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Two Old Women, 20th Anniversary Edition
Two Old Women, 20th Anniversary Edition: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival | Velma Wallis
38 posts | 55 read | 66 to read
Based on an Athabascan Indian legend passed along for many generations from mothers to daughters of the upper Yukon River Valley in Alaska, this is the suspenseful, shocking, ultimately inspirational tale of two old women abandoned by their tribe during a brutal winter famine. Though these women have been known to complain more than contribute, they now must either survive on their own or die trying. In simple but vivid detail, Velma Wallis depicts a landscape and way of life that are at once merciless and starkly beautiful. In her old women, she has created two heroines of steely determination whose story of betrayal, friendship, community, and forgiveness "speaks straight to the heart with clarity, sweetness, and wisdom" (Ursula K. Le Guin).
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Anna40
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Pickpick

Two old women of the Gwich‘in band,one of 11 distinct Athabaskan groups in Alaska, are left behind in a particularly harsh winter to die because the People believe they are a burden&move on to find food without them.While the women rely on each other&the skills they learned when they were young,they also revive their strengths.This is a story about believing in your strength, respecting your elders¬ accepting defeat. Loved it

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Soubhiville
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Pickpick

Two women, 75 and 80 years old, are abandoned one difficult starving winter by their tribe. They have to find the will to use skills they haven‘t needed in many years in order to survive on their own.

This novella takes place in what is now Alaska, long before Westerners invaded North America. It‘s a moving record of an Athabascan legend.

I hope to find the author‘s other books.

Tamra I loved this one too! 4mo
AmyG What a great photo…the side eye. (edited) 4mo
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 4mo
Jari-chan 😻😻😻 4mo
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LiseWorks
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Am I being too ambitious in having 9 books to read this month? My reading was very slow in August as life got in the way. I hope things will settle for September. #SummerEndReathathon @TheSpineView

TheSpineView Great list! Good luck! 1y
18 likes1 comment
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LiseWorks
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August 26 #BookBinge Senior Citizens I will have to read this one. @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Eggs 💙💜🧡 Perfect 1y
18 likes1 comment
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Blueberry
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OutAndAbout
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A book you feel as much as read. When the weather turns sour, two old women are left behind by the tribe. The book follows their journey, which is both emotional and encouraging. This is more of a novella than a novel, so a very quick read, but a very long-remembered story.

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Pogue
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These are the books that I have picked for #round17 of #LMPBC.
Hood Feminism
An Ork on the Wildside
The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World.
Sorry I don‘t know how to link the other books to the post.

vonnie862 I've been meaning to read Hood Feminism So i vote for that one. 2y
Readergrrl I vote for Hood Feminism too! 2y
Tamra Two Old Women is fantastic! I hope you enjoy it. 2y
Readergrrl @tamra I read Two Old Women too and really loved it! It was part of an Indigenous Literature course I took in college. I still have my copy and use it teach in my own classes. 2y
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Blueberry
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Pickpick

Two elderly Native American women abandoned by their tribe as liabilities thrive on their own in the Artic. Less than 200 pgs.
4⭐

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Blueberry
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The air stretched tight, quiet, and cold over the vast land.

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

Nutmegnc Oooh that‘s a good one!! 2y
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Suelizbeth
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“An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage, and Survival” is the gist of this small book that packs a punch. Two old women are forced to face a harsh reality and the People who force the decision have to live with the consequences. The descriptions of the wilderness and the living conditions and the reality of day to day life make you feel every bit of it. A morality tableau. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tamra I loved this and it deserves a reread for me! 3y
Suelizbeth @Tamra 📚❤️ 3y
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PaperbackPirate
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💐 Here‘s my late #20in4 Readathon wrap-up!

My goals were to:
✅ read for 8 hours (8 hours 13 minutes to be precise)
✅ finish Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson (it was vg)
✅ start Two Old Women (also good)

Thanks again for the challenge @Andrew65 !

#readathon

Andrew65 Brilliant, well done and thanks for playing along 👏👏👏🙌🍾🥂🥳 3y
PaperbackPirate Thank you @Andrew65 ! 🙌📚 3y
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PaperbackPirate
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Happy May! I pretended May isn‘t the 3rd busiest month of the year and made this giant #tbr pile.
🐎 Saddle Up for Murder by Leigh Hearon for Triple Crown Season
👯‍♂️ Two Old Women by Velma Wallis for #BookClub
✅ I finished Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson today
☎️ Dial A for Aunties by Jesse W. Sutanto for a buddy read
🐋 Fluke; Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore for the #MonthlyKeyWordGXO challenge
#MayTBR

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KateReadsYA
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⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very enlightening read! The way the women learned to survive after being abdoned gave me hope for those who lose themselves in age. We are only as old as we feel, age is just a number.

