Elle a décidé de ficher le camp sans jamais regarder en arrière, mais, depuis ce temps, on dirait qu'il lui manque quelque chose. Il s'est retrouvé avec une maison sur les bras, mais souhaite retourner à la source du mal. Elle rêve d'être la meilleure, mais il n'y a pas que du bon à être prête à tout. Il a toujours parlé un cri parfait, mais ça ne l'empêche pas d'être à l'occasion un parfait trou de cul. Aussi actuel que poignant, Perles de verre est une fenêtre ouverte sur le quotidien de ces jeunes Autochtones qui ont été parmi les premiers à quitter la réserve pour vivre en ville et qui ont dû lutter pour s'adapter, quitte à perdre certains repères pour en acquérir de nouveaux. Ils s'appellent Nellie Gordon, Julie Papequash, Taz Mosquito, Everett Kaiswatim. Leurs histoires sont liées depuis toujours. Leur destin n'est pas pour autant écrit d'avance.

Après avoir perdu son emploi et son mari musicien, Rose Okanese, mère de deux filles au caractère bien trempé, décide qu'il est temps de s'occuper d'elle-même et de remonter son estime de soi. Son idée de génie : courir le marathon annuel organisé dans sa réserve, et ce, malgré le fait qu'elle n'a pas enfilé de souliers de course depuis vingt ans, qu'elle fume comme une cheminée et que l'optimisme n'est pas sa plus grande qualité. Ce dont elle ne manque pas, en revanche, c'est de spontanéité, et bien qu'elle regrette au départ de s'être engagée dans ce projet, elle se laisse peu à peu mener par son destin. Celui-ci placera sur son chemin un adversaire inattendu et on ne peut plus redoutable : un vieux démon bien connu de la communauté, avec lequel elle devra se battre pour conserver son indépendance d'esprit... C'est peu dire qu'en deux temps, trois mouvements, le chaos s'installe dans la réserve.

- C'est quoi une poule des prairies ? - Un oiseau. Une espèce de petite dinde obèse. - C'est gracieux ? - Ça vole pas, mais ça se déhanche en masse. Recrutée à la hâte pour faire une tournée en Europe, une improbable troupe de danseurs et de danseuses autochtones - une jolie fille aguicheuse, sa tante arthritique et bigote, un cowboy solitaire sentimental et un jeune voyou écervelé - doit honorer des engagements pris par d'autres. Évidemment, rien ne se passe comme prévu et le voyage tourne au burlesque. Mais le rire est une arme : derrière le vaudeville pointe une satire sociale où « l'Européen » et « l'Indien » (nous sommes en 1972) en prennent chacun pour leur grade. Truculent. Dawn Dumont est née en 1978. Journaliste, écrivaine et comédienne, elle est membre de la Première Nation Okanese, en Saskatchewan, une province de l'ouest du Canada.

The hilarious story of an unlikely group of Indigenous dancers who find themselves thrown together on a performance tour of Europe The Tour is all prepared. The Prairie Chicken dance troupe is all set for a fifteen-day trek through Europe, performing at festivals and cultural events. But then the performers all come down with the flu. And John Greyeyes, a retired cowboy who hasn't danced in fifteen years, finds himself abruptly thrust into the position of leading a hastily-assembled group of replacement dancers. A group of expert dancers they are not. There's a middle-aged woman with advanced arthritis, her nineteen-year-old niece who is far more interested in flirtations than pow-wow, and an enigmatic man from the U.S. -- all being chased by Nadine, the organizer of the original tour who is determined to be a part of the action, and the handsome man she picked up in a gas-station bathroom. They're all looking to John, who has never left the continent, to guide them through a world that he knows nothing about. As the gang makes its way from one stop to another, absolutely nothing goes as planned and the tour becomes a string of madcap adventures. The Prairie Chicken Dance Tour is loosely based -- like, hospital-gown loose -- on the true story of a group of Indigenous dancers who left Saskatchewan and toured through Europe in the 1970s. Dawn Dumont brings her signature razor-sharp wit and impeccable comedic timing to this hilarious, warm, and wildly entertaining novel.

