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Kendra Winchester is a Contributing Editor for Book Riot where she writes about audiobooks and disability literature. She is also the Founder of Read Appalachia, which celebrates Appalachian literature and writing. Previously, Kendra co-founded and served as Executive Director for Reading Women, a podcast that gained an international following over its six-season run. In her off hours, you can find her writing on her Substack, Winchester Ave, and posting photos of her Corgis on Instagram and Twitter @kdwinchester.

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We know it’s important to read Indigenous stories, but we don’t just have to stick to Turtle Island. There are Indigenous people around the world. This year, Moa Backe Åstot’s young adult novel Butterfly Heart came out in English. Originally published in Swedish, Butterfly Heart has gained critical acclaim for its portrayal of a young Sámi girl grappling with her Indigenous identity. Whether you love books in translation or young adult literature in general, you won’t want to miss this hidden gem.

Butterfly Heart by Moa Backe Åstot, Translated by Agnes Broomé

At the beginning of summer break, Vilda can’t wait to spend hours talking with her best friend Alma. What’s more, she plans on asking her grandfather, Áddjá, to teach her the Sámi language. While Vilda’s dad is Swedish, her mother is Sámi. The Sámi people are indigenous to what is now Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Russia. Like the Indigenous people of Turtle Island (North America), Sámi people have faced the violence of colonization. Nordic people took over their Sápmi homeland, tried to force assimilation, and erase Sámi culture.

Vilda has always wondered why her mother has never talked much about being Sámi. No matter, Vilda thinks. She can ask Áddjá all about being Sámi. But when Áddjá suddenly has a heart attack and dies, Vilda feels adrift, lost and disconnected from her Sámi identity. As Vilda navigates her grief, she’s not sure how to talk to Alma about it. She finds herself drawn to an older Sámi boy who she meets at her grandfather’s funeral. Maybe he would get it? He’s Sámi too after all.

In Butterfly Heart, Moa Backe Åstot perfectly captures the combination of grief and angst that Vilda feels after her grandfather dies. Vilda spins between dealing with her grandfather’s affairs and sending Alma messages on Snapchat. When the other kids at school learn that she’s Sámi, suddenly the boys start making comments about reindeer and if she even “looks” Sámi. Vilda eventually finds her way back to her family, her culture, and her identity. She realizes that being Sámi isn’t about a particular look. It’s about celebrating your family’s culture and history and being part of a community.