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KateReadsYA
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I decided to take a break from my regular fantasy books and indulge in something a bit different! This book is fairly small which is perfect for a day of light reading.

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Bookwormjillk
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This is the Alaskan legend of how two elder women survived after they were abandoned by their people. Old ladies for the win- you should read this one! #WinterGames2020 #TeamReadNosedReindeer

This gave me my second #BookspinBingo

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y
KateReadsYA Ordered this one, thanks for posting. Can't wait to read it! 4y
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MargaretPinardAuthor
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A quiet tale, yet full of honesty, hope, vulnerability, and courage. A good fireside story and nice to read a #nativevoices book.

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KatieDid927
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A beautiful and hella feminist Athabaskan legend of two old women left behind by their tribe. I loved it.

j9brown Yay! Loved it too 🤗 4y
KatieDid927 @j9brown Thanks for the loan! 😌 4y
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ladyneverwhere
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I cannot believe I'd never heard of this Alaskan author while I was growing up. The tale is incredibly descriptive and well written, I'm so glad to have found this book in a national park gift shop.

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Jen2
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Pickpick

Lovely story

Kimberlone This is very commonly assigned reading in AK! 5y
Jen2 I bet!! 5y
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j9brown
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Pickpick

It was so cool to read this after learning a little about lives of the Athabascan people during a couple of tours on my trip to Alaska! An inspiring legend with many universal messages.

Tamra I liked this one too. 5y
KatieDid927 You so fancy 5y
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jenreads7
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This is a short read about two women who are left to die in the Alaskan wilderness. They have to choose between learning to fend for themselves or give up and die. It‘s a good read that is both entertaining and inspiring. This is my book by an indigenous author for #Booked2019.

Cinfhen Ooohhhh!! I‘m intrigued . Thanks for sharing 💚 6y
41 likes2 comments
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jenreads7
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Next up for my book by an indigenous author. #Booked2019

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HeathHof
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At only 160 pages, this was short but good! A native legend of two old women who are abandoned by their tribe and forced to fend for themselves in the harsh Alaskan winter. #Recommend

JenniferEgnor This one has been on my shelf for a while...TBR 6y
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HeathHof
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Thank you Book Riot for the heads up on this deal of the day! $1.99 on Amazon. Can't wait to dive into this one. I love anything to do with Alaska.

Blueberry Have you read any Dana Stabenow? She lives in Alaska and writes mystery series' set there. 6y
HeathHof @Blueberry I have not but will definitely have to check them out, thank you for the tip!😊 6y
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Tamra
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US Kindle Deal!

I read this slim tale well over a year ago and must have forgotten to review it. It‘s a such a well written and even humorous reflection on women aging, expectations of others and ourselves, and especially the power of self-reliance & resilience.

Highly recommend!

sk888888 Read years ago, after my first trip to Alaska. Wonderful book. 6y
Colleenma Thank you I just bought it. I love Alaska books 6y
Tamra @Colleenma 👍🏾 6y
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Tamra @sk888888 I grew up in AK! 🥶 Barrow mainly & then Anchorage for undergrad. 6y
minkyb Lucky me. It is still only 1.99! 6y
Tamra @minkyb woot! It‘s good, plus it‘s a shorter work so it‘s not a big time investment. Says a lot in few words. 6y
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HeatherBookNerd
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Day 9 of the #RiotGrams Challenge: Native and Indigenous Reads

Read this recently and it was excellent. The author shares a legend that has been passed down for generations. Two elderly women are abandoned by their tribe during a famine in the midst of a frigid Alaskan winter. Their survival story is moving and inspiring.

@bookriot #riotgramsday9 #nativeandindigenousreads

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razmanda
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Tonight‘s read! Almost done, and this will cover my “female protagonist over 60” for #readharder2018 and my “book that takes place in HI or AK” for Broader Books!

WhatDeeReads This is on my list and I didn‘t even realize it fulfilled that category. 6y
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HeatherBookNerd
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This book is based an old Alaskan legend passed down through generations that tells of two elderly women who were abandoned by their tribe during a famine. This story shares how they worked together to stay alive over the next year. Read it in one sitting. A very affecting story.

