Spirit Car: A Journey to a Dakota Past [Paperback]

A child of a typical 1950s suburb unearths her mother's hidden heritage, launching a rich and magical exploration of her own identity and her family's powerful Native American past.

Spirit Caris an exquisite counterpoint of memoir and carefully researched fiction, an amazing narrative that ties modern Minnesota to the single most painful event in its history. This compelling work shows the strength, love, and humor of a family of survivors–and the healing power of family stories.

"Diane Wilson had to convince her relatives to tell these moving stories, and now she is determined that they not be forgotten, for 'we are the sum of those who have come before us.'"

–Booklist

"With graceful, clear-eyed prose, Diane Wilson writes her way home. Spirit Car is a generous honor song, raised in celebration of ancestors history too often forgets."
–Susan Power, author ofThe Grass DancerandRoofwalker

"This is a moving and poignant tale about the anguish of colonialism and the insidious way it has worked to separate Indigenous Peoples from our roots. Yet within this devastating account also emerges a powerful and uplifting story about returning home."
–Waziyatawin Angela Wilson, author ofRemember This!:Dakota Decolonization and the Eli Taylor Narratives

Diane Wilsonis a freelance writer and editor. She lives in Shafer, Minnesota.