shallows' Kevin Powers, author of THE YELLOW BIRDS