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bookandbedandtea
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It's rare to read a book in which the protagonist is an old women but this book has two! It's a very quick and enjoyable morality tale and a good reminder, in our youth obsessed culture, that the elderly have value too.

To quote the intro: there is no limit to one's ability- certainly not age- to accomplish in life what one must.

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HotTeaGoodBooks
Pickpick

This story is from my husband‘s/children‘s tribe. I read it and then passed it on to my daughter, a piece of her heritage.

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Wife
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Brought this quick read to work with me tonight. It‘s a feel good/life lesson kind of story. Reminds me of something my grandmother used to say: “Whenever I get to feeling sorry for myself, I just get up and do some hard work”. 5/5⭐️

Kelican17 I‘m glad you liked it!!! 🙂🙂🙂 7y
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Lindy
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A retelling of a Gwich‘in story that the author heard from her mother. It‘s about two elderly women who had been left behind to die when their people were starving. The women don‘t give up on life, making this an inspiring tale of survival & forgiveness. Gender nonconformity is in the backstory of one of the two, & the skills learned when she was “like a boy” are useful. Short, simply told & powerful. It‘s one that‘ll stick with me. #Indigenous

Lindy @ReadingEnvy Thanks for talking about this on episode 109, which prompted me to pick it up in the first place. 7y
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Lindy
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“We were so hungry that people were staggering around, and my mother whispered that she was afraid that people would think of eating people.” (From tagged book)

Is it weird that I‘m reading concurrent stories where cannibalism is a thing?

saresmoore Yes, because cannibalism is weird. And no, because #bookserendipity ! This is an area of expertise for @ReadingEnvy —odd coincidences, not cannibalism. 😊 7y
Lindy @saresmoore Speaking of Jenny @ReadingEnvy , I think she is the one who first brought this book to my attention. 7y
ReadingEnvy @lindy @saresmoore it all comes back around!! 7y
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Tamra
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Thank you @Lindy for recommending this life lesson! I loved the line drawings.

[DELETED] 3803335244 Tamra we got your book today! Thank you so much my kids love it! I‘m going to post it tomorrow but I just wanted to send a BIG thank you now! So nice of your family ❤️ Thank you 🙏 7y
83 likes1 comment
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ReadingEnvy
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My husband found an unopened package yesterday that contained belated Christmas gifts for me! 1/2

TommieMarie74 This book sounds fantastic!! 7y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled Nice surprise!! 7y
Kimberlone Required reading for me in high school. A surprisingly not boring tale of two old women trying to survive! 7y
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ReadingEnvy @Kimberlone did you go to high school in Alaska? 7y
Kimberlone @ReadingEnvy yep! I wouldn‘t think anyone outside of Alaska would even know that book! 7y
ReadingEnvy @Kimberlone heh. I grew up in Oregon and found out that later that not everyone else plays live action Oregon Trail games in history class. ;) 7y
Tamra I grew up in Barrow, Ak and hadn‘t heard of it. Going to add it to TBR after hearing Chris from Book Cougars talk about it. Intriguing! 7y
ReadingEnvy @Tamra did they talk about it? So funny this book kismet thing. 7y
Tamra @ReadingEnvy I guess so - it‘s fun to see obscure books pop up in multiple places! 7y
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Notafraidofwords
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When @pocketmermaid went to Alaska on a trip, she brought this back for me. I finally got around to reading it today and enjoyed it. It‘s a legend about two old whiny women that get left behind by their people. After their abandonment, they must learn to survive on their own. It‘s a truly special book about the traditions we keep and how those traditions hurt the vulnerable people around us. Great themes in a short book (130 pgs). A pick 👍🏽.

batsy Sounds so good! 7y
Notafraidofwords @batsy I really enjoyed it. It‘s not often that you see women in advanced age in a survival story. 7y
ReadingEnvy Ooh I have that on my list for 2018! 7y
Notafraidofwords @ReadingEnvy it‘s really good. I was hanging on to every word really scared for these women. 7y
71 likes8 stack adds4 comments
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SuperPunkNinja
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I love browsing through local bookstores when I'm on an adventure. I saw this book everywhere when we went to Alaska last year. I haven't read it yet but I may do so next month as I'm planning to read all diverse women authors for Women's History Month. #boughtonvacation #feistyfeb

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