Books Are Good Medicine is a podcast exploring books and other K-12 teaching resources on the Native American experience.
For many Indigenous communities, storytelling has been a critical component to cultural identity and healing for generations. Reading offers a form of good medicine – fiction and non-fiction books alike have the power to inspire, inform and empower students as they discover the world around them.
Books written about and by Native Americans offer not only insights into their rich cultural heritage but also universal themes of resilience and community. Reading these stories in the classroom provides Native students with a sense of cultural validation and pride, while also offering their non-Native peers valuable perspectives on Native history and culture. By sharing this content, educators can contribute to building a greater understanding and appreciation of Native people.
Join hosts Allison Waukau and Odia Wood-Krueger as they provide guidance to educators and engaging discussion on a wide variety of Native books and teaching resources which can be useful in K-12 classroom teaching.
Watch or listen today!
This podcast is sponsored by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and its recent Understand Native Minnesota campaign to improve the Native American narrative in Minnesota’s schools.
The opinions expressed on the Books are Good Medicine podcast by its co-hosts and guests are their own in their personal capacities and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization with whom they are affiliated or of the podcast’s sponsor.
MEET THE HOSTS
The podcast Books are Good Medicine is hosted by
Allison Waukau and Odia Wood-Krueger, two Minnesota-based experts on Native books and K-12 education.
Allison Waukau
(Menominee/Navajo)
Allison resides in Minneapolis, has a background in community engagement and currently works as the Tribal Liaison and Native Relations Coordinator for the Metropolitan Council. Allison served as the American Indian Community Liaison for the Hennepin County Library for five years, where she spearheaded the development and implementation of innovative programs that enhance community awareness, involvement, and support of Native Americans. She previously held a similar position with the Roseville School District.
Allison serves as the President of the American Indian Library Association and was recognized as one of Library Journal’s 2021 Movers & Shakers. Additionally, she received the Rising Leader award at the Joint Council of Librarians of Color. Allison has presented at numerous conferences, including the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums, and the Minnesota Library Association Conference.
In the past year, Allison has had the privilege of interviewing and engaging in conversations with acclaimed Indigenous authors, including Louise Erdrich and Tommy Orange. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in humanities from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.
Odia Wood-Krueger
(Métis)
Odia has worked in public education for the past 20 years, focusing on culturally relevant content, curriculum writing and community engagement. Prior to consulting full time with her own firm, Wood Krueger Initiatives, she spent nine years working for the Indian Education department at Minneapolis Public Schools.
As a consultant, Odia collaborates with various organizations in hopes of making education better for all students, especially Native ones. Some of her projects include the first-of-its-kind Native American Freedom Schools®, sensitivity writing for publishing houses and community outreach for “The Bias Inside Us,” a traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibition focusing on implicit bias. She was a consultant to the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s Understand Native Minnesota campaign, including serving as the author and principal investigator for its 2022 Restoring Our Place report and is the author of its 2024 publication, A Guide to Reliable Native American-Related Teaching Resources.
Odia is a member of the Central Urban Métis Federation, Inc. (CUMFI) and a dual Canadian-American citizen. She holds a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Saskatchewan, a post-graduate certificate in environmental education and a Master of Education degree from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She recently completed a Master of Indigenous Land-based Education from the University of Saskatchewan.