Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dancing on Our Turtle’s Back | 2011 | Leanne Betasamosake Simpson | Buy |
| 2 | As We Have Always Done | 2017 | Leanne Betasamosake Simpson | Buy |
| 3 | A Short History of the Blockade | 2021 | Leanne Betasamosake Simpson | Buy |
| 4 | Rehearsals for Living | 2022 | Leanne Betasamosake Simpson | Buy |
Simpson’s non-fiction work begins with Dancing on Our Turtle’s Back (2011), which argues that Indigenous resurgence must be rooted in Indigenous intellectual traditions rather than colonial institutions. The book draws on Nishnaabeg creation stories and philosophy to outline what a politics of resurgence might look like in practice. As We Have Always Done (2017) continues this line of thinking, making the case that land-based practices and Nishnaabeg governance are not relics of the past but living systems with real political force.
A Short History of the Blockade (2021) is a shorter, more personal work that reflects on direct action and the politics of land defense. Rehearsals for Living (2022), written as a series of letters between Simpson and Robyn Maynard, connects Indigenous resurgence with Black liberation movements. The four books together form a body of political and intellectual writing that has been widely read in Indigenous studies, political science, and activist circles.