Jonny Appleseed
Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead, published by Arsenal Pulp Press in 2018, is a literary fiction novel that explores the life of a young Two-Spirit/Indigiqueer navigating the complexities of urban existence. With 223 pages, this edition presents a vivid narrative centered on Jonny, who becomes a cybersex worker while grappling with his identity and the impending return to his reserve for his stepfather’s funeral.
Readers will find a rich tapestry of themes including love, trauma, and kinship as Jonny reflects on his past and prepares for his journey home. The story unfolds over a week filled with intense experiences that challenge his understanding of self and community. Through a blend of personal recollections and contemporary struggles, Jonny Appleseed offers a unique perspective on Indigenous life, capturing the interplay of ambition and memory in a world marked by both hardship and resilience.
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WINNER, Lambda Literary Award
“You’re gonna need a rock and a whole lotta medicine” is a mantra that Jonny Appleseed, a young Two-Spirit/Indigiqueer, repeats to himself in this vivid and utterly compelling novel.
Off the reserve and trying to find ways to live and love in the big city, Jonny becomes a cybersex worker who fetishizes himself in order to make a living. Self-ordained as an NDN glitter princess, Jonny has one week before he must return to the “rez,” and his former life, to attend the funeral of his stepfather. The next seven days are like a fevered dream: stories of love, trauma, sex, kinship, ambition, and the heartbreaking recollection of his beloved kokum (grandmother). Jonny’s world is a series of breakages, appendages, and linkages–and as he goes through the motions of preparing to return home, he learns how to put together the pieces of his life.
Jonny Appleseed is a unique, shattering vision of Indigenous life, full of grit, glitter, and dreams.
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