These short stories interconnect the friendships of four First Nations people - Everett Kaiswatim, Nellie Gordon, Julie Papequash, and Nathan (Taz) Mosquito - as the collection evolves over two decades against the cultural, political, and historical backdrop of the 90s and early 2000s. These young people are among the first of their families to live off the reserve for most of their adult lives, and must adapt and evolve. In stories like "Stranger Danger", we watch how shy Julie, though supported by her roomies, is filled with apprehension as she goes on her first white-guy date, while years later in "Two Years Less A Day" we witness her change as her worries and vulnerability are put to the real test when she is unjustly convicted in a violent melee and must serve some jail time. "The House and Things That Can Be Taken" establishes how the move from the city both excites and intimidate reserve youth - respectively, how a young man finds a job or a young woman becomes vulnerable in the bar scene. As well as developing her characters experientially, Dumont carefully contrasts them, as we see in the fragile and uncertain Everett and the culturally strong and independent but reckless Taz. As the four friends experience family catastrophes, broken friendships, travel to Mexico, and the aftermath of the great tragedy of 9/11, readers are intimately connected with each struggle, whether it is with racism, isolation, finding their cultural identity, or repairing the wounds of their upbringing.

These short stories interconnect the friendships of four First Nations people - Everett Kaiswatim, Nellie Gordon, Julie Papequash, and Nathan (Taz) Mosquito - as the collection evolves over two decades against the cultural, political, and historical backdrop of the 90s and early 2000s. These young people are among the first of their families to live off the reserve for most of their adult lives, and must adapt and evolve. In stories like "Stranger Danger", we watch how shy Julie, though supported by her roomies, is filled with apprehension as she goes on her first white-guy date, while years later in "Two Years Less A Day" we witness her change as her worries and vulnerability are put to the real test when she is unjustly convicted in a violent melee and must serve some jail time. "The House and Things That Can Be Taken" establishes how the move from the city both excites and intimidate reserve youth - respectively, how a young man finds a job or a young woman becomes vulnerable in the bar scene. As well as developing her characters experientially, Dumont carefully contrasts them, as we see in the fragile and uncertain Everett and the culturally strong and independent but reckless Taz. As the four friends experience family catastrophes, broken friendships, travel to Mexico, and the aftermath of the great tragedy of 9/11, readers are intimately connected with each struggle, whether it is with racism, isolation, finding their cultural identity, or repairing the wounds of their upbringing.

After losing her job and being left by her rock musician husband, Rose Okanese, a single mother of two feisty girls, resolves to claim some self-respect. She decides the fastest way to do that is to run the reserve's annual marathon, but her training is sidetracked when she must do battle with an ancient demon. With a cast of unusual characters, Dawn Dumont weaves a tale of motherly love, friendship, lustful longing, wihtikow lore, and Rez humour that keeps the hoopla going until the race is done. "Rose's Run is unlike any other book I've ever read: it's part Lee Maracle, part Stephen King, part Eden Robinson, and a whole lot of fun . . .What a read. What a writer. Wow!"  - Richard Van Camp, author of The Lesser Blessed and Godless but Loyal to Heaven "Dawn Dumont is the funniest girl on the Rez! She is hilarious, insightful, and a wonderful writer, gifted with both a razor sharp observational wit and a generous and kind heart."  - Kelley-Jo Burke, The Selkie Wife and Ducks on the Moon

Author and narrator Dawn Dumont paints a picture which goes beyond many cultural stereotypes. She talks about drinking and bingo and the toughness needed to deal with bullying by the other natives and also by her white peers. Readers see reserves in both Manitoba and Saskatchewan from the native point of view. There is a sense of how distanced these are, both literally and figuratively, from non-natives; yet, at the same time Dumont reveals how close-knit many families are, and she shows her readers that, despite cultural differences, natives and whites are really quite similar. Dawn has the same dreams, problems and aspirations as any other teenage girl. Dumont's book is something between a novel and a memoir since the author was born and raised on the Okanese First Nation in Saskatchewan. As in any novel, each chapter adds to readers' understanding of the main characters, and yet each chapter can stand on its own as a short essay. Readers will appreciate Dumont's dry sense of humour throughout since Dumont undoubtedly 'tells it like it is' but always with her own brand of somewhat impertinent humour. In a classroom or book club setting, Nobody Cries at Bingo would be an excellent springboard for a discussion about a wide variety of native issues and what can be done to promote understanding between natives and non-natives. Dumont's book approaches the issues in a manner which is both straightforward and humorous and perhaps suggests this is a good way for all of us to begin such a conversation.