{"product_id":"northern-light-kazim-ali-9781571313829","title":"Northern Light: Power, Land, and the Memory of Water","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Book Riot and Shelf Awareness \"Best Book of 2021\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Places do not belong to us. We belong to them.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe child of South Asian migrants, Kazim Ali was born in London, lived as a child in the cities and small towns of Manitoba, and made a life in the United States. As a man passing through disparate homes, he has never felt he belonged to a place. And yet, one day, the celebrated poet and essayist finds himself thinking of the boreal forests and lush waterways of Jenpeg, a community thrown up around the building of a hydroelectric dam on the Nelson River, where he once lived for several years as a child. Does the town still exist, he wonders? Is the dam still operational?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Ali goes searching, however, he finds not news of Jenpeg, but of the local Pimicikamak community. Facing environmental destruction and broken promises from the Canadian government, they have evicted Manitoba's electric utility from the dam on Cross Lake. In a place where water is an integral part of social and cultural life, the community demands accountability for the harm that the utility has caused.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTroubled, Ali returns north, looking to understand his place in this story and eager to listen. Over the course of a week, he participates in community life, speaks with Elders and community members, and learns about the politics of the dam from Chief Cathy Merrick. He drinks tea with activists, eats corned beef hash with the Chief, and learns about the history of the dam, built on land that was never ceded, and Jenpeg, a town that now exists mostly in his memory. In building relationships with his former neighbors, Ali explores questions of land and power―and in remembering a lost connection to this place, finally finds a home he might belong to.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Kazim Ali\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1571313826\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781571313829\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Milkweed Editions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/09\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 200\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.85lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.60h x 5.60w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/07\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eForeword\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/26\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/15\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/30\/2021","brand":"Kazim Ali","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44049818222847,"sku":"9781571313829","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_7c1a794f-01ab-49f2-8a73-0b03949d6623.jpg?v=1685003624","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/northern-light-kazim-ali-9781571313829","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}