Montana Center for the Book

In The Lost Journals of Sacajewea, Montana author Debra Magpie Earling challenges prevailing historical narratives of Sacajewea. She brings to life a mythologized figure, while casting an unsparing light on the men who brutalized her and re-centering Sacajewea as the arbiter of her own history. Written in lyrical, dreamlike prose, The Lost Journals of Sacajewea is an astonishing work of art and a powerful tale of perseverance—the Indigenous woman’s story that hasn’t been told. The Lost Journals of Sacajewea was the winner of the 2023 Montana Book Award.

Bob Marshall: Defender of the Wilderness, is by author Linda Elovitz Marshall and Montana-based illustrator Jeanne Bowman. This book celebrates the life and accomplishments of Bob Marshall, who through his own efforts at work with the U.S. government, saved five million acres of American wilderness; and inspired the protection of over 110 million acres of wilderness. Bob Marshall: Defender of the Wilderness offers children the story of Bob Marshall and his passion for the outdoors.

Please join Humanities Montana is congratulating these titles as the 2024 Great Reads selections! Great Reads from Great Places is part of the Roadmap to Reading program at the National Book festival. During this year’s Festival, on Saturday, Aug. 24, at the Washington Convention Center, representatives from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and Northern Marianas will staff tables to promote their book selections and other literary works reflective of their unique locations. The area at the convention center where the 56 tables will be assembled is called the Roadmap to Reading. This activity has been a part of the festival since 2002.

The Montana Center for the Book is one of 56 Affiliates of the Library of Congress and its Center for the Book. The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress is a community of 56 Affiliated Centers, promoting reading, libraries and literacy through the Library of Congress and its Affiliated Centers across the country. The Montana Center for the Book is a program of Humanities Montana and the State affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Our mission is to promote awareness of books, writing, reading, the book arts, publishing, and literacy in Montana. Please check out the Montana Center for the Book website for updates