Thank you for visiting the United Way of Clallam County's Book Club! This book club was begun this year to invite readers to come together to read books about diversity, equity, and inclusion-related subjects.
Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story
This month's book is Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story by authors Danielle Greendeer, Anthony Perry, Alexis Bunten, and illustrator Garry Meeches. This book is available on the shelves in North Olympic Library System's Port Angeles, Forks, and Sequim branches. You may also be able to find it in local bookstores and online.
Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story is a picture book that tells the tale of the harvest feast shared by the newcomers and the Wampanoag people in 1621. This Wampanoag story provides a unique perspective of that harvest time, especially since the Wampanoag side of the "first Thanksgiving" story was lost after tribal members died from warfare and disease. At the back of this book the authors share additional information about the Wampanoag Tribes, their storytelling tradition, harvest feast, and tradition of giving thanks. They also have a recipe to try! If you have young ones in your life and are looking for a place to learn more about Thanksgiving, we recommend giving this book a try.
If bingeing a television series is more your thing, we also have a bonus recommendation this month: Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi. In this series, Padma "takes audiences on a journey across America, exploring the rich and diverse food culture of various immigrant group, seeking out the people who have so heavily shaped what American food is today. From indigenous communities to recent immigrant arrivals, Padma breaks bread with Americans across the nation to uncover the roots and relationship between our food, our humanity and our history - ultimately revealing stories that challenge notions of identity, belonging, and what it means to be American."
The episode "The Original Americans" (season 1, episode 7) explores food indigenous to America and how Native Americans are seeking to re-connect with their past to protect their future. This series streams exclusively on Hulu.
Suggestion for an upcoming book?
If you would like to see a book highlighted in a future newsletter, please reach out to Community Impact Director Mary Beth Gregory at mary.beth@unitedwayclallam.org