This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
Feathers of Wisdom by Leigh Podgorski shares the stories of women whose lives influenced their tribes and the world around them across generations. In Maya tradition, Ixchel’s presence as the Moon Goddess shaped the cycles of life by bringing water to the land and guiding birth and healing, and her connection to the Sun-God and her children tied her to creation itself. Among the Cahuilla, Menily rose to instruct her people in daily life and ritual practice before ascending to the sky to mark the first New Moon. In Inuit stories, Sedna’s descent into the sea transformed her into the ruler of marine life, shaping both the bounty and dangers faced by hunters. A Piegan Blackfoot woman devoted to the Sun guided Scarface through a journey that led to the creation of the first Medicine Lodge. Each story closes with a direct message and attributes.
Leigh Podgorski’s Feathers of Wisdom is illustrated by Kait Matthews and is a luminous celebration of Indigenous women, with each entry featuring a gorgeous visual of the woman in a contemporary graphic design style in earth and jewel tones. It's really hard to pick a favorite, but the standout is Dream of Double Woman, where Double Woman appeared in a dream to a Sioux maiden, teaching her to make quillwork buffalo robes, where she remains still sewing hides in moonlight. In The Legend of White Buffalo Calf Woman, Lakota hunters are instructed to build a medicine lodge and a pipe of buffalo calf that embodies prayer, peace, and where the arrival of sustenance is given as a sacred gift. She then rises as four buffalo before vanishing. This is a spectacular book and an extraordinary way to honor these women and carry on their stories. Very highly recommended.
