Amber Blaeser-Wardzala’s Another Name for Red has some of the most harrowing fiction I’ve ever read. The hyper-sexualization of Native women is a blight woven into American culture, and a Native author allowing a female Anishinaabe protagonist to make reckless choices in this atmosphere feels revelatory. Blaeser-Wardzala shifts the onus of bad behavior where it belongs – on men.
Folks in NDN Country will love to see themselves in these pages; from stray dogs to rez nicknames to arguments over what it means that red is the only color spirits can see, Another Name for Red feels like home in a way very few books do. Non-Natives will love reading it for the same reason, catching a slice of rez life from an insider’s point of view. This literary thriller pulled me forward with one simple question: where is Oldest Sister?
Amber Blaeser-Wardzala and I communicated via email about the importance of Indigenous voices telling Indigenous stories, why Natives rarely focus on one art form, and how younger generations perceive old school representation like Dances with Wolves.
Our conversation below has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Continue reading “Beyond the Perfect Victim: Amber Blaeser-Wardzala Discusses Another Name for Red”