Moon of the Crusted Snow

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Rice presents an apocalyptic scenario through an Indigenous lens rather than a mainstream Western perspective. How does this approach change your experience of the post-apocalyptic genre, as compared to works like Cormac McCarthy’s The Road?

2. Did you find the novel’s ending, with the community dispersing to reestablish elsewhere, to be hopeful, tragic, or somewhere in between?

3. When did you first realize the full scope of the disaster facing the reservation community? How did you react, and why?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Evan hunts, stores food, and chops wood to prepare for winter long before the crisis. Are there any preparations you make in your own life that might help during unexpected emergencies? What prompts you to do so?

2. Aileen tells Evan that the Anishinaabe have survived multiple “apocalypses” before. When have you witnessed communities coming together to overcome significant challenges?

3. Have you ever had a dream that seemed to offer insight into a situation you were facing, similar to the prophetic dreams in the novel? How do you understand dreams, generally (e.