Description
Every young person deserves the chance to feel like they belong, that they are recognized, that they matter. In the spirit of A Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader, You Were Made for This World brings together forty Indigenous writers, artists, activists, athletes, scholars and thinkers with a joint purpose: to celebrate the potential of young people, to share a sense of joy and pride in language, traditional and personal stories and teachings, and shared experiences, and to honor young people for who they are and what they dream of.
Including contributions from activist Autumn Peltier, singer/songwriter Tanya Tagaq, hockey player Ethan Bear, Governor General's Award–winning author David A. Robertson, artists Chief Lady Bird and Christi Belcourt, illustrator Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, and dozens of others, this beautifully collaborative collection urges readers to think about who they are, where they come from and where they're going, with a warm familiarity that will inspire you to see yourself and your community with proud eyes.
Also includes a ribbon bookmark.
Author Bio
Stephanie Sinclair is Publisher of McClelland & Stewart, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada. She is a Cree, Ojibwe, and German/Jewish settler. She is a fierce advocate and activist, serving as a mentor and curator, and organizing publishing events to challenge colonial practices in publishing and to advance the work of reconciliation. She lives in Hamilton, Ontario, with her two children.
Sara Sinclair is an oral historian of Cree-Ojibwa and mixed settler descent. Sara teaches in the Oral History Master of Arts Program at Columbia University. She is Project Director of the Aryeh Neier Oral History Project at Columbia Center for Oral History Research [CCOHR]. Sara recently edited the memoir of former Canadian Senator and Chief Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Murray Sinclair (McClelland & Stewart 2024). With Stephanie Sinclair she is co-editing two anthologies of Indigenous letters, for Penguin/Random House Canada. She is the editor of How We Go Home: Voices from Indigenous North America (2020, Voice of Witness/Haymarket Books). She has contributed to the Columbia Center for Oral History Research’s Covid-19 Oral History, Narrative and Memory Archive, Obama Presidency Oral History, and Robert Rauschenberg Oral History Project. With Peter Bearman and Mary Marshall Clark, Sinclair edited Robert Rauschenberg: An Oral History (2019, Columbia University Press). Sara’s current and previous clients include the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of the City of New York and New York City Department of Environmental Protection. She has been an invited speaker at Berkeley College, Bard College, Haverford College, Brooklyn College, Cooper Union & Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour (UPPA), France among others. Sara holds an M.A. in Oral History from Columbia University. Visit saraesinclair.com
Review Quotes
One of Quill & Quire's Favourite Young Readers Titles of 2025
A Missouri Association of School Libraries' 2026 Dogwood List Selection
"Artists Chief Lady Bird and Christi Belcourt, illustrator Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, and many more are featured. Each one has a different element and a different medium, but they all are brimming with meaning. . . . An inclusive must-buy for all upper elementary collections and for any institution serving an Indigenous community." —STARRED REVIEW, School Library Journal
"Young readers will gravitate toward this collection for its wide range of voices and perspectives on Indigenous identity, fortitude, and creativity. Like the sacred items in a medicine bundle, the entries in this work reverberate powerfully, individually and as a whole." —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews
"With voices ranging from activists to hockey players, and artwork ranging from embroidery to digital artwork, the polyphonic nature of You Were Made for This World is deeply encouraging and affecting." —STARRED REVIEW, Bookpage
"Blending traditions and modernity, the letters are also poetic, candid, and poignant as they address such themes as living between two worlds, finding connection as well as one’s own voice, and reconciling oneself with images in the media. . . . Accompanying the letters are representative art pieces in a colorful mix of styles and media, contributing more beauty to this creative and impactful collection." —STARRED REVIEW, Booklist
"In this deeply poignant collection, over thirty Indigenous artists, activists, and writers from across Turtle Island directly address a younger generation, offering guidance, commiseration, support, and celebration. . . . Each contribution is accompanied by a stunning piece of art, and while they vary in style and medium, their impact is inarguably powerful and unique to the text." —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Wela’lioq to editors Stephanie Sinclair and Sarah Sinclair for putting together this groundbreaking collection of letters, which brings together forty celebrated Indigenous writers, artists, scholars and athletes and activists from across Turtle Island." —Muskrat Magazine
"Deeply moving, the offerings celebrate Indigenous history and culture to create an understanding of the past, present, and future." —The Peterborough Examiner
Biographical note
SARA SINCLAIR is an oral historian of Cree-Ojibwa, German/Jewish, and British descent. Sara teaches in the Oral History Masters Program at Columbia University. She is the editor of How We Go Home: Voices from Indigenous North America and gave a TEDx talk on "Why We Need to Amplify Indigenous Voices" in 2021. She lives in New York, New York.
