THE KNOWING

Tanya Talaga, a Canadian journalist of Anishinaabe descent, weaves her own family's history into this heartrending account of her country's shameful treatment of Indigenous peoples. Given the personal nature of this work, it's natural for the author to take on the role of narrator, but it's largely unsuccessful. The writing is frequently passionate and powerful, but its impact is lessened by Talaga's plodding pace. The litany of tragic stories would be difficult for any narrator to sustain for 15 hours, and one gets the sense the author is overwhelmed. There are only a few flickers of emotion that offer a glimpse of what might have emerged from this important work, which deserves a wide audience. D.B. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2025]