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Motorcycles & Sweetgrass

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Motorcycles & Sweetgrass

Written by: Drew Hayden Taylor
Narrated by: Drew Hayden Taylor
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About this listen

A story of magic, family, a mysterious stranger . . . and a band of marauding raccoons.

Otter Lake is a sleepy Anishnawbe community where little happens. Until the day a handsome stranger pulls up astride a 1953 Indian Chief motorcycle – and turns Otter Lake completely upside down. Maggie, the Reserve’s chief, is swept off her feet, but Virgil, her teenage son, is less than enchanted. Suspicious of the stranger’s intentions, he teams up with his uncle Wayne – a master of aboriginal martial arts – to drive the stranger from the Reserve. And it turns out that the raccoons are willing to lend a hand.
Fiction Genre Fiction Indigenous Creators Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction World Literature Native American

What the critics say

NATIONAL BESTSELLER
FINALIST 2013–2014 – First Nations Communities Read

“A near-perfect debut, a masterful mythic-comedy balancing contemporary issues and realities with magic and history. . . . Motorcycles & Sweetgrass is a trickster story, but it’s also a fundamentally human account of individuals and of a people struggling to find a place for themselves in the world. . . . A broad, bawdy, raucous, deeply felt and utterly involving narrative, a genuine pleasure to read. . . . Motorcycles & Sweetgrass positively crackles with life, love and magic. What more can you ask of a book?” —Robert J. Wiersema, Edmonton Journal

“A winning comedy.” —The Globe and Mail

Motorcycles & Sweetgrass may be concerned with aboriginal community politics, identity, mythology and intergenerational legacies, but it reads like a romp. . . . Yet the book’s real strength is its underlying account of a community struggling to weave an increasingly abstract traditional past with some kind of meaningful future.” —Toronto Star

“Drew Hayden Taylor’s got no qualms about poking fun at his Native roots, and that’s what makes Motorcycles & Sweetgrass such a pleasure. It’s playful yet soulful, with a narrative that keeps those pages turning. . . . A fun, rollicking book, and Taylor’s voice is fresh and unique.” —NOW (Toronto)

“Taylor brings a modern twist to ancient native folklore. Motorcycles & Sweetgrass is a charming story about the importance of balance and belief—and a little bit of magic—in everyone’s life.” —Quill & Quire

“Fast-paced, uproariously funny and genuinely thrilling. Drew Hayden Taylor is one of Canada’s finest and funniest writers." —Ian Ferguson, author of Village of the Small Houses

“Funny, heartfelt, hopeful and illuminating. Motorcycles & Sweetgrass made me laugh and made me think, sometimes in the same sentence. Drew Hayden Taylor is a master storyteller.” —Terry Fallis, author of The Best Laid Plans

“Drew Hayden Taylor has woven an epic tale of magic, mystery and charm for the world to discover in Motorcycles & Sweetgrass. This is a novel to savor. A complete delight!” —Richard Van Camp, author of The Moon of Letting Go and The Lesser Blessed
All stars
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That’s good in my Dene language. It’s funny and has so my references that only Indigenous people will get, that I laughed out loud to myself while listening. Definitely recommend. I will listen to it again.

So Nehzoo!

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Drew Hayden-Taylor is truly a First Nations treasure. Thank you for your insights and love.

Well done Drew.

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Engaging tale, interesting characters, well read. I really enjoyed this, one of the three best inventions of white man. :)

Enjoyable

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My book club chose this book, and I’m very grateful that they did. I found it took me a while to get into it. I wasn’t hooked until the 5th chapter. I normally would have given up on a book by then, but since I needed to read it for the club, I pressed on. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I came to adore this light hearted easy read.

Give it a chance!

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I truly enjoyed the story and the reader. It made it easy to feel like I was on the story.

Great book

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