Professor and author David Heska Wanbli Weiden joins us to discuss his crime novel Winter Counts, following the story of a local Native American enforcer on South Dakota’s Rosebud Indian Reservation. Weiden, an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota nation, highlights life on a reservation and dives into the important issue of native identity. Winter Counts is a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and was named one of the Best Books of 2020 by Publishers Weekly.
Our host Ann Bocock sits down with David Heska Wanbli Weiden to talk about the importance of Native American representation in the media and how the native community has responded to his novel. He discusses the broken criminal justice system on reservations and the health issues brought on by food insecurity, healthcare disparities and drug addiction.
Weiden also shares his struggles being half Lakota and why it was so important for his main character to cope with the same issues of identity. He explains what exactly is a winter count and tells us how the Rosebud Indian Reservation has been affected by the pandemic. Get all the details on this week’s episode of GO Between the Covers!
Connect with David Heska Wanbli Weiden:
Website: https://davidweiden.com
Twitter: @WanbliWeiden
COVID-19 Rosebud Relief Fund: https://www.rosebudsiouxtribe-nsn.gov/covid-19-disaster-relief-fund
And connect with us!
https://www.southfloridapbs.org/gobtc/
Facebook: @BetweenTheCoversSouthFloridaPBS
Twitter: @WPBT2, @WXELTV
