What's Ely Reading Book Recommendation: Thistlefoot & Invisible Cities

Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott

You may be familiar with the mythology of Baba Yaga and her moving house on chicken legs, but this immersive fantasy story takes the story of this slavic witch and instead follows two of her descendents; estranged siblings who are reunited under mysterious circumstances in the magical city of New Orleans. While modern retellings of classic fairy tales remain popular, this particular book drew me in because of the heavy emphasis on Jewish folklore and history. The book emphasizes the importance of storytelling as a way of passing on tradition as well as the ways in which cultural memory is carried on despite hardship, tragedy, violence, relocation, and loss. 

At the Ely Folk School we understand the importance of celebrating heritage, history, and culture. Across our nine program areas, we encourage instructors and students to connect craft with place and people. This can look a lot of different ways: classes that utilize the materials of our surrounding Northwoods environment (Birch Bark canoe building, sewing with beaver pelts, weaving pine needle baskets), classes where we learn about the food of our ancestors (lefse making, baking Slovenian walnut potica, brewing mead and root beer), or events where we practice the traditions we’ve enjoyed together for generations (eating and singing at Kraftskiva, contra dancing in a barn, and strumming fiddles and guitars together in the “old time” style) for example. Through these opportunities we know that we carry on tradition, learn more about each other and ourselves, strengthen our community, and build a more resilient and more joyful future. 

This book does have some heavier themes (specifically references to the history of pogroms in Eastern Europe and Russia and the ways in which family trauma can impact us for generations) so I would recommend it to older teens and adults who enjoy fantasy, magical elements, explorations of complicated families, suspense, mystery, and engrossing plots with compelling and satisfying storylines. Enjoy!

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Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

Italo Calvino is one of the great Italian writers of the 20th century. In Invisible Cities he alternates between a fictionalized account of the real-life meeting of Venetian explorer Marco Polo and the Mongol-Chinese emperor Kublai Khan, and lush, lyrical descriptions of cities (some that exist, some that are imagined!) The two main characters learn to communicate despite cultural and language barriers, and grow closer as they conspiratorially share fragments about the urban wonders that exist in the world. 

I heard this book described once as “the greatest book about tourism ever written”, ostensibly because it is created with a deep and beautiful love for places. I think of it as a cross between a collection of poetry and a travel book made by someone who loves words and wants to communicate the feelings invoked when visiting a new place: overwhelm, wonder, recognition, enchantment, nostalgia, homesickness… In Ely there are a lot of complicated feelings about tourism and what our role as a community is towards it as an industry and economic force. This book doesn’t have the answers, but maybe it’ll help us remember that there are a lot of people that have a strong connection to our city and to the natural world that surrounds us.

This book doesn’t follow what we might think of as a “typical” structure–there is no clear plot or character arcs. I’d recommend against treating it like a straightforward novel and instead approach it like poetry; let the vivid imagery wash over you in smaller reading sessions.