Paperback Edition
ISBN: 9781558612938
Publication Date: 01-24-2023

Interspersing personal memoir with radical notions of self-help and collective recovery, Warrior Princesses Strike Back focuses how Indigenous activist strategies can be a crucial roadmap for contemporary truth and healing.

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is home to the original people of this land, yet it is also one of the poorest communities in America. Through intimate and vulnerable memoir, Lakota twin sisters Sarah Eagle Heart and Emma Eagle Heart-White recount growing up on the reservation and overcoming enormous odds, first as teenaged girls in a majority-white high school, and then battling bias in their professional careers. Woven throughout are self-help strategies centering women of color, that combine marginalized histories, psychological research on trauma, and perspectives on “decolonial therapy.” Through the lens of Indigenous activism, the Eagle Hearts explore the possibility of healing intergenerational and personal trauma by focusing traditional strategies of reciprocity, acknowledgement, and collectivism.

“Eye-opening and intense, this penetrating memoir will inspire.” —Publishers Weekly

“Poignant, raw, and filled with compassion, Warrior Princesses Strike Back gives us an essential look into the historical and contemporary lives of Lakhota women. The Eagle Hearts have written a love letter to their younger selves and to Indigenous women everywhere—a sacred gift to help the world collectively heal.” —Mark Ruffalo, actor 

“The Eagle Heart twins share an eye-opening memoir about what it’s like growing up on an Indian reservation in the present day. The brave Lakȟóta sisters, supported by the wisdom and strength of their community, give readers an intimate and inspiring look into the women who are leading the struggle to heal. This book will make you look at America with fresh eyes.” —Piper Perabo, actor